For the millions of fans who follow my blog, I am pleased to introduce my bulldog, Narya, to you! I actually have two dogs, so I'll have to do another post about my rescue mutt, Buddy, on another day. But, Narya has been polished and shined, so we had a photo shoot.
Narya is almost exclusively an indoor dog, going out when she wants to do her business or sometimes to lay on the front porch and soak up the sun, but other than that, she's at my feet 24/7. Okay, that's not quite correct. She sleeps with me quite often and in the middle of the night, she moves from my feet and crawls on to my body as close to my face as she can get. Occassionally, I'll awaken in a blurry panic with this crushing, suffocating feeling on my chest. Of course, by now, I pretty much realize its a 48lb bully, just showin' her love. But, alas, I need to breathe! So, back to the feet she goes- which usually means, I switch positions as moving myself is much easier than moving her!
Bullies are a special breed of dog. They are popular for their amazing good looks, but their temperment is what really steals your heart. Narya is an alpha dog, but even with that trait, she is an amazing family dog. So loving and loyal!
What a lot of people don't know is how high maintenance these pups can be. Just a few facts of bully care...in case you ever consider getting one.
I'll start backasswards...so to speak. Bully's can have funky tails. Generally, they are all short and no need for docking, but, there is one particularly special type of tail that may determine which pup you choose. I've had 4 bulldogs and two of them have had this tail...its a "screw" tail...I didn't take any pics of it, but suffice it to say, it is twisted somewhat like a screw, but the tricky part is that it often has a "pocket" underneath it. This is not part of their anus...that is usually on full display and, if you ever watch "America's Funniest Home Videos" you might have noted that it can be a bit of a bulls-eye for toddlers fingers. At any rate, as far as the actual anus goes- you know right away whether they are dirty or not, and if not, you get to clean them, as bully's cannot lick their own hind ends (a fine argument for getting two of them!) So, back to the tail...the pocket and the screw are prone to irritation because of moisture and the inability of the dog to clean itself. Its not that this is really disgustingly dirty, but it is at that end of the dog, it retains moisture, breeds bacteria, (think yeast infection) and just has to be tended to regularly for the health and comfort of the dog...and for the cleanliness of your carpet...if your bully is doing the sit and spin dance, check this area right away!
Kind of the same issue applies to the folds on their face. The very ones that make them so amazingly handsome can also hold moisture and cause problems...staining, itching, redness, infection. Narya's breeder is very knowledgeable and helpful- we have very little problem with Nar-nar's (as she is often called) facial folds. A proper diet and regular maintenance here have made all the difference.
Bullies can have allergies. Pretty much, just don't give them corn- So, that means high-end dog food. But, I have had bullies that lost patches of fur and by hook and crook, discovered a home-made meal that caused them to recover. I have seen bullies with horrible skin conditions. This isn't always the case, its probably all in the breeding, feeding and luck of the draw, but if you end up with an allergy prone bully, you may be looking at even further personal attention and expense. For my two bullies who lost patches of hair, I made a mixture of brown rice, carrots, peas, eggs, drippings and fat from any meat I cooked for the family, bullion (for flavor and salt) dog vitamin/mineral supplement, butter or olive oil if I didn't have meat fat at the time, and omega fish oils. For more specific portions comment me and I'll see if I can help you out. However, now, at my new breeder's suggestion, my dogs eat "Nature's Recipe- Lamb and Rice meal" and Nar-nar is fantastically healthy and has a beautiful coat...if I do say so myself. Love that brindle- don't you agree!
Also, you have to trim their toe nails as bullies are not active enough to wear them down usually. And those nails will continue to grow until they really mess up the dog"s feet. I try to trim Narya's every week with a rotary tool- not the clippers.
And finally, bullies are not prone to fantastic agility or obedience. They are extremely smart and bull-headed- whether alpha, where they look you in the face and continue to ignore your command or passive, where they ignore you without looking at you.
Okay, well, I realize it probably sounds like I'm complaining, but that comes from a certain perspective. I LOVE my bullies and really do my best to care for and spoil them. Obviously, some of my perspective comes from skin and eye problems our past bullies have had, however, both problems were resolvable, just requiring extra time, care and money. (Surgery for cherry-eye.)
But, our bully problems have been minor and, as just stated, cared for so that they were no longer a problem. What brings me to writing this, is truly my love for my Nar-nar and my past bullies- knowing what I put in to them and the wonderful pay-off of love and devotion I get in return- that knowlege and the experience of seeing bullies that had problems that are not taken care of: Scaborous skin so that no one in their right mind would want to pet the miserable dog, forget about cuddling up with it, no matter how much those precious eyes begged for attention- long nails, that splay the toes and cause infections and malformation. Bullie's left outside in the heat... I could go on. But, my point is that these are high-maintaince dogs who thrive on a life of attention and leisure...they pay it back in love, gentleness, loyalty, humor, and tons of personality...but, they are not for everbody- no matter how beautiful they are!
