Today I started my search for a quality Bulldog breeder by checking out some ads in my local newspaper.
After making a few calls, I began to get the distinct impression that many of these people were simply after my hardearned money and had very few credentials.
I called several inner city dog walkers and as asked them if they might be able to assist me on my search for a quality Bulldog breeder.
I got a few good leads but better yet, I had a business card for someone who could walk my dog on those days when I might be too busy.

Finding a companion for my Bulldog dog turned out to be a difficult search. It took a lot of digging to find a Bulldog breeder with a good reputation.
Time after time I would pass a roadside dog vendor and would be tempted to swing in and end the search. Doing that, though, you never know what you are getting and I just couldn't risk it.
I contacted my local veterinarian for suggestions and came up short. I started calling pet stores for referrals and found them tightlipped about their sources.
I eventually found a reputable Bulldog Breeder online and contacted her. She gave me a list of references, which I promptly checked and found to be more than reassuring. After much due diligence, I adopted my beautiful Bulldog puppy and brought her home. She was worth every minute spent of legwork.

I had no idea finding a quality Bulldog breeder would be so difficult when I agreed to get my daughter one for her birthday.
Coworkers and friends each shared their nightmare story of getting a sick or inbred dog and not finding out about it until their children were hopelessly attached. No one seemed to have a clue as to where to start the search.
I visited the dog park in our neighborhood every day for a week before I finally saw someone with a beautiful, healthylooking Bulldog dog. I approached the owner and he agreed to call me with the breeder's information.
The puppy and my daughter became instant friends and that made the tedious search worth it. I was also relieved to know that the dog was healthy and probably be with us for a long time.

The latest Bulldog dog I accepted as a foster from the rescue crew has been diagnosed with progressive retinal atrophy, an inherited retinal condition that will eventually lead to her becoming completely blind.
The condition is fairly advanced and there is not a curable treatment available. There are no warning signs that I could have seen to indicate something was wrong, but essentially she will be very hard to find an adoption for now and Mike and I may have to adopt her.
We will be looking into how to make our household and our habits work with a blind dog. Incidentally, the vet assures me the condition is painless.
This condition is most common in Bulldog dogs between the ages of four to six years. This little lady, as near as we can tell, is about 56 years. Due to her rescue background, we don't know a lot about her age, so of course it is a guess. Regardless, we will make sure she leads as normal a life as possible.

I groom my Bulldog once or twice a week and I try to focus on taking away the dead hair while still gently revitalizing the skin glands to produce healthy oils. Making the session fun with treats and a soothing voice ensures that my Bulldog will look forward to this time spent together.
If there is a section of fur that is especially matted, I use a touch of cooking oil and try slowly to work it out. If it still seems impossible, I will generally just cut it away with scissors rather than hurt my Bulldogs' skin.
Anytime I get a new brush, I will rake it across the back of my hand or arm as a test of what it will feel like to my Bulldog. If it is painful or irritable, I will not use it because I don't want to scratch my dogs' sensitive skin.
Since parasites tend to hide underneath the fur, I keep my eyes peeled for any signs of them. In addition, any redness or swollen spots are noted and reported to the vet immediately.

Talk to your vet ahead of time and find out what your vet is willing to do in the event of an emergency with your dog.
Most emergency situations with your Bulldog will be costly. You may consider insurance if you cannot afford emergency care.
There isn't a way to prepare for the stress you will go through with emergency care for your Bulldog. With so much to weigh, stress can feel overpowering. Unfortunately, this is a part of the emergency care.
When your dog becomes old you are forced to make hard decisions. Your best friend will not live forever even though we want them to.

My Bulldog was crazy when we were driving, so I knew he needed some lessons in car manners. To begin with, I taught him to sit before entering the car and to lie down in the back seat. I looped his leash through the seatbelt to keep him from hopping around the back of the car.
Once he was calm and lying down, I would start the car and we would just sit there listening to the radio for a few minutes.
Now that my Bulldog was still calm, I decided to back out of the driveway and slowly make my way down the block
If he started barking for any reason, I would pull the car over, get out and ask him to sit before exiting the car. It took us several drills before we made it around the block without incident.

When we brought the little baby home I thought I had everything ready that we could possibly ever need.
It hadn't ever occurred to me that we would need to brush his teeth so I hadn't bothered to purchase a toothbrush.
So, I did an online search about pet dental care and, more particularly, about brushing a dog's teeth. I then went out and purchased a fingertip toothbrush and some awesome smelling chicken liver toothpaste.
Oh, and don't ever use people toothpaste on the dog's teeth. Apparently there are some ingredients that can be harmful if swallowed and dogs just can't be taught to spit on command.

My Bulldog had been scratching his ears and chewing at the base of his tail and it was beginning to worry me. To see if it was just a case of fleas, I took a finetoothed comb and ran it through his fur.
I shook any loose matter onto a white piece of paper for closer inspection and found tiny red flakes. These red flakes were flea feces and indicated a potential problem since fleas can spread and infest the entire household.
I went to the local grocery store dog aisle and found flea treatments that came in collars, sprays, powders and shampoos.
After shampooing my Bulldog and then spraying down the areas if the home he frequented most, I took him to the vet and he got a medicinal flea preventative.

Usually when it comes to choosing the gender of the Bulldog puppy to purchase, a few people debate on whether to get a male or a female lab puppy.
Depending on if you would like a litter of puppies in the future, this could be used to choose the right gender for you.
Everyone has their own preference to either a male or female Bulldog puppy, and it is a good idea to look at the genders of the dogs you have had in the past, and which dog gender you where more wellmatched with.
Since female puppies will mature faster than males, this can also be a deciding factor as well.