My best friend had an English Bulldog for 9 years. He was just adorable, sweet natured and stubborn. She has owned dogs for years so she's quite knowledgeable about housebreaking and training and her other dogs (mastiffs and Neapolitan mastiffs) were also a little on the 'slow' side, they just didn't have that drive to please that is so evident with some other breeds (like poodles).

They are prone to some health issues -primarily respiratory due to their shortened nose. Her dog snored, snorted and sneezed all the time and was prone to rashes in the creases on his nose. But the worst medical problem he had was the fact that his tear ducts didn't produce enough tears and she had to put drops in his eyes several times a day and she was forever taking him to the vet for eye infections. The condition is called 'dry eye' -Keratitis sicca/ Keratoconjunctivitis sicca and he ultimately developed cataracts and became blind.

But even with all these problems he remained one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met.

Fortunately since the dog you're considering is older then hopefully that means that any health problems would be apparent by now. I hope this works out for you.

Isabelle is our third english bulldog. We're obviously huge fans of the breed. That said, I'm going to be very honest with you about them.

1) I know you are talking about a rescue bulldog so your milage may vary here. Getting a bulldog from a really good breeder is critical. You either pay up front for the pup or you can pay the rest of their lives in vet bills. I paid $1800. for Isabelle. Flew her to California from Mo., where a vet breeds and shows them. We've had NO problems with her whatsoever. (The same with our other two bulldogs.) You pay up front or pay later and vets aren't cheap.

I'd take the dog to a vet for a health check before committing.

2) Bulldogs are clowns. Highly entertaining but totally self absorbed. If you want a dog who wants to please you, pass a bulldog up and go for a Lab. They usually have some form of OCD. Ernie was a skateboarder. Isabelle is obsessed with balls. They are stubborn but loyal. They are not dumb as they can appear. They are just self absorbed. My bulldogs have all had large vocabularies but they listen when they feel like it. Ernie used to turn his back to me when he didn't want to obey.

3) Kids. They love kids. But they are cinder blocks. Front loaded. If they jump up on a kid to lick it's face, the child will end up on the floor. You can train them how to behave around kids and they will mostly be great but sometimes their desire gets the best of them and they will lick their face. If your child is strong willed and a natural pack leader, no problem.

4) They aren't watchdogs. They will welcome any thief and allow them to take the sofa as long as they can go too. They will be up on the furniture.

5) They over heat easily. A game of fetch can kill them in the summer. They should be in a home that is air conditioned in summer and heated in the winter. They hate rain and will poop as close to the house as possible when it storms.

6) you must wash their face frequently. Their wrinkles can get infected. Isabelle likes having her face washed but Ernie would run and hide - every single time he thought he had to get his face washed.

7) They are clowns. We love them and can't imagine our lives without one. They are huge pains in the butt. Life is all about THEM. We love the breed.

We have 2 of them. One is 8 and one is 5. We have 3 kids and we have had a couple of other dogs that were disasters. These bulldogs are the best dogs ever!

We have been very fortunate in that neither one of them has ever had any significant health issues. None. And our older dog -- age 8 and still going strong -- came from a somewhat sketchy breeder (long story). So, they do not ALL have health issues. That said, they do have short life spans. If this dog is "older"... you may not have him/her for too long. Maybe something to consider. Life span is expected to be 8-10 for most... though I met a woman who had a 13 year old bulldog once.

Yes, they snore, and they pass gas. Actually, only one of ours snores. But the gas from both... toxic!

You also have to be careful not to let them get too fat. I think one of the reasons why our dogs are so active and "youthful" is because they don't get many treats (one little doggie biscuit each morning when they "line up" to put on their leashes for their walk) and they get a good walk every morning. Neither one of our dogs weighs more than 50 lbs. I have seen some 70-80 lb. bulldogs who can barely walk.

I have to respectfully disagree with the "self-absorbed" thing that golddust mentioned. Our dogs are both totally tuned in to us and our family life. They sleep all day when the kids are in school, but once the kids are home, they practically follow them around all afternoon and evening. I agree with most of the rest of what golddust said (oooh, except for the "pain in the butt" comment!). We are bulldog owners for life (although we're considering a Frenchie next because I really want a lap dog!).

Oh, one more thing -- have some very strong, indestructible chew toys around (Kong brand is good). Many bulldogs like chew toys no matter how old they are.

Thank you so much, Maire Cate, Golddust and Sueb20! The information you've given me is wonderful and so much more in-depth than the typical websites have provided.

Regarding the older dog that we located, we had to fill out an adoption application with a great deal of info and provide character references and vet references. We were approved and I then asked for more detailed info on the dog but haven't heard back yet. Yes, adopting an older dog from a rescue or shelter can be chancy, and we don't want to find out AFTER adopting a pet and going through the bonding process that it's got untreatable health problems or temperament issues.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and experiences -- I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as we find a new family member!

I love English Bulldogs and Frenchies! BUT, I did a favor for a friend of mine transporting her Frenchie from her mom's house to our town, since I was in the area, and OMG!! The gas was horrible! I had been thinking seriously about a Frenchie before then, and that alone changed my mind.

I had heard about the gas before, but, until I was put in that situation, I never believed it would bother me so much. Very well, could just be me though! So, take that in stride.

I completely forgot about the gas - my girlfriend has a large, open home so it wasn't too bad. But she refused to ever take him to the Vet in her little BMW. She made her husband take him in the Jeep because it had a sunroof that they could open just enough to help 'air' things out.

I'm thinking the gas thing is over rated. That said, when Isabelle starts smelling gassy, I take her outside to "go poop." End of problem. LOL!

Bulldogs can have two builds. One is the traditional block build, the other is more of an athletic build. We have had both. Ernie weighed in at 65 pounds, Isabelle only weighs 42 pounds. Females are usually smaller.

Sue, we're thinking our next dog will be a Frenchie too.

Isabelle

Ernie:

Isabelle reminds me of my Phoebe!

Phoebe and Coco:

Oh! Phoebe does look like Belle! When we got our first bulldog, I seriously thought bulldogs were the canine version of the human Down Syndrome. Their tongues are too large for their mouths and they have those round eyes. The vet explained they are more closely related to Dwarf's.

Yep. They will be on the furniture. I keep fleece blankets on my sofas too. I have always wanted a pure white bulldog. I have been told they often match breed standards better than the others.

They certainly get lots of attention when out and about with them.

HOW IN THE HECK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO MAKE A THOUGHTFUL FACT-BASED DECISION WHEN YOU POST PICS OF YOUR PREPOSTEROUSLY ADORABLE BULLDOGS? I just want to reach out and rub their gorgeous velvety ears!

And just so you know I'm very very serious about pet-ownership, I can fully assure you that there will be NO pets on the furniture in this house. I repeat: NO PETS ON THE FURNITURE. At least until the second day they're here. But before that, NO WAY.

Way to go folkvictorian - you show them who is the boss! LOL

This is the first time in 33 years that we don't have a dog or 2 or 3. But mine weren't allowed on furniture or beds. But then I had Rottweilers and they just take up too much room. It's hard to share anything with two 125 pound dogs.

My dogs completely wrecked that slipcover (oh, did we mentioned the drooling problem?) so once it was replaced, the rule was NO DOGS ON FURNITURE. I scared them off with the aluminum foil technique, but I still come downstairs in the morning sometimes to find fur on the sofa!

I have a Frenchie named Oscar. We have had him for a year and he's been a great addition to our family.
He snores and farts.. Not too bad though, he's on a dehydrated raw diet and that helps I think. He also obeys when it pleases him, but is 100% a family dog, he never leaves our side. He's a goofy clown and we adore him.

I know you didn't ask about Frenchies but I had to chime in!!!!

Beth p

I

Beth - I'm glad you posted because I am definitely considering a Frenchie. We've been without a dog for over a year and we're ready. This time we definitely want smaller than what we've had before (labs, rotties, German Shepherd) but my DH still wants a dog that doesn't look like a stuffed animal or fur piece. Whatever we decide on we want 2 of them and I think a Frenchie would be perfect.

This post came at such a lucky time for us! To make a long story short, we rent our old home that we couldn't sell due to the economic downturn. The current renters supposively have two English bulldogs. We agreed to rent the house to these people b/c everything we read about bull dogs is positive. Now we are getting calls from old neighbors that the dogs are digging out from under the fence, chewing the fence off and charging people walking by with other dogs. They seem to be very, very dog aggressive. They have attacked several neighborhood dogs. Obviously, these are not good pet owners and the issue is with the people not suppervising their dogs. However, is this level of dog aggression typical for English bull dogs? We think they may have a different breed of dog that they brought into the home, but we aren't sure, yet. We will be visiting soon. Are English bulldogs dog aggressive?

geogirl, I *have* heard of aggressive bulldogs. Generally bred from bad breeders, these dogs are throw-backs from when they were used as bull fighters. I know one who had to be put down because of aggressive issues. When I spoke to the vet about this dog, he said it is highly unusual. This aggressive bully would lunge at people.

Our bulldogs wouldn't hurt anyone, including someone with ill intentions. I'd check them out, for sure.

Thank you Golddust. We will be going to see this week, I hope.

Our vet said he has never heard of an aggressive or mean bulldog. Not to say they don't exist, but it's very rare.

Just thought I'd follow up. One English bulldog and one American bulldog. The American bulldog is very people friendly, totally has that body wag going on. However, he is very, very dog aggressive. Sweet heart with people, deadly with dogs. The English bulldog is not violent, but does growl at people (me) and does try to stare down people (neighbors). Apparently, he is a chicken at heart and will scatter by stomping your feet. I was told this, but did not attempt it.

To be fair, I think these dogs are not reflective of their breeds.

Oh geo, I was wondering about those dogs. What are you going to do? Are they a threat to your homeowners insurance?

I can not -in a million years- imagine Isabelle growling at anyone. She loves company and runs to find her ball! I have never heard her growl and she is 5 years old. (I don't know if she knows how to growl!)

I don't know much of anything about American bulldogs. Some look like pits and others have pit type bodies with bulldog heads. The owner said it was a bulldog crossbred with a mastiff.

I have wondered if the pit type dogs have been called American bulldogs instead of pitbulls, for politically correct purposes. I can't see the difference. Research alert! Pitbulls were bred to be people friendly and animal aggressive. (I read this in a local newspaper article, written by a pit rescue organization, over the summer.)

Dogs have pack mentality. Maybe the 'American' taught the English bulldog how to act? (I'm very suspicious of the breeder, if he is aggressive.) I can't imagine my bulldog giving a flying flip about people passing by, no matter what dog was making a fuss. (This is part of why I said they are self absorbed.)

What are you going to do?

We are struggling with this. We have seen a lawyer to understand our liability and we have talked to the dog warden. Not much she can do, it's more of a civil liability issue. The dog issue is only one of many issues with our tenants. We have many, many reasons to evict, this being only one. However, the thought of being "that landlord" who throws a family out in winter is hard for us to grasp. We aren't "those" kind of people. Well, maybe we are now. We are working through this.

I suggest you call your insurance agency and find out exactly what your liability is. If someone gets bit, are you responsible? Since your former neighbors have complained -and I assume they are homeowners- their opinions of their neighbor should be considered too.

I used to be in property management. There are plenty of good tenants out there. Maybe consider a family who lost their home in this economy? (Don't know where you live.) Maybe they have poor credit but high caliber personal references, etc. Our ex-SIL lost his house to foreclosure and he is an excellent tenant. Thank goodness the owners of his rental could see him for the wonderful, honest person he is. Being of the homeowner mentality, he takes excellent care of his house.

I vote eviction if there is other issues. You can't save people from themselves, no matter how hard you try. I suspect your insurance company will side with me.

Good luck!

Thank you for your suggestions. This family was one that you describe - down on their luck due to issues that had resolved. This was their "new start". Poor credit, good people. Or so we thought. Live and learn.