Gummiente
New member
Hello to all from Ontario, Canada. I found this forum during a Google search for help on Bulldogs peeing in their crates (more on that in a minute) and after looking around I decided to sign on. Three months ago I was adopted by a Bully from a Bulldog Rescue located close to where I work. Bit of a sad story, he apparently broke his left rear leg in a nasty fall when he was 3mo old and his owners at the time immediately surrendered him to their local pound. Apparently they could not afford the surgery, but nobody is completely sure of the exact reason. Unfortunately, the bone wouldn't heal - due in part to his version of "crate rest" as lying on his side and doing a continuous breakdance spin with his good leg - and he had a total of three surgeries to try and correct the problem. On the third surgery it was decided to amputate the leg, after he recovered he wound up at the Bulldog rescue. Around nine months later he bounded into my life after I answered an ad on Kijiji. Two years ago I had to put down Hector The Wonder Dog, an Australian Cattle Dog with many medical issues who had been a part of my life for 12 years, and it took awhile before I realised that I simply do not function well without a dog in my life and began the search for a new companion. My list of must-haves was short and non-negotiable; the dog had to be friendly, good with people, good with cats (my wife has two) and good with traveling in vehicles (I have a 1hr commute to work). Mary, the lovely lady who runs the Rescue, assured me over the phone that one of her dogs fit these requirements was nice enough to bring him to where I work for our first meeting. Well, the very minute I first laid eyes on him I just knew he was the dog I was looking for and brought him into our home. From a breederās standpoint there are apparently all kinds of things wrong with him; his head is too narrow, his shoulders are too narrow, his overbite too long, his body too long, etc, but that doesnāt matter one bit to me. What does matter is his character and he is loaded with it. Heās 50lb of goofy in a 40lb bag and happy to be a dog ā you cannot help but smile and melt the first time you meet him, he is all heart. Because of his overbite and facial expression I decided that āSir George Of Grey Countyā was a good name for him. George is a proper English name, we happen to live in Grey County (which has an English history to it) and he has a facial expression that can best be described as the character John Cleese played in the āUpper Class Twit of the Yearā episode on the Monty Python Show. Trust me, it fits. Youāll know what I mean if you ever meet George in person. It has been working out real well and it took very little time for him to work his way into our hearts. There were a couple of hiccups initially, as could be expected due to his having to adjust to a new lifestyle and routine, but we managed to work through them. A few weeks ago, though, he began the habit of peeing in his crate at night time and I was unsuccessful in correcting that behaviour. A search on Google brought up this very forum, where I learned that this sort of behaviour was common in Bullies and how to correct it; simply remove all manner of bedding or padding from the crate and limit his water intake 3hrs before bed. Worked like a charm and we havenāt had any incidents since. Despite his missing leg he gets around quite well and loves going for his morning walkies. I work at a motorcycle shop and he has quickly settled into his new job there as Official Shop Dog; greeting new and returning customers at the door, providing comic relief, keeping the floors clean by sampling anything and everything that can fit in his mouth (and he has a big mouth), testing each new sidecar we bring in to ensure it is comfortable enough and personally inspecting each new tool that I bring out before letting me use it on a customerās bike. And before anyone jumps in, yes, I do make sure that any and all chemicals and fluids are kept well out of reach and any spills are immediately wiped up. I run a clean shop and regularly sweep the floors, but he always manages to find a piece of electrical tape, rubber grommet, plastic cable tie, etc, to chew on. Despite my best efforts, the concrete floors are impossible to keep dust free and by the end of the day he is coated in a fine grey tint from all his rolling about. His favourite place to be is anywhere that Iām at, so I always make sure his thick piece of cardboard is lying close by so he can sit on it and watch while I work. And now that the warm weather is finally upon us, he will begin his training soon as my Loyal Sidecar Ballast and heāll learn how to ride in our Harley sidecar bike. My apologies for the long winded into, Iāll shut up now. Hereās some gratuitous pics of Georgeā¦
Attachments
Last edited: