Our first "child" was an English Bulldog! I still miss her. Her name was "Winnie" and she was named for Winston Churchill. It's hard to figure when my love affair with English Bulldogs started. Was it when I saw one in the World War II home front movie "Since You Went Away" where the family pet was a Bulldog? Was it when the Bulldog came to represent Winston Churchill and his "never give in" spirit ? Was it because it was the mascot of my High School.... the North Bend Bulldogs ? I can't remember when I did not love English Bulldogs. Bulldogs snore, slobber and pass gas. They as a rule do not live long. A vet once told me they are the least physically sound of any dog. I love to watch the early videos of our kids when they were young. You can always see Winnie in the middle of everything snorting. We bought her in a small town near Salem, Oregon when she was just a few weeks old and she sat in my lap as my wife drove us the four hour trip back to Medford. I do miss her!
In last few weeks I have been reminded of my love many times. Two weekends ago I ran into a friend who owns an English Bulldog, in the parking lot of the south Fred Meyer store here in Medford. She had the dog in the back of her van and he was a very big massive Bulldog male. We stopped and talked about our mutual love. A few days later she called me at my office and we talked again about Bulldogs. She told me if we wanted another one to give her a call because she had lots of contacts. I then received an English Bulldog card in the mail from her. Today I was talking to some folks who mentioned they had an English Bulldog and it was their third. Then while looking out my office window today there was an English Bulldog in the back of a truck. Is all of this "a sign" !
I would very much to get another English Bulldog. My wife, while she loved Winnie, is not as excited as I am about getting one for the reasons set forth above. What with the kids grown up and moved away it's nice to just have a cat (Gabbie) because of their low maintenance. You can leave for a weekend or a week and just have some one come by and feed the cat. Also, Gabby doesn't like dogs..... so we may have to wait till Gabby goes to "cat heaven."
Before I die I want another, English Bulldog.
