Our Bully home & fam

Hello and welcome to our Bully Home!

      My husband & I were married in 1992 in Marietta, GA, after graduating from UGA in May.  He's always had an affinity for the English bulldog and I've always loved animals but mainly dogs.

     In 1995, we had just moved to the Birmingham area and my husband saw an email about someone getting rid of a fixed (spayed) female bulldog.  Our middle son, Now 22, was 6 months old.  Molly was 3 1/2 and the granddaughter of UGA V.  We were HOOKED!  We knew we could never own another breed!  She was well loved and adored. Unfortunately, we lost our baby girl on June 5, 2005.  We were blessed to have her for 13 1/2 years.

        

     We knew that we wanted to have more than 1 bully in our home and to have babies one day. I mean, there's NOTHING cuter than a bulldog puppy, right?  After Molly passed away, we were gripped with grief.  The boys and I were constantly crying, all day, everyday for a week!  It was exhausting.  She was our boys playmate, protector, love and friend.  She slept with them and was always our shadow.  

      One of the dogs in our neighborhood at the time had gotten loose.  It was a little orange pom.  Lucy was totally Trained!  For the FIRST time in a week, our boys laughed, played and were so happy again.  Although we had tried to wait, we were going NUTS without our Molly girl.  

      So we begun the search and we found our Princess Leia.  She was 9 weeks old when we got her. She was ROTTEN!  She was SO well behaved.  She was very easy to potty train.  She stayed and rotated in our boy's beds.   Just a few months after we got Princess Leia, we moved home to Georgia.

     I (Beth) studied for HOURS and HOURS for 2 years about having babies! I made lots of phone calls and asking questions.  Leia ended up having 4 litters and was the absolute BEST momma.  We had our struggles and almost every single litter something different happened.  After our biggest & most painful struggle was our first litter and I was emotionally stressed & physically exhausted.  I did everything I was told to do.  Our house was like a NICU and we still had issues.  I asked around and we wanted a vet who not only went TO UGA but also bred bullies.  We found that vet 45 minutes away.  Our vet & his dad (now retired), not only had went to UGA but our vet studied under the 1 vet that treats the mascot, UGA.  Our vet was not only was raised with bullies, but also raises and has raised them. He's our bulldog expert.  They now have 5 vets and are open almost 24-7 with hours from 7a-12a and on call the rest!

     We are still grieving but on August 25th, 2017, our baby girl, Princess Leia took her last breath at 1:30 pm. I am seriously sitting here and crying.......like tears down my face.  She had congestive heart failure but we tried to give her the best life we could.  We were completely blessed to have our girl 12 & 1/2 years.  She was funny, quirky, smart, loyal, dedicated and my shadow baby!  She also helped train and raise other litters as they came along.
      We added Libby to our bully fam in 2009, her daughter Gurley Girl aka "GG", in 2014, Harley Girl (rescue) in 2016 and Krypton, our tri male in 2016.  Our boys have not known life without a bully!
   

November 2016

     Our babies are NEVER kenneled, unless we are potty training. They sleep on our couches and beds.  They are FAMILY and treated like family.  They are our faithful & loyal companions.  Eventhough we have babies every so often (1-2x a year), we NEVER get rid of our babies or place them into a "pet home."  They are our family member period and foremost.  They are PEOPLE dogs.  They think they are human lol.  We also expect those standards of our owners.  We've never had one returned and we just want to make sure that our families are WELL versed on the breed and how to raise them!
     We raise our babies as we would want to receive a new baby! We also NEVER want to have our babies in a rescue or shelter, so we make all of our owners sign a first right of refusal.  We want the best for our babies and want to make sure they are in the right home and they'll live like they do here! As FAMILY!!

 Thanks for stopping by!

What all goes into breeding an English Bulldog?

Hey all,

In talking to someone online who is breeding the English Bulldog, we got into a discussion of what's needed when babies come.  

When we are breeding our female, we use progesterone tests to make sure we know when she will take.  This last litter I used these two items:

You MUST know how to take their blood or have someone help you for this test! Camelot Farms

You can try to find someone local with the progeseterone meter or go to your vet.

Once we have confirmation through a sonogram from our vet, we start our female on a nursing diet to build up her milk.  A MONTH before she gives birth, we put her on puppy food.  We also start her on a lactation pudding/oatmeal.  

2 weeks BEFORE she gives birth, we put our female on 500 mg of Amox.  It not only helps her and cuts back on infection, but the babies get it and it cuts down on our loss.  She will stay on this for 2-3 weeks AFTER she gives birth and the babies the antibiotics through her milk.

I make sure that I am stocked up with the following:
IV fluids (just in case),
canine plasma,
miracle nipples (LARGE, 2ct),
Calsorb
Benebac
birthing/whelping supplies (just in case),
clean baby bumper pads (check your thrift store),
Formula supplies (dark karo syrup or baby liquid vitamins (nutrical), whole yogurt, eggs, powdered goats milk or evap milk),
pool for mommy,
heat clamp light,
clean towels/blankets,
working heating pad.
CASE of wipes
Saline
Nose aspirator (like for babies but make sure it's SOFT and not hard to squeeze)
Amoxicillan (for mommy & just in case for babies)
Fenugreek (to help increase milk production for mommy)
LARGE rubbermaid container to transport the babies in

Make sure my incubator and oxygen concentrator are working and in working order.

The other thing is Scrubs for ME since I will be homebound for several weeks and dealing with mommy and new babies!  I find them at thrift stores, pretty inexpensively.

We keep our babies in this from the time they are born until they leave our home and it's adjustable.  It's a puppy play pen.

I like to be as natural as possible, but when the babies switch to mush, they will stink......and stink a ton.  So does mommy!  We use Gain pods for our wash of towels and "dog messes" because natural stuff doesn't cut it and unfortunately we have to put 2 in sometimes.  We go through a ton of towels and sheets during that time.  We are looking at litter box training next time but this has been our experience.

Seriously?  Can we have a side chat??  This  has been a total lifesaver with dogs & puppies.  I thought my carpets were destroyed after the last litter.  All the other rented carpet cleaners made the carpets wet or the stains came back , but with THIS CARPET CLEANER, my carpets looked fresh and new.......HAPPY DAY.  Needless to say, I was on cloud 9 when I saw this was so inexpensive, yet at the top of the ratings!!!

You also need to start taking her temp (twice) and watch trends leading up to her giving birth.  We do NOT schedule a cesarean until the day BEFORE her LAST due date.  Remember that women are pregnant for 9 months and dogs, 9 weeks so 1 day is a huge difference especially in this breed.

As we go along and improve, I will be updating my list of items.

How NOT to be part of a SCAM part 3

If you are new to this series, please take time to read PART 1 and PART 2 here!

Unbelievable how these people have more time on their hands than they know what to do with.  I recently was contacted on my phone from a number in SC at 4 AM!  This person asked for information in regards to one of our pups. He asked for photos. I cannot tell you HOW important it is to COPYRIGHT and WATERMARK EVERY SINGLE PHOTO OF YOUR PUPPIES.  Screenshot them on your phone so you have them.  NEVER let them leave your phone without a watermark!!!

I sent him photos of one of the males from birth, not even thinking that this was a scam because it was from SC.  Well, I tried to call twice and no answer (CLUE #1).  

His response was that he was on his way into work and it would be better to email him instead (CLUE #2)  I never physically talked to him on the phone!

As with ALL of our prospective owners, I ask a bunch of questions.  There was NO response yet he claimed he "sent it" and did "I get it".  I even sent another email testing his making sure it went through.  Oh it went through alright!  JERK!

He then asked for MORE updated photos of our little boy, which I sent and copyrighted/watermarked but He NEVER sent me the answers to those questions, which were breed specific and I had sent multiple emails asking for those.

He then sent me this and to say that I blew a gasket is an understatement of the century!

Here's his email.  Notice the grammar and spelling errors!!

Hi,thanks for your email,the pictures of Zeus is fine with me.
I'll love to pay cash and do the pick-up of Zeus ,but we are out of
town which is the reason i'll like to pay using certified check and
also why we are using our own shipper. (SCAM!) First of all, NEVER get a certified check unless it's in person and a LOCAL bank!  Secondly, NEVER allow them to use their own shipper unless they are flying in themselves to pick the pup up!
Once  you receive the payment which will be sent to you via
courier (again RED FLAG) ,you're to deduct your money for Zeus and send the rest funds
which is to my shipper so he can contact you for an appropriate time
for the pick-up of Zeus from your residence.
I'll like you to furnish me your full names and address so the payment
can be issued and sent to you immediately.
Regards

This is how it goes!  They send you a FAKE check for MORE than the amount.  You deduct the supposed money for the puppy from that amount and then send THEM the "rest of the funds for the shipper" and THEN your check bounces!!!  See how that goes!!!  You are out the money for the puppy AND the "shipper amount"!!!

What to do if your dog is lost? Part 3

I'm doing a 3 part series on what I've learned from our 4 day disappearance of our sweet girl, who came home for a Christmas miracle!  You can read
Part 1 here
part 2 here

Now we are rejoicing that hopefully with these tips, your baby is HOME!  Praying that this helps someone like it did us!  Let's go forward!

AFTER YOU'VE HUGGED & KISSED AND HELD A MILLION TIMES YOUR BABY.....WHAT'S NEXT??

1.  CHECK THEM FOR OBVIOUS INJURIES, ABRASIONS ETC. ALSO CHECK FOR TICKS!

2.  ONLY GIVE THEM 8 OZ WATER AT A TIME. THAT'S WITHIN A HALF HOUR OR HOUR IN BETWEEN.

3.  ONLY GIVE THEM A SMALL HANDFUL OF FOOD EVERY HOUR OR TWO.  IF YOU HAVE OTHERS, KEEP THEM SEPARATED FOR A BIT.  I AM TALKING 1/2 CUP AND THEN 1 CUP EVERY HOUR OR TWO........YOU NEED TO CONTINUE THIS FOR THE FIRST 2 DAYS OR YOU WILL GET STOMACH BLOAT!

4.  TAKE TO YOUR VET TO HAVE THEM CHECKED OUT.  CHECK FOR GIARDIA, LEPTO OR ANY OTHER ISSUES.

5.  RE-NOTIFY ALL VETS THAT YOUR PET WAS FOUND.  TAKE DOWN ALL SIGNS.  TAKE THE LOST/STOLEN FLAG OFF OF THE MICROCHIP.  NOTIFY ALL SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS/GROUPS ETC THAT YOUR DOG WAS FOUND. RECOVER ALL FLIERS.

What to do if your dog is lost? Part 2

I don't know what I would've done without help from such sweet, kind-hearted people. One of those was a volunteer pet detective. Later on was the search and rescue person.  I could literally have NOT found our baby without them!  I am forever grateful!!!

I will now go through things to do to "profile" your area and help your area for them to come home.

You can catch up with PART 1 HERE

THINGS TO DO AT HOME:

1.  LEAVE YOUR GARAGE/FENCE DOOR OPEN

2.  PUT USED/WORN CLOTHES OUT ON THE FRONT PORCH AND ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE (change out daily)

3.  PUT OUT FOOD AND WATER ON THE FRONT AND SIDE OF THE HOUSE

4.  IF YOU HAVE OTHER DOGS, CLOSE UP THEIR CAGE AND PUT THEIR WATER/FOOD BOWL IN A PLASTIC BAG TO SEAL FOR THEIR SCENT.

5.  DON'T GROSS OUT, BUT URINATE ON SOME CLOTHING.  DRAG IT AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON A STRING OR DRAG IT AROUND WITH A CAR AND PUT IT IN THE FRONT YARD.


THINGS TO DO FOR PROFILING THE AREA:

1. USE GOOGLE EARTH TO SURVEY YOUR AREA.  LOOK FOR ANY AREAS OF WATER.  REGARDLESS of how we humanize our pets, they still are animals with instincts.  When the sun rises, their insatiable desire is for WATER.  They can live without food for a few weeks but not water.

2.  TAKE A FELLOW DOG/PLAYMATE WITH YOU!  Take a favorite animal, "treats/cookies" etc when searching

3. USE A CALM, NON EMOTIONAL VOICE!  NEVER show emotion.  Especially for a dog that might be skittish, scared or disoriented!  They WILL bolt!

4.  GO OUT AT NIGHT.  IF IN THE CALM YOU HEAR A DOG BARKING, YOUR DOG MIGHT BE NEARBY!

5.  DRIVE AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH YOUR CAR WINDOW DOWN AND ANOTHER PET INSIDE!

6.  IF IT'S USED TO RIDING IN A CAR, DRIVE AROUND WITH A VAN DOOR OPEN!

7.  IF YOU HAVE THEM, PUT UP OUTDOOR CAMERAS, OUTSIDE!  THIS IS SOMETHING WE WILL BE GETTING SOON!!!

THINGS TO DO IF THERE'S A SIGHTING:

1.  ASK THEM TO DESCRIBE YOUR PET AND COLLAR!  INCLUDING THE COLOR!

2.  GET TIME, LOCATION AND EVERY DETAIL OF THE SIGHTING.

3.  USE A NON EMOTIONAL VOICE WHEN SEARCHING FOR THEM.

4.  ONLY 1 PERSON GOES TO SEARCH.  I CAN'T SAY THIS ENOUGH.  ONLY ONE PERSON GOES TO SEARCH.

5.  BE CALM.......AND IF YOU SEE YOUR PET, SIT DOWN.  JUST TALK.  CALMLY.  IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PACK MATE, BRING THEM TOO.

6.  KEEP A FLASHLIGHT, LEASH, FAVORITE TOY, TREATS AND TENNIS SHOES/HIKING SHOES IN YOUR CAR DURING THE SEARCH.

7.  DO NOT GIVE THE MONEY FOR THE REWARD UNTIL THE DOG IS FOUND.
 
IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T FOUND YOUR PET, THERE ARE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEER PET DETECTIVES AND SEARCHERS.  DO NOT SPEND THE $2000 WE WERE QUOTED!!

What to do if your dog is lost???? part 1

We never knew what horror, torture and pain it's like to lose a furbaby!  On the early morning of  December 21st that horror became a reality.  She wandered off after being let out and when we went to find her she was gone.......I did NOT sleep, eat and was consumed with grief for 4 solid days.  I cried more than I have in a really long time for my girl.  Just wanted to know that she was okay.  On Christmas night, we got a phone call on our way home from our family's home.  They thought they had seen her.  There was our first sighting!  We rushed home and looked but couldn't find her.  When the boys came home and doing their own searching, she was in front of the fence.  Our girl was HOME!  She is our Christmas Miracle!  The Lord heard our Cries!!!  Lots and lots of them.

I consulted with on many groups, conversations, phone calls and texts with a volunteer pet detective and an on the ground search and rescue person that has dogs for scent and searching.  I have been asked by several to list ideas of what helped to bring our Harley girl home!

1.  TAKE RECENT, CLEAR PHOTOS OF YOUR PETS AND KEEP THEM UPDATED AT ALL TIMES!!!

2.  YOU MUST HAVE THEM MICROCHIPPED!  I was reluctant at first but ALL of our pets are microchipped!  Make sure you REGISTER your chip and make sure you flag the dog/animal as lost/stolen until they are found!

3.  YOU NEED ANIMAL TAGS WITH NAME, ADDRESS, OWNER NAME, PHONE NUMBERS on EVERY animal you have!

TAG TEAM AND HAVE EVERYONE DO A JOB & DIVERSIFY!!

4.  SIGNAGE!  SIGNAGE SIGNAGE!  We had 8x10 photos, laminated.  We took foam core (Dollar tree), stapled yellow cardboard to it and stapled it to steaks.  I gorilla taped it on top of the back to hold it.  Put LOST DOG, REWARD, YOUR PHONE NUMBER.  DO NOT put the reward amount! 
Put these up at EVERY intersection within 2 miles of your home!

5.  Fliers:  Go and hand out fliers to EVERY home within 2 miles of your home! MAKE SURE YOU GO TO EVERY PET STORE IN YOUR AREA!  Check neighborhood.com (the app) for your neighborhood if possible but ours wasn't on there.

6.  GIVE EVERY SCHOOL BUS DRIVER, FEDEX & UPS DRIVER IN YOUR AREA A FLIER.  TAKE THEM TO THE POST OFFICE. PEOPLE TALK........A LOT! TAKE THEM TO THE SCHOOLS!

7.  Notify EVERY source about your lost pet.  The animal shelter, your local groups on fb, online garage sale groups, CRAIGSLIST.  Check for sale on CRAIGSLIST as well and check multiple times of the day!  Harley's photo and information was shared 1500 times over a 2-4 day period! Check the animal shelter EVERY day!  in person!

8.  Email EVERY vet in your county and every county surrounding you.  Give photos, exact descriptions etc.  Give microchip numbers

Next I will detail the profiling part and what to do from home on your own!