ENTER HERE ~ Fromm Family Foods ~ Bulldog Stories Contest

[bullmama]

Welcome to the Fromm Family Foods Bulldog Stories Contest!

Do you have some writing talent? Great writers are out there, and they have wonderful stories to tell! A great writer can take a simple event and turn it into a glorious tale. In this contest, we are looking for the BEST bulldog story. It may make us laugh our butts off, or cry our eyes out, or hold our breath with anticipation. Whatever the tale, make it your best!

Story rules:

Your story must not be the works of a novel! Keep it short, 5 paragraphs maximum. We are looking for a SHORT story! Don't exceed 5000 words, please. The shorter the tale, the better. Images are welcomed to accompany your story. A drawing or photograph would be an excellent addition. 1 drawing or photo per story or entry.


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Rules:

• Only one story per user please! If you submit more than one story we will choose one from your entries.
• You may include a photo with your story, but no videos will be accepted
• After August 22, 2015 we will no longer accept entries.
• Best story will be chosen by Fromm Family Foods staff
• Winner will be announced after September 1, 2015.
• Once you enter your story in this contest you are giving English Bulldog News and Fromm Family Foods permission to publish it on their website and newsletter correspondence.
• Your story must belong to you. Copyright laws forbid you from entering a story that was not written by you. All content must belong by you.
• You must be a registered member of English Bulldog News and submit your photo by replying to this topic.
• INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTS: Are welcome to enter! If you win, your food will be donated to any rescue in the USA or Canada of your choosing.

Winner of this contest will receive the following prizes:

• A Voucher for a 26lb Bag of Fromm's Four Star Foods, redeemable at any Fromm retailer
• Story will be featured on our Home Page for one month
• Story will appear in our Photo Contest Archives
• Story will appear in our monthly newsletter
• Award for their user profile

If you are interested in becoming a 4 Paw Member to get additional perks to being a member of English Bulldog News, CLICK HERE

This Contest is sponsored by Fromm Family Foods!

Winner will receive a voucher for a 26lb bag of FREE Fromm Four Star Food!
Click Here to view more about this food and Ingredients

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[Libra926]

Sometimes in life you discover something that truly makes you happy. This is the type of happy that causes actual butterflies to flutter in your tummy. It's like that glorious smile that won't leave your face on a cold and rainy day. When you find that special happy place.... it's relaxation, it's comfort, it's your safe haven. For me, it was photography first and bulldogs shortly after. I started "painting with light" late in 2006. In 2007 I got my first bulldog and shortly after in 2009 we got our second. Bulldogs and cameras are like oreos and milk. They are a must. They belong together. They are each other's happy place.

Orion took to the camera like a champ. She loved to be the center of attention and soon, she became the face of my small greeting card company. In November 2010 my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. One of the ways I chose to help myself deal with it was to do something to help her fight. I started photographing both Vegas and Orion in breast cancer themes and putting the images onto cards. Not only did this help me cope but it also helped my mom. Seeing her face light up with each new image I presented encouraged me to do more. I favored Orion for the breast cancer images because Orion was a gift from my mom. Orion was the only surviving puppy from a litter by her two bulldogs.



One of the first breast cancer photos I did was of Orion wearing hot pink wings. Orion may look sweet and innocent in the images I create, but that is far from the truth. Orion would NOT stay still. She was bound and determined to get those wings off her back. She accomplished this by rolling around on set, finally getting one wing into her mouth and ripping a hole into the fabric. I got the image...but it was far from printable. She had managed to cover every square inch of the black backdrop with her white fur. As far as 3 feet up!



Fast forward to June 2014. My mom was re-diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer metastatic brain. Unbeknownst to her children, this was a terminal diagnosis. In January 2015, her children were finally informed that she had been given a terminal diagnosis 6 months prior. What makes a mother want to protect her children so badly as to hide something so awful? This question will weigh on my mind for the rest of my life. She was never coherent enough to ever talk to us about her decision, or if it was her decision. With this heartbreaking news, I wanted to create a compelling image for my mom. I wanted an image that would memorialize her in a way that was special to me. I was able to create a beautiful image of Orion wearing pink feather wings. Sadly, I don't think my mom was ever of sound mind to comprehend what I was giving her.




After this image was created, the studio doors closed. My happy place was now a place of sorrow. I had spent the last 4 years creating images for my mom.... I just couldn't anymore. I needed to find another happy place.


I will always remember what I was doing when I got the call that my mom had lost her battle with cancer. On Sunday April 26th, 2015 at 11:30pm I was trying my hand at a new craft. I was making tutus for infants and toddlers. I had been working on this particular tutu for over 4 hours. I had only 4 rows left until completion and I had just started to weave in a purple piece of tulle when I got the call that she had stopped breathing. That tutu sat untouched and unfinished for over 2 months.

Everyone grieves differently and depending on who you are and what you are grieving determines our coping mechanisms. For me, I wanted it to be Orion. I wanted it to be photography. I lost my dad to cancer 15 years ago and my mom less than 4 months ago. The two cards I have never created are a Mother's Day card or a Father's Day card. I honestly don't know why. Why can't I create a card that celebrates these days?


Last weekend may have changed that for me. I needed to find my happy place again. Not MY happy place...but OUR happy place. Orion and I opened up the studio door for the first time in almost 8 months. The stage was littered with odds and ends. Piled up with auction items, papers.... left over Christmas wrap. Orion did not care. She was on that stage amidst all the junk. Sitting perfectly poised ready for her picture to be taken. Those who know us....you KNOW she can't and won't be ignored. I cleared off the stage. I retrieved my camera from the safe. I set up the studio lights, tripod and cable release. And still she sat. Orion NEVER sits still and here she was waiting patiently for the camera to take her photo.


I gathered the one thing that held the most emotion for me and together....Orion and I created an image that will become our first Mother's Day card in our greeting card line. I haven't decided what the card will say, but Orion would really like the inside to read...

"Happy Mother's Day tutu you"



Orion is wearing what I now refer to as My Mother's tutu. It's perfect. My mom gave me a gift when she gave me Orion. Orion has given me the gift of memorializing my mom.

This is the first year I never got to tell you this.....

Happy Mother's Day mom. We love you to the moon and back and a million times more.

 

[Manydogs]

[MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION] I was here for part of your Mom's struggle. Came to love and admire her, through your posts and photos. The love you have for your Mom,and the love she had for you shines through,as you write. Orion is a part of your Mom,and Mom and Orion will be so happy that you are finally going back to your God given gift of using Orion and your talent of photography,which is something that will honor them both and make everyone smile when they see it. It's a wonderful tribute to your love,that will be there for generations to see. Life may end, but love goes on.
I still struggle,after years. I made myself a sign that said"Don't cry because it's over,Smile because it happened". Some people never know that love.

p.s. Another gift of your's is being a writer. Much love to a very deserving person-that means YOU!

 

[Texas Carol]

[MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION]

Dear Cheryl, beautiful, just beautiful in every word & image.

Lynn's post said everything perfectly, I agree wholeheartedly.

You & your family remain in my thoughts & prayers, love y'all.

 

[cefe13]

I asked my son to write something for this competition. He comes up with all these stories about Castor and his secret life in Bulldogsboda [Bulldog village], which is a place in a sort of parallel bulldog world, although the story below is about another bulldog:

Mr. Bulldog's fishing trip
Mr. Bulldog once decided to go fishing in the "Bully Doggy River" because he wanted to catch a nice Bulldog fish he could have for dinner. He decided to use his home-made fishing rod that he had used for over 35 years. The fishing rod had a name that (in his opinion) was a perfect name for a fishing rod: "The Bulldog's best friend". He came up with this name because he liked the fishing rod so much that he treated it as if it were his best friend.

When Mr. Bulldog had everything he needed to catch a Bulldog fish (kibbles, his fishing rod, some more kibbles and even more kibbles) he drove off to the river. When he finally got there he tried to find a good spot and soon he found a perfect place. He put the fishing rod in the water and tied a bulldog-made wire to the upper edge of the fishing rod leading all the way to his tail so that he would wake up if the fish would bite. 13 hours later Mr. Bulldog woke up and found out that a big Bulldog fish had swallowed the bait. He looked at the fish and thought that it would be a perfect dinner for him.

But when he was thinking of how he could cook it he realized that it was kind of cruel to eat the Bulldog fish as it had not done anything to him. So he decided to invite the Bulldog fish for dinner (vegetarian dinner of course) at his favourite restaurant "Vego Bulldog Kitchen" instead of eating him. When they arrived at the restaurant, the Bulldog and the Bulldog fish ordered Vego-Burgers. When they were done with the food (you don't need to pay for food if you're a bulldog, so they had no problems with that) the Bulldog drove home with the Bulldogfish in the backseat. When they came home to the Bulldog he began building a swimming pool, and after 1 hour it was finally done. Now the Bulldog fish would be able to live in the Bulldog's backyard.

Then they lived happily ever after until they heard that a dangerous Siamese cat named Bob had invaded the town and tried to put all the bulldogs in jail for no reason. The Bulldog and the Bulldog fish decided to make the cat stop, and after 153 weeks they finally defeated Bob and put him in jail. All the Bulldogs that had been put in jail for no reason got out of jail and everyone was happy.

The End

PS. No bulldogs were harmed in the making of this story.

 

[JennieS]

I need to get crackin on brutus' boobie story!!!

A few weeks ago we had people over, it got a little rowdy and everyone was getting thrown in the pool with their clothes on. Well one person who got thrown in had those bra inserts that give you bigger cleavage, they resemble chicken cutlets haha. She got out of the pool and realized one must have fallen out of her shirt and was floating around the pool. Her daughter jumped in the pool and found the insert and was getting out of the pool when brutus ran up and grabbed it. As I chased him down and finally caught him he swallowed it whole!!! At that point I start to freak out because I know it's not good. I get on the phone with the vet and I have to give him hydrogen peroxide to throw it up. He finally throws it up. Since that time there is a sign at our pool that says "no fake boobies in the pool, Brutus thinks they taste funny".

 

[BossesMom]

To Be or not To Be

William Shakespeare said "What's in a name? that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."

My boyfriend and I decided to add to our family the love of a bulldog. We basically paid out on layaway, for months, on our pet. We got the pick of the litter, which happened to be the first male dropped. We visited almost weekly, taking a payment each time.
We looked forward to each visit. The moment his eyes opened, I fell in love with his baby blues and soft wrinkly fur. Each visit our love grew as our bank account got smaller as did the storage on my phone from taking so many pics. There's nothing like cuddling with a blue-eyed English bulldog.
We debated back and forth over what to name him. One day we were texting and finally agreed on a name. His text: What about Cisco or Tex? My reply was Tex is too generic (and yes we live in Texas - Dallas Texas at that.) What about: Levi, Romeo or Boss? This went back and forth until we agreed on BOSS.
Within 2 weeks of bringing BOSS home we realized that not only did we jinx him but we've jinxed ourselves. He lives up to his name. He's definitely taken over our home and does what he pleases. Example: I was mopping the other day and not only did BOSS fight me biting the mop with each step, the minute I went to the next room to mop he proceeded to pee on the clean floor! He's beyond spoilt; he has his own room, his own crib, his king- size day bed plus 50$ bath soap. Not only does he keep us in laughter, he keeps us all on our toes. He's the alpha male, top dog, leader of the pack, the BOSS. And we know it is important that one of us human companions must remain the ultimate alpha in our household... Yet we haven't quite figured out how!? And if he's living up to his name is it too late to change it to Beta, employee, subordinate or Obie - short for Obedience?

 

[bullmama]

Last chance to enter!
[MENTION=9205]JennieS[/MENTION]

 

[Libra926]

this contest in now closed! Stay tuned for the winners!!

 

[JennieS]

Oh pooh. I need to pay better attention. I wasn't on much friday or yesterday.

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