Former University of New Mexico running back Daryl Chestnut is back in Albuquerque selling exotic French bulldogs and American bullies. He and his girlfriend Melba Johns were at North Domingo Baca Park on Memorial Day to show off two of their top-class French bulldogs, Brinks and Dream.
“I chose this particular breed because they were the most exotic ones,” Chestnut said. “Just me being a competitor, like in football and sports and stuff, I took that face on and head on and dove into it, just to see what I could do.”
Originally from Miami, Florida, Chestnut moved to Albuquerque to play football at the University of New Mexico. He played as a running back from 2015-18 under head coach Bob Davie. After taking a shot at the NFL with the Washington Redskins, Chestnut eventually returned to Albuquerque, where he runs three different companies, including Frontline Elite Litters.
Chestnut said North Domingo Baca Park is special because he not only runs football camps and training sessions there, but because it is dog friendly. “I use this park for a multitude of things,” Chestnut said. “Taking them to the dog park and also training my clients on a big field. We do a lot of agility and speed work with kids and adults and everything. So, I have camps. I met a lot of people I network with from Cleveland High School, UNM, and they are all over here as well.”
On Monday, it was all about the dogs while at North Domingo Baca. Chestnut says his dogs can sell for $5,000 and up. “It just depends on what type of quality you want and what type of litters we just dropped. She’ll [Dream] be a big-time litter because her quality is all the way there.” Dream is a 1-year-old pregnant French Bulldog with a smokey grey coat.
Brinks is a 3-year-old male French bulldog with a spotted smokey grey coat. “He [Brinks} has kids all over. He’s only 3. He has kids on each coast,” Chestnut said. “East coast to the Midwest, to the west coast. He’s a well-known dog. His dad was well known. Her [Dream} dad was famous in the dog world. It’s nothing but championship bloodlines. We didn’t cut any corners to breed our dogs. We started with top quality, and we really pride ourselves in the quality of our dogs.”
Chestnut said his dogs are well cared for and his business a licensed LLC in the state of New Mexico. Although many of his clients will put their dogs in shows, Chestnut does not enter his into competitions. “We haven’t took him [Brinks] to the shows. Just off the simple fact a lot of people go to the dog shows, of course to promote their brand, but I feel like he did so well in the first couple years he entered the dog game that he didn’t need to go. He created a name for himself. He’s the one who put us into the game,” Chestnut said.
Chestnut currently has 12 dogs, and he treats them all like family. “My dogs have full access to everything. They’re like our children,” he said. “They’re always running. They always have access to the backyard, water. Their cages are second to none and sometimes we go as far as letting them sleep on the bed or the couch. We never mistreat our dogs. This is a part of our family.”
As far as temperament goes, Brinks and Dream were playful and friendly. “This guy, he loves to play, and he gets real excited, so it almost looks like he’s getting aggressive, but he won’t hurt a fly,” Chestnut said. “She’s calm, she’s relaxed. She’s not as playful as him. She gets tired fast, but right now she’s also pregnant, so that has something to do with it, too. But they have a cool, calm demeanor.”
According to Chestnut, French bulldogs are a special breed. “Frenchies, they’re real different than the Bullies. To me, they’re really, really in your heart. They’re real good dogs. They are some of the best dogs I ever had. The Frenchie dogs are the perfect route to go.”
To learn more about Frontline Elite Litters, visit frontlineelitelitters.com or follow them on Instagram at frontline_elite_litters. Chestnut can also be reached directly by phone at 954-940-2797.
