Another great dog

I wanted to tell you a little bit about a bulldog I had the priviledge of meeting. The guardians of this boy had lost their beloved bulldog only months before their neighbor got the most adorable bulldog baby. Sadly he was to spend his life outdoors with his companion dog, the neigbors other outside dog.

Day in and day out they would see the two spending their long days with nothing to do in the backyard and wasting away the days. The dogs would cry for attention but when you have a busy life sometimes there doesn't seem to be time for anyone else but yourself.

Finally they told their neighbor that if she ever needed to find a home for that puppy that they would take him. Life is really funny sometimes, things truly seem to happen for a reason. That day came and they gladly took him into their home although they felt heartsick that the woman meant to keep the adult dog which meant he was alone again.

I got the call when he was brand new to their family. "What a huge boy" I had to say when I met him for the first time, and he wasn't going to be gettng smaller anytime soon. He was more or less a blank slate still as he had no life lessons under his belt yet. These guardians were more than eager to help him learn about life and help him to grow into the well socialized community friendly guy that he was meant to be.

He was sensitive, energetic, very enthusiastic, a little hard headed at times but willing to learn and try new things. He didn't seem to know just how big and strong he was as he hurled his huge body at you when he got excited. He had a very loving temperament and I thought he would become a short gentle giant type as he grew into adulthood. He learned quickly and was a great student but more so he had a wonderfully commical personality. I truly believe that bulldogs are the most entertaining and expressive dog breed that there is, they continually make me laugh.

One thing I love about bulldogs is their body language. I've worked with alot of bulldogs and almost all of them simply turn their head away when they are not interested in doing what you ask of them. They turn their head and will not look at you, well maybe only for a second out of the corner of their eye. How can you even keep a straight face when they pull this? I just love them.

After our sessions were up I wished them luck with their new boy and I soon missed seeing him every week. That is the thing when you see a dog every week for a couple of months, you become attached or at least I do. I have tried to feel happy about all the great dogs I get to meet instead of sad that I don't get to see them for long.

Luckily I was in the need of bulldogs to photograph and he was one of the first one I thought of. Several years after our training sessions I was going to see how he turned out, and he turned out great. He is a short gentle giant and is the same very sensitive, expressive and funny guy I remembered. Another life that started out not so great but ended wonderfully.

This very lucky big lug is one that will stay in my memory for a very longtime.