Cullman, Alabama · Est. by Bub
BubVilla is the story of a black dog with no front teeth, the family who got adopted by him, four good horses, an old donkey, and a friend named Mr. Wiseman who taught us that you can be poor in money and still be wealthy in love.
A faith-forward, family-safe place for kids, parents, grandparents, Sunday-school classrooms — and anyone else looking for a porch.
Bub is the one who started this. He's a black short-haired pit-bull-mix with the soul of a Sunday-school teacher and the schedule of a small-town deputy. At home he's all mama's boy — there's not a key Mommy Kim picks up that doesn't get him to the door. On the porch when company comes, he snaps into tough mode, because he doesn't want the wanna-be Bubs to see him soft. We've all seen the truth of him. Nobody's gonna whisper a word.
Bub's mission is simple. He wants the kids who don't look like the other kids — the ones with the missing teeth, the ones who don't learn the same way, the ones who got picked on this week — to know that God has a plan for them. He's a Billy Graham fan. He believes there is always hope in Christ Jesus. He believes you only have to ask the Lord into your heart and trust His promises.
Let the children come unto Me.
Other dogs wish they were Bub. They just don't have Miss Ashley.
Each one carries a virtue. Each one is real. Each one is welcome. (Coloring book, trading cards, and storybook coming — sign up below.)
Mr. Wiseman was modeled after Mr. John Alvin Eisom — a decorated U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War who cooked alongside Daddy Bub's father in Nashville, Tennessee, many years ago. He went home to be with the Lord a few years back. He was poor in money but wealthy in love. He grew his own greens and called them his babies.
Mr. Wiseman exists so children, grandparents, and everyone in between never forget that the kindest souls don't always have the biggest bank accounts — and that veterans like Mr. Eisom carried this country, fed this country, and loved this country well.
When Bub and Mr. Wiseman pull up to a friend's house and that friend is feeling down, they sit on the porch. Mr. Wiseman says, “Yes sir, the Lord's been good to me today.” Bub passes around chicken nuggets and milkshakes. By the time fellowship is over, everybody's smiling like Mellow Maddie when a gentle child brushes her mane.
The BubVilla porch will always have a chair for the friend who needs one.
“Just because you didn't win this race — never quit.
Celebrate everybody. We never know what someone's been through.”
— Midnight Moonie
We're putting together a Bub coloring book — Bub at his food bowl with his missing teeth showing, Mr. Wiseman on the porch, Moonie dancing in the pasture, Mellow Maddie letting a little hand brush her mane, Sister and Stitchy and Dexter — every page tied to a virtue and a verse.
Sign up and we'll email you the very first page the day it's done. Free for kids, parents, grandparents, Sunday-school teachers, and homeschool co-ops. (And no, we won't sell your email — Bub said.)
Digital download · $9
Eight pages. One verse per page. Print at home or print at the church copier.
Starter pack of 8 · $14
Bub, Miss Ashley, Mr. Wiseman, Moonie, Maddie, Stitchy, Sister, Dexter.
Adult & Kids · from $24
Soft cotton. Front-pocket print. The line that started it all.
8x10 art print · $18
Honoring Mr. John Alvin Eisom. A portion of every print supports veterans' causes.
Free download
For grandparents and Sunday-school teachers. Bub's invitation, one page.
Hardcover · $24 · pre-order
The eight friends, one porch, one verse each. For ages 4–10.
When the store opens, every dollar helps fund coloring books for kids who can't afford them. Bub's idea.
BubVilla is built and tended by Daddy Bub (Chris Villa, the Chef-Deputy from Cullman, Alabama) for his real-life boss, Bub the dog. For Sunday-school classrooms, kids' ministries, homeschool co-ops, or just to say hi — text or email and you'll get a real human answer.
A note from Bub
“If you got picked on this week, if you don't learn like the other kids, if you're missing a tooth or a friend or a reason — pull up a chair. There's room. God's not done.”
— Bub the Boss