After more than 20 years of living by myself (Mary, Fresno CA)
	After more than 20 years of living by myself, I decided to adopt a puppy. At first, I wanted a St. Bernard. But my dad convinced me that I didn’t want to clean up huge piles of poop and the St. Bernard would destroy my yard. So, I went online to start researching dogs.

One night while online, I came across the cutest puppy ever—I just couldn’t believe it was an English BULLDOG! I had heard all the stories of how vicious Bulldogs were. I just couldn’t believe that this adorable puppy would grow up to be a people killer.

I started researching and learning everything I could about English Bulldogs. I learned about their historical past of being used to bring down bulls to their current lives of being bred to be sweet, loveable, comical, stubborn, lazy, couch potato, people lovers. The more I read about Bulldogs, the more convinced I became that this was the dog for me.

When looking for a local breeder, I came across CalBulldogs. I fell in love with Moosie. I contacted Jim and Wanell and found out that Moosie and her sister, Sugar, were going to be going into heat and having litters. Once Moosie’s pregnancy was confirmed, Jim and Wanell kept all of us “expectant parents” updated on Moosie’s progress and health. Once the puppies were born, I made an appointment to pick out a female puppy.

When the puppies were 17 days old, I went to pick out my puppy. I was impressed with how CLEAN everything was, how well the puppies were being taken care of, and all of the TLC being lavished on the puppies and their moms. Jim and Wanell also introduced me to the “Moms”, Tilly, Moosie, and Sugar. The Moms live a life of luxury and were very well taken care of. I also met Patty the Pampered Pooch (a Bulldog) and Rocky (a mixed breed dog that their daughter had found as a newborn puppy on the side of the road). I could tell that Jim and Wanell really cared about their pets and took excellent care of them. The pets were truly a part of the family.

Moosie had had 10 puppies and I fell in love with Ashley, soon to be Graciela. At 17 days old, Gracie fit in my hand and weighed about a pound and a half. She was a sweetheart. While picking out Gracie, Wanell told me about a “special needs” puppy they had. Minnie, now Beatrix, had been born blind and they wanted her to go with a littermate.

After leaving Jim and Wanell’s house, all I could think about was little Minnie. Even though I was a first time puppy owner, I knew that I would love her to death and provide a good home for her. As soon as I got home, I e-mailed Jim and Wanell and let them know that I would be interested in providing a home for Minnie.

When the puppies were five weeks old, my friend and I went out to visit the puppies again. They had certainly grown! Gracie no longer fit in my hand and Beatrix was just a sweetheart!

At eight weeks old, my parents and I went to pick up the puppies. While my mom held Gracie and my dad held Bea, Jim explained all about registering the puppies, taking care of the puppies, and answering the many questions that I (and my parents) had. By the time we left, my parents were in love with both Gracie and Bea.

At home, we took the girls outside. They were amazed (and scared) by the sights and sounds. After going potty, both girls fell asleep on their new doggie beds. Gracie learned within a week and half how to use the doggie door. She loved to run in and out. For her it was FREEDOM. Within less than a month, Gracie was basically potty trained. (She did have a few accidents on the carpet, but she quickly learned that going potty should be done outside.) It took Bea a bit longer to learn to use the doggie door and to go “outside potty” on her own. Believe it or not, Gracie knew that there was something “not quite right with Bea” and would help her in and out of the doggie door. Bea quickly learned to “tailgate” on Gracie. Gracie would even help guide Bea back inside the house. (It took Bea about a month to learn to navigate the side yard and find her way on her own.) The funniest thing about the doggie door was that Gracie would be on one side and Bea on the other and they would both try to go through the door at the same time. I would hear a “flap flap flap” and knew that they were both trying to push the flaps in at the same time! It was too funny!

The hardest thing for me as a new and first time puppy owner was the “puppy play”. Nobody told me that when puppies play fight, they sound like they are killing each other. At first, I thought Gracie was picking on poor Bea because poor Bea was “blind and helpless”. I soon learned that Bea was not helpless, she was in fact the DOMINANT dog and won almost every fight!!!!! YOU GO BEA!!!

When the puppies first started this puppy play, I e-mailed Jim and Wanell with my concerns that they were going to kill each other. Wanell was very reassuring and let me know that this was normal puppy behavior. I felt a lot better hearing from someone with experience in raising puppies. Now, the girls still fight, I call it “fight club” and Bea still wins every fight. She also wins every round of tug-of war. So much for being handicapped.

I have been amazed at how quickly the girls have learned the basic commands, how eager they are to be around people, how much they love adults and children of all ages, how they like to play with the other pets in the neighborhood. For their size, they are very gentle when it comes to playing with smaller animals.

The one thing that has been somewhat challenging is their need to CHEW, CHEW, CHEW. Gracie and Bea have chewed down a tree, several door mats, shredded numerous dog beds, wall plaster, trim molding, furniture legs, bricks, rocks, sticks, cedar chips, and stuffed animals. I finally bought dog beds that are like cots. They are made out of pvc pipe and trampoline material. They are easy to clean and the dogs don’t chew on them. Even though I bought each one their own dog bed, at night, they still like to sleep together on one bed. It is too cute to see. For dog toys, kongs, nylabones, or anything made for “strong chewers” seem to last. At ten months old, the chewing seems to be FINALLY under control—knock on wood.

The girls have grown like weeds. At 10 months, Gracie weighs 60 pounds and Bea weighs 53 pounds. People say that Bulldogs aren’t athletic, but Gracie loves to jump up on my daybed that is about 28” off the ground! Bea is pretty mellow and loves to laze around and snooze on the couch.

People say that I “saved” Bea when I took her home, but what people don’t know is that Bea “saved” me. She has opened my eyes to the possibilities and shown me that people (including Bulldogs) are capable of anything and everything they set their minds and hearts on. Bea can navigate the house and yard with amazing skill. She has been known to shut the door in her sister’s face when Gracie is running at full speed. She unscrews the sprinkler and flips it over her shoulder, turns around and picks it up, and flips it again. She likes to walk in the garden and eat ONLY the red roses. If you tell her, “Bea, Bea that’s not red.” You can practically hear Bea say, “Okay Mama” and then move on to the next set of flowers. Bea likes to make obstacle courses for herself and weave in and out of the furniture legs without touching them. She knows when the gate to the big yard is open and walks confidently through it. She loves to have her chin tickled. Everyone she meets just falls in love with her and come to see how special she is. She is a wonder and an angel all in one.

Gracie is all Bulldog. She has the look and the stance down pat. But in her heart, she is a pussy cat. She loves belly rubs. She loves to sleep on my lap. She loves to play in the big yard and steal the yard lights. She is very mischievous and likes to tease me by taking my things. When she wants attention, she will hit my leg with her paw. If she wants to be scratched, she will gently scratch my leg with my paw. Her favorite thing to do is take a nap on my blanket or on my pillow. If she sees me watching, she will rub her face all over the pillow or blanket as if to say, “I just love Mommy’s pillow and blanket.” Her best fried is a 10 pound Boston Bull (?) Terrier. They love to play together and run around in the yard. (Bea plays with them too!)

Both Gracie and Bea are my heart’s delight. They are loving, friendly, playful dogs. Everyone who meets them comments on their great personalities and on what beautiful coats they have. (Gracie is a red like her mom. Bea is fawn and white like her dad.)

	When I am ready to add another Bulldog to my home, Jim and Wanell will be the first and only breeders I will call. They have been great through the whole process and have been more than willing to answer any and all questions I have had and will have in the future. They genuinely care about their dogs and the puppies.

TALK ABOUT SELECTIVE HEARING (Mike, Seattle, Wa): Hello Jim, I thought that I would send you a couple of pictures. Mr. Magoo was born January 19th in 2004. He came with that large litter that Moosie had. His father was Goliath. As you can see from the pictures from when we first brought him home to the current ones. Now he is the exact same size as his Daddy. If you remember, I came down from Seattle and picked him out and my wife picked him up.

When he was born you called him Lightning because of the streak between his eyes that extended back a few inches. This dog brings us the most joy that you can imagine. He is a character. Talk about selective hearing, he is truly amazing. Everywhere we go people always want to see him and they think his name is perfect fit. Anyway I just thought I would send you a picture and see how your boy has grown up.

I see that you have more puppies. We picked up Lightning Magoo from you on March 20 this year. He is one of a kind. He weighs about 65# now. Tomorrow we are removing carpet and laying linoleum so he can have his very own bedroom. He is the most spoiled dog I have ever had.

He boats with us, camps with us and likes short walks. He just loves other people and their pets. He also loves to chew more than any dog I have ever seen. I am curious about purchasing another dog from you since we have had such a wounderful experience with you and our Mr. Magoo. Do you have any white colored bulldogs with a brown eye available? Please let me know.

My Dearest Companion Clarabelle (above and below) is my dearest companion and she has grown into quite a celebrity when ever we go out in public for a walk or parade or coming to work with me. Her middle name should be Happy because when she greats you she literally smiles and generates a very happy disposition. People are amazed how happy she is and it reflects in her greetings.

Clarabelle's favorite place to visit is the Vet. Yes, she loves the staff, smelling all the other animals and most of all the treats that Dr. Mohr gives her for being such a good patient. Clarabelle has brought such joy, fulfillment, skin challenges, and lots of devoted love to my life.