The thing about bulldogs is they are sensitive little muffins. They look all tough but you have to be careful. They have breathing issues, skin issues, short life spans, tummy issues, they can't swim, they overheat easily, they get foot problems if you don't cut their toenails, you have to bathe them yourself ... and more! Tank's quite a little princess sometimes. He loves the blow-dryer after he gets a bath though which is the cutest thing ever.
In the summer heat, Bulldogs will literally choke to death on their own saliva if they pant too much. Can you believe it? That would be an extreme case, obviously, but I'm still careful. I still don't want him to get doggie heat-stroke, so our walks have to be either early in the morning or late at night during the summer.
This morning I got up a little late, um, 8am late, so our walk didn't happen until it was kind of hot out. I cut it short and brought sir-pants-a-lot home to his water dish pretty quickly. This is him on our cool kitchen floor after he had a big drink.
And, I mean, it's not like we were running around, this was from walking at what I would consider a pretty slow pace. It still probably took him half an hour of lying on the floor, drinking water and panting to get back to normal.
So, in conclusion, if you find yourself taking care of a bulldog for any amount of time, please do your research and be aware of all their issues. As far as doggies go, they take a lot of work and care. But it's worth it, they're the best dogs in the world, I swear.
