These final weeks of the puppies with their breeder family are some of the funnest weeks of the whole process. The puppies by this time are no longer babies. They remind me of human preschoolers. They're in that stage of sweetness and curiosity where everything is new and everything is fun. They run, they jump, they play, and they cuddle. Their curiosity really had them interested in the strange sounds coming from the dishwasher. And even when I called, Mabel just still needed to investigate what the heck was on the other side of the big metal door. If you've been following through all of t ..read more

The puppies, as of now, are six weeks old! This week’s blog, although titled the sixth week, is really the events of five week old puppies. It has been a bit of a doozy this week. We have had tons of snuggles and lots of playtime, but raising puppy dogs isn’t always easy, and this week is a perfect example of that. I try to always be as transparent as possible in both my blog posts and with my puppy families, so here are the honest happenings of my past week. I often say that I raise best friends and that is absolutely true. That is my whole goal in raising these babies. A part of that goal i ..read more

I'm writing this at the beginning of the puppies' fifth week which makes them officially 4 weeks old! I can't believe that these babies are one month old already! It feels as though they've always been here and it feels as though they've just arrived. This past week the biggest change of all was that the puppies have figured how to bark! Eyes and ears are open, so they are full of energy, or as much energy as a sleepy, well-fed puppy has! They have been attempting to growl and sound ferocious! They pounce and pretend to be wild wolves, but really they're just adorable, little, fat puppies...bu ..read more

The first two weeks of a bulldog‘s life, or any puppy’s life for that matter, is a critical time period. They are unable to regulate their body temperature and must be kept warm and if they're unable to be kept warm by their mother, as in the bulldog's case, then they must be kept warm by the use of an incubator, heating pads, and/or heating lamps. They must have help to urinate and defecate. They‘re blind due to the fact that their eyes are not open and anything they hear, if anything, is very muffled because their ears are also completely closed. A typical puppy is guarded closely by their m ..read more

Fact number one, bulldogs are the best breed of dog that there is. Ok, I'm biased, but who's to say that it isn't actually a fact? Bulldogs have such human-like personalities. There's something really special about them. They let you know when they need back scratches, they love cuddling up for a movie, they're gentle and often great with kids, and the list goes on. They are so much fun! These are all the things that make bulldogs a great choice as a pet. There are many things about bulldogs that make them great pets for some, but they're not always perfect for every family and as much as I p ..read more

Adding a puppy to your family is such an exciting event! The countdown to pick up day can be so exciting and becomes such a focus, but there are some things that should be done before your new puppy arrives. One of the most important but least commonly done tasks before receiving a puppy is having a family meeting. Invite everyone that will be involved in the training process of your puppy and host a meeting on expectations, rules, decide on plans for handling possible situations, and make sure there is full agreement on what is and what is not allowed for the puppy. One of the most important ..read more

English bulldogs are one of the most recognizable breeds out there. They're in commercials and on greeting cards. They're mascots and a favorite choice as a companion. How would you describe them? Wrinkly, round, lazy, sleepy, friendly, cuddly, adorable...these are some of the words that I would use. Can you believe that the bulldogs that our beloved bulldogs descended from were nothing like that at all? They were actually quite ferocious; dangerous even. Beware, this history lesson isn't for the squeamish. Bulldogs were once a favorite among Romans living in modern England, hence the name "e ..read more

It's been five full weeks that these babies have been living with me. I realized just the other day that they'll be leaving me in about three weeks and I hugged them a little tighter. One of the hardest parts of breeding english bulldogs aside from the duties pertaining to their health is the fact that you get so attached, which I attribute to all of the hand rearing required of this particular breed. Emma is their mama, but I'm their human mama...for now. In about three weeks they'll be heading to live with new human mamas and daddies, and luckily for me all of their mamas and daddies are abs ..read more

This blog post is late. I always have my blog posts complete by Saturday morning. That may give you an idea of how busy these babies' third week was. The first two weeks of bulldogs' lives are always the hardest. Those days are completely sleepless. During the third week things begin to level out with eating schedules. This week the babies have been eating every four hours and at night I have begun stretching their sleep schedule just a tad longer by a few minutes each night to begin getting them ready to have a longer fasting period during the night. None of that is the fun part though. The f ..read more

Bulldog's are special. They're much different than any other breed of dog. Most dogs have puppies at home in a whelping box of some sort and the breeder sometimes needs to assist in the process but often the mother dog just senses what to do as part of their nature. Bulldogs are not like this. I've heard the saying that bulldogs are a "man-made" breed and there is a lot of truth to that. I think the fact that they are a "man-made" breed contributes to why they are so human like and why they make such great companions. So how does a bulldog birth and first week differ from that of a typical pu ..read more