One of the first questions people ask me when they come for a bulldog is how long have I been doing this. My response is always “THIS IS MY FIRST LITTER…..” Listen to this audio recording if you would like to hear my “First Dynamite Bulldog Experience almost 50 year ago.” Each time that I provide someone with a sweet English bulldog or a French bulldog puppy, I recount this moment in my life. It was AWESOME!
Owned and operated by Todd Howard, BigBulldogs.com Inc. serves those who want to learn more about adopting and caring for a French or English Bulldog puppy. The company, which breeds puppies and offers the BigBulldogs.com Rescue Program, recommends people adopt Bulldogs when they are about three months old. While BigBulldogs.com will allow puppies to be adopted as early as eight weeks of age, these young puppies require an extreme level of attention and care to house train them and get them used to a daily routine. Generally, puppies of around three months old or older are easier to train and they tend to be less problematic from a health standpoint because their immune systems are stronger.
A letter from Dr. Pearson of San Marcos, CA
Pearson Animal Hospital
1903 W. San Marcos Blvd.. Suite 140
San Marcos.CA 92078
(760)598-2512
Fax(760)598-0146
January 24,2 011
My name is Dr. Dorota Pearson, owner of Pearson Animal Hospital in San Marcos, CA.
I have been practicing veterinary medicine twenty one years.
Todd Howard of BigBulldogs.com, Inc. has been a client of mine for more than two years. .I solicited his business based upon his reputation as the top Bulldog breeder in the area. I have worked with countless breeders throughout the years, and many of those breeding only English Bulldogs .This is a very challenging breed, and these dogs require far more veterinary care than most other breeds. I frequent Todd’s facility and have yet to find a more conscientious breeder.
He spares no expense for the care of his dogs. He is by far the most knowledgeable Bulldog breeder I have worked with. He truly goes “above and beyond” for each one of his clients. There have been countless occasions when Todd went so far as
to pay for procedures as the breeder, that were clearly no longer his responsibility but he went forward and covered them anyway. I also truly admire his willingness to rescue unwanted or “problem” pets. He will take on physical and financial responsibility to save these pets if there is any possibility to save them.
Todd Howard has a genuine love and respect for the Bulldog breed and I highly recommend him.
Dorota Pearson D.V.M.
You don’t have to be a BigBulldogs.com bully, for The BigBulldog (Todd Howard) to love and want to do what he can to make sure you live a long, happy, and healthy bulldog life.
On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 8:12 PM, Susan Bonneau <*****@*****.com> wrote:
Hi Todd,
It was a pleasure speaking with you the other day. Once again you clearly demonstrate your passion for all bulldogs. If it were up to me I would write a book about this nightmare thanks to you with a happy ending.
In January of 2010 we purchased a beautiful baby bulldog his name is Butters. We decided to purchase a puppy as our beloved Max just turned 9 yrs old and he would have been a fantastic role model for our Butters. What a great addition to our family. Unexpectedly, on February 5th 2010 we had to put Max to sleep due to spleen cancer. About a week later Butters became ill and was having difficulty breathing. We rushed him to our veterinarian (she advised we should put the pup to sleep) where he was treated and referred to a specialist. After 3 days in the hospital the specialist advised us that Butters would not survive diagnosing him with a hypoplastic treachea and we should put him to sleep. We melted —- there was no way we could do this again. It was not that simple we had hope for this beautiful pup. He was not ready to give up and neither were we.
My husband started researching the diagnosis and found your website. You were there to listen, understand and help when all veterinarians we saw about 8 total were not. Butters was treatable with your help from many miles away. Thanks to you a person whom we have never met from whom we did not purchase a pup truly wore his heart on his sleeve. You did not give up hope you were there every time we needed you. Within a few weeks our pup was back to his happy and healthy self. Thanks to you Butters is a big part of our family and I can’t imagine what life would be like without him. Thank you for all of your help you are an extraordinary person. I don’t think we could ever repay you for what you have given us. I do know when it is time to get another pup I will be contacting you. Thanks for staying in touch.
Forever indebted,
Bob, Sue and Family
Averill Park, NY
Todd Howard BigBulldogs.com: Hi, I have always been told and read on every Bulldog website that Bulldogs cannot swim. However I live here in Southern California and my neighbor has a nice pool and 2 Bulldogs that are great swimmers. Why does everyone say they can’t swim when its not true?
The better question to ask. Is it safe for me to allow my Bulldog to swim? I have experienced many Bulldogs that love to swim and do a great job…..However I do not advise it. Why? Because Bulldogs do not have a good respiratory system and are cardio challenged.
Every summer I receive phone calls from wonderful loving people who lost their Bulldog in a drowning accident that should not have happened. All it takes is for the temperature and humidity to be higher than normal and Bully to be a little more tired than normal and tragedy can strike.
BigBulldogs.com advice for people who teach their Bulldogs to swim.
1. Don’t teach them to swim in the first place….. but if you must.
2. Ensure that your pool is secured by a fence when you are absent.
3. Get Bully a life jacket and make him wear it.
4. Make sure that he knows where the steps are so that he has a chance to get out should he accidentally fall in.
5. Do not use a soft pool cover. If Bully falls in, he will have no chance because the cover will swallow him up preventing him from swimming.
All in all, I don’t think its a good idea to teach Bully to swim in the first place. I so hate to get those phone calls.
Every Bulldog book that I read says that I must clean Bully’s face wrinkles daily. How often do you think that I should clean my Bulldogs Wrinkles?
Each week at least 3 people will call or email me, stating that their Bully has a rash or infection in his facial creases and ask me what they should do about it.
I always ask the following question. Are you cleaning them properly? They always respond, yes every day just like I am supposed to.
You might know by reading through my site that I am not the most conventional follow the rules, do what everyone else does kind of guy. You might say that I’m sort of a Rebel. In fact I teach my 13 year old son if everyone is moving to the left, then you may strongly consider moving to the right. haha
Therefore when I research and read, I only use the information that I obtain as a tool, not always the gospel truth as many people do. I know every Bulldog book in print says that you must clean Bully’s wrinkles daily to prevent an infection. This never made sense to me. When you clean Bully’s Wrinkles daily, you are actually wiping away Bully’s good bacteria from under his folds. This good bacteria is necessary in fighting off bad bacteria and infections. In my mind that was a recipe for disaster to which has proven to be correct.
In response to your question:
1. I have never once cleaned a Bulldogs Wrinkles other than when bathing.
2. I have never once had a Bulldog that had an infection between the wrinkles.
So you may ask, what do I do if I already have a problem.
1. Wash area with warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and dry.
2. Apply Betadine on the effected area with a cotton ball, completely saturating the area.
3. Ask your Veterinarian to place Bully on an antibiotic called Cephalexin for 14 days.
4. One week later, re-apply the Betadine.
5. Leave it alone.
I know it sounds simple, but remember you don’t have to believe everything that you hear or read. Much false information comes from very nice well meaning people who are merely passing on false information that they believe is true. The content on my site is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any health conditions. It is merely my opinions and many remedies that I have learned through my vast experience as a Bulldog breeder. I hope this helps you.
Dear BigBulldog, Is it true that when you are introducing a new Bulldog puppy into the family it is best to get the youngest one that you can? (8 weeks old) Whats your opinion?
This is a question that I must answer 20 times every week and I think you will be surprised by my answer.
First, let me start by saying that typically Bulldogs are a pleasure at any age. It never fails, when one of our previous customers or another Bulldog owner must give up their Bulldog, within 2 hours of the previous owner leaving you would think Bully has been here his whole life. The standing joke is, BULLDOGS ARE THE LEAST LOYAL BREED THAT EXISTS. They are loyal to whoever feeds them, scratches their butt and doesn’t wake them when they snore too loudly. haha
The truth is, most people THINK they want a cute, tiny, cuddly, itsy, bitsy, squishy, rolly, pollie Bully. But once they get them, they often come to these realizations:
1. This is like having an infant. It requires ALL of my attention.
2. This baby is unable to be pottie trained unless I take them out every 1-2 hours around the clock because their colon and bladder is so tiny.
3. Whoever said that that a dog won’t poo or pee where they sleep is a liar.
4. My puppy is 80% more susceptible to upper respiratoiry infections than a 3-4 month old pup because their immune system hasn’t fully developed.
5. The basic dog obedience trainer says to wait until Bully is at least 4 months old to bring him to class.
6. Now Bully is spoiled and doesn’t know he’s a dog because he was so little and cute that I felt sorry for him sleeping alone, and now he has claimed ownership of my bed.
7. I have to protect my baby Bully from my 3 year old son, so that my son doesn’t drop him on his head and hurt him.
8. I do love my baby Bully, but maybe I should have listened to The BigBulldog and got one a month or two older.
Are you getting it yet??? In my opinion the best age to get a Bulldog Puppy is 3 plus months old. I know, you think that I’m crazy and all that you read states to get a tiny. itsy, bitsy………etc. 8 week old puppy to introduce into your family. (Which you are more than welcome to do.) But also remember that there is no difference in introducing a 3-4 month old Bulldog puppy to your kids than a 8 week old, AND the older pups training will be much faster and easier.
As I stated before, typically Bulldogs are a pleasure at any age but in my opinion, there are many more positive advantages in getting a 3 month old plus puppy than a 8 week old infant.
How does the BigBulldogs.com Bulldog Rescue program work?
As most people know unforseen circumstances occur in life. These circumstances sometimes leave the most responsible dog owners in a position that they must give up their dogs. We believe that every breeder has a responsibility to take back their offspring should this situation arise.
Here at Bigbulldogs.com, Inc. we don’t just stop there. We will Rescue any Bulldog that needs a home.
Call “The BigBulldog” NOW if you’d like to meet any one of these pre-owned babies. Remember that with BigBulldogs.com you never take a risk on a pre-owned Bully. Most rescues will not refund your money if things don’t work out. I think that is SO LAME…. If you have the heart to open your home up to one of these magnificent creatures, you have my personal guarantee that if for any reason within the first 7 days, if you feel that your new Bully isn’t more than you desired, you may bring he or she back in good condition for a full refund. We strive to ensure that both you and Bully are mutually happy with one another
“The BigBulldog”
(760) 580-6084
Question: We spoke to you in the past and you said if we had any questions or needed your advise about bulldogs to feel free to ask. We purchased a bully that is 6 months old now from what we now understand was a hobby breeder ;( From 2 months after we picked her up the Vet has been watching her patella’s and radiograph confirmed them grade 3 sub-luxation. Radiograph also confirm moderate to severe hip dysplasia the balls are mushroom shape. She has a case of Cherry Eye and is being treated for demodex mange. Our English Bulldog is only six months old. What would u do? What in ur opinion is the outlook for her? We are so upset.
The BigBulldog: Don’t be upset. Sounds like a Bulldog thang to me. (haha) First unless your BigBulldog is having real knee problems, I would not be concerned with her patellas. (If she is limping, it is often times growing pains, not her patellas taht causes her to limp, even if they show signs of subluxation.) Time and a good Vet that’s not trying to rip u off will tell the story. Even if she does have patella subluxation, many times it does not become problematic for the Bulldog for his or her whole life. Its not like your Bulldog is a marathon runner. Right?
Secondly MANY English Bulldogs are mis-diagnosed withe Severe Hip dysplasia. I have heard this a diagnosed hundred times and it not be the case. (see the article in www.BigBulldogs.com for (Growth Development / Hip & Joint Problems) The English Bulldog relies heavily on the muscles to hold his/her hips in place. Most ALL English Bulldogs have very shallow joints. Some Bulldogs hips are not even in the joint at all, and have zero problems. He is only 6 months old and going through all sorts of growth patterns, allow him time to grow until she’s at least 2 years old. (I would advise for you to keep him on Adult food, not puppy. I use IAMS Adult Mini Chunk.) Adult food has less protein and causes Bullie to grow slower, which is good. More times than not the problems will be non existant when he is full grown.
Thirdly the good old Cherry Eye. Complely normal, nothing to be upset about. (See the Cherry Eye article on my website www.BigBulldogs.com) it will help to explain it better.
Fourthly Demodex (see the Demodex article on my website www.BigBulldogs.com). Completely normal and once again, nothing to get steamed over. (I’d guess that he had a Rabies Shot within a month of showing Demodex symptoms. Right? My dogs receive Ivermectin monthly to alleviate the possibilities of this normal problem.
Lastly…Why is you breeder not telling you this??? See you should have purchase your dog from me? Haha. If you had you would be 100% educated and you would not be upset. Remember, Most people want to blame the breeder first without having all of the facts. In my opinion, it sounds like you are in ok shape. So calm down and wait to see. I bet your Bulldog ends up just fine. Hope this helps.
Todd Howard
“The Big Bulldog”