We were supposed to have new puppies this week. It's hard breeding dogs sometimes when you get so excited about a new litter and it doesn't happen. Mugsy is a healthy girl and Dr. Geiselhardt said that she will be able to have puppies in the future so we aren't worried about that part. It's just hard to have expected those little ones and not have them. This has been a sad week for me because of that. Life can have other plans for you and things work out the way they are meant to. I firmly believe that. My daughter has tumors that need surgery and I needed to be focused on her needs right now. It will all work out as it's supposed to I'm confident in that.
Harley, Mugsy and Tank are doing great. I took Tank in a few days ago for an allergy shot. There is something in the air this year in Colorado that has really been bothering him. He rubs his little face against things to scratch it. When I see him doing this I put baby soap on a clean white wash cloth and gently wash his face. Then dry his folds with a paper towel. He is so good about letting me do this. I think it feels good to him and it's very important that he not scratch his eye because it can cause blindness if he digs himself into things with his face.
I've noticed that he whines a lot in the mornings ever since Taz left. We have stairs that go up to our bed so he can come up whenever he wants but he chooses to sit by me on the floor and whine at me until I wake up in the morning and look at him. He has the cutest little expectant face. I don't know what he wants and wish I could read his mind. He has his water and food and won't go outside when I offer that and this whining started when Taz left. I looked it up online and it said that adult dogs can mourn or feel anxiety over a missing house mate for a while. I wish I could talk to him about it but I can't so we do whatever we can to reassure him that everything will be okay.
Through all the arguing the girls did Tank always stayed neutral. He saw them fight and would nip at whoever was causing the trouble as if he were trying to be the peacemaker. I think he just wanted everyone to love each other like they used to and it was sad to see that was never going to happen. He feels the loss like we do. Harley and Mugsy are okay with it. I've seen Harley try and tug at Mugsy and get her to play with her like Taz would and Mugsy doesn't play the way Tazzie did. I used to laugh so hard to watch Taz and Harley chase each other from one end of the house to the other and Taz really gave Harley a run for her money. They were both toy thieves and would grab each other's toys and run like crazy in the opposite direction until the other one would get it back and do the same thing the other way. It was so comical. I know Harley misses that. Mugsy is so gentle and sweet she doesn't steal toys and she is a lover not a fighter.
Dogs have personalities like people do. Although it's quieter now I think the dogs are finally getting back to normal. It's peaceful and even though we didn't get our summer litter this year we feel that when Harley goes into heat this summer we will get a nice litter for Christmas. There are so many people looking for exceptional bulldogs and we want to give each of them one of our babies!
One thing that is important to note, if you are looking for an English Bulldog puppy take the time to get to know your breeder. We do give preference to those who take the time to get to know us and our pets. It only stands to reason that by doing that and creating a relationship with us you will be considered first if there are only a few babies in the litter. It's the same for any bulldog family who breeds and raises babies.
We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and if you have a bulldog you keep your baby cool and in the Air Conditioning. Give them lots of ice chips and love!!!
Adele & Craig
