Happy Friday!

Lady's enjoying a nice lazy day on her brothers bed ;)
Hope you're having a great day too!

Lady is ONE!

It seems as though it wasn't more then a few months ago that my friend Kelly (Owner of Beach side Bullies) headed with Daisy (lady's mom) to the vet for her scheduled c-section of which seven healthy beautiful chunky bullies were born! Somehow however - crazy as it seems - this was a whole YEAR ago! Time really flies!
Lady enjoyed her birthday yesterday and was given yet another clean bill of health from her vet! :) we also begun briefly talking with her vet about our plans to breed her in the not-too-distant future of which she said Lady looks promising to be a great breeder and to produce beautiful puppies!
With how quickly this year has gone and an addition due to our family in the next month, I'm sure this next year will pass in even more of a blur and so I'm thinking its about time for my husband and I to begin looking at stud candidates. Lady comes from a great blood line with a champion father and several siblings winning first in show multiple times as well (we unfortunately are beyond busy with a 5 year old boy and one due in the next month so showing our Lady hasn't exactly fit into the schedule) and so we want to be sure to find a stud of equal quality.  In addition to this we are looking into color options for the stud. Lady is a beautiful red and white color, but likewise we've seen other color patterns we are fond of (namely a brindle pattern like her mom and brother have) as well that may be fun to try and add into a litter.
What's your favorite coloring for a Bully?

We will keep everyone posted on an estimated time frame for when breeding will take place as well as studs we are looking at so stay tuned!

Happy 1st Birthday Lady!

Almost a year!

It has been quite some time since I last posted! I can't believe we are coming up on our

Lady's 1st BIRTHDAY!! 

(Only 3 days left and she will officially be ONE!)

 

Lady has grown quite a bit since our last update, she is now around 55lbs and overall 'solid' (at least that's what everyone who tries to pick her up has to say!) Her markings are as beautiful and symmetrical as when she was a puppy, (we are in touch with most of her siblings families and although we are probably a bit biased we feel as though we got the most uniquely marked, beautiful female puppy of the litter!) and her adorable wrinkles match her typical Bulldog personality just perfectly! :)

You hear everyone talk about just how stubborn Bullies can be but I must say that even with as prepared as we were for her stubbornness there are still days that we can't help but just laugh at how strong willed she can be! In addition to their stubbornness you also hear that bullies "just aren't that smart" - to be honest I haven't found that I agree.  While she may not learn tricks QUITE as quickly as her 'Big Brother' (our 110lb Labrador Retriever, Cam - who on the opposite end of the spectrum is a breed known for learning all sorts of tricks) she was housebroken quickly, (yes we crate trained both our dogs and yes I am a HUGE believer in that being the key to success if done correctly (more on that at a later date) ,) she knows all her basic commands (sit, lay, stay, down, etc.) knows not to jump on visitors, and won't eat until she's told - another thing we are big on in our house as out young son's 'chore' is feeding the dogs their breakfast and dinner, and we needed to know this could be done without any concern of him being bulldozed over by a hungry Bully!! :)  (Lady LOVES her food - each serving is gone in about 5 seconds once she has at it - so to watch her resist the temptation of a full bowl right in front of her until she's told by our 5 year old that she may have it, is quite impressive!) All in all, she's a good girl - stubborn enough to live up to the Bulldog rep, but also smart enough (given the right amount of patience ) to learn any trick we take the time to go over with her, and I must admit our first year with her has truly gone by SO fast!

Since my last post was about vaccinations as Lady ended her puppy series, and now we're fast approaching vaccination time for her again (she gets her yearly shots the end of this week) I figured it would be a good opportunity to visit another important topic -

Bordetella Vaccination in English Bulldogs

What is the Bordetella Vaccination? The Bordetella vaccination (otherwise known as the Kennel Cough Vaccination) is a preventative measure taken to keep at bay the highly contagious bacterial illness that is easily spread between animals known as Bordetella, or kennel cough.  Bordetella is easily recognizable in animals by the hacking cough, sneezing, and runny nose they develop anywhere from 2-14 days after exposure.   While this infection isn't generally life threatening on it's own, (a dog with a healthy immune system can often fight off the illness on their own,) it can lead to complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia that could put your dog in danger. Due to the readiness of this illness to spread, mostly all places which welcome dogs overnight or for extended periods (such as grooming facilities or doggy daycare facilities) require proof of Bordetella Vaccination at least annually if not bi-annually.  This vaccination can be given intranasal (a quick squirt of fluid up the nose,) or in a shot form, and works the same as other vaccinations by exposing your pet to a small dose of the virus helping the immune system to build antibodies.

Should my English Bulldog receive the Bordetella vaccination? Yes, BUT not the intranasal version.  Bulldogs are prone to respiratory issues and so I strongly advise that all bulldogs are vaccinated against kennel cough especially if they are going to be out and about where they could get exposed. (No this doesn't mean if you aren't going to be boarding your bully once a month you can skip the vaccination - if at any time during the year your dog may be expose to another dog that could be carrying the virus, they need to have been vaccinated - this includes a quick trip to the store with your pup, visiting the beach, dog park, etc. ANYwhere they could come in contact with another dog who has kennel cough - they NEED to have been vaccinated)

Unfortunately however, bordetella and it's vaccination are a bit of a double edged sword for your bully as they need the vaccination to boost their immune system, but also run a bit higher of a risk of coming down with a cold from the vaccination.  For this reason it is recommended that English Bulldogs receive the shot not the intranasal Bordetella vaccination.  I have seen countless cases online where people have been told by their vet it would be 'fine' to give their bulldog the intranasal and the dog has ended up fighting a tough battle against a case of Kennel Cough or even worse, pneumonia.  Thankfully my vet is very familiar with bullies and has never suggested anything other then the shot version of the bordetella vaccination, but should you ever run across one that does, politely request that this is not done. I'd hate to see your bully have to go thru that, as well as your wallet go thru the vet bills that could so easily be avoided!

 

That's all for now! Check back later this week as I will post some pictures of Lady's first year! :)