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thanks! i have a german shepherd that i adopted from the shelter and a miniature poodle that was left tied up to my porch. i guess whoever left him there knew i loved animals..especially dogs.
my poodle was a puppy when i found him and the vet estimated that the poodle was about a year to a year and a half the most. he was in bad shape.. he had a flea allergy dermatitis and that caused some of his hair to fall out..filthy dirty with mats all over, and a hernia. poor thing. well, im happy to say that a year later, he has all his hair, gets groomed regularly and hasnt had one flea since! i love him! hes a great dog and hes part of the family! arent all our pets?! i still want a silly bull terrier tho!!
poodles, they are smart dogs and the best part is that they dont shed! i cant say the same for my shepherd! ugh!
I have owned both a Dalmation & a Bull Terrier. I can't say much about the Dalmation, my parents bought her for me when I was a teenager and obsessed with my own life, I didn't really take the time to get to know and train her unfortunately. She did seem to be a very opinionated dog and one who would bear her teeth when asked to do something she didn't like. She became a hazard to our household and my father gave her away to a family where she'd have room to run and be happier. I realize that the shortcomings were mine, not hers and I hope she lived happily with her new home.
Bull terriers I can tell you a ton about~! 13 years ago I got one as a pup and she was with me every day of her life until she passed away two weeks ago. Bullies will steal your heart. They can be difficult to train as they don't buy into the "normal" training methods and harsh scolding really doesn't work. I mean, you should definately teach them to understand what "no" means but honestly sometimes they just won't care. LOL. They have their own agendas and while they want to please their people you have to frame it in such a way as to show them what the benefit is to them to obey you. I used to call this the "what's in it for me" attitude. Lots of love & positive reinforcement when they do well will go a longer way than punishment, I guarantee you.
That being said, a bull terrier is a dog who is full of humor, loves to play, is intelligent and loving towards their family. They are extremely clever, have a highly developed sense of fun and who can be the biggest couch/bed potatoes ever.
To me they are the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen. That noble head and eyes full of mischief and love, well let's just say that I am a bull terrier lover for life.
Posts that refer to congenital diseases are partly true. White bullies tend towards deafness but if you deal with a reputable breeder he/she will have the pup BAER tested prior to your adoption. My dog never, in the 13 years of her life had an illness other than accidential (there was that time when she swallowed a rock, ouch!) and once when she broke her leg.
Please deal with a responsible breeder if you decide to purchase a bull terrier. That makes all the difference in getting a well balanced, healthy pup.
Mini Bull Terriers are the same as the standard, just smaller & yes, bull terrier is shortened from English Bull Terrier for everyday use but EBT is the proper way to describe these dogs.
If you are in the New England area please feel free to privately message me and I can put you in touch with some great local breeders.
WOW..thanks for your post.. it was very informative! thanks cleobarker!
i too think bull terriers look like they are full of mischief with their little eyes and perked up ears! lol they are just so beautiful though. when i do decide to get this breed i will look into a Bull Terrier rescue and if no luck there i willl try to find a breeder. although finding a puppy at a rescue may be difficult but its worth a try.
the way u described a bully is how i thought of them to be like. highly developed sense of fun, clever, unwillingness to conform but will be the house clown and steal your heart lol
so sorry about your dog passing..its never easy. they really do become part of the family. i had dogs/pets my whole life and i had planted a little garden of flowers for them in the backyard.. and i made a little memorial stepping stone, one for each dog/pet that died.. it doesnt bring them back, buts it just a little something to remember them by. garden or not, u still never forget them.
We rescued an EBT 2 years ago, and he has totally stolen our family's hearts. I have never had such a loving dog, and highly recommend one if you are patient and can see the world through their eyes.
EBT, are big couch potatoes. If given a choice he would sleep in his crate all day, only getting up to potty and eat. I lock him out, which forces him to lay on his bed downstairs instead. Most are pretty lazy, we literally had to train ours to go for walks. He goes for 2, 3 mile walks a day, so he's much slimmer than most. This really cuts down on the bursts of energy he gets (youtube hucklebutting). He will tuck his tail and run full speed up and down our hallways and slam himself into the wall to stop. Be forewarned that most have severe OCD and do best with a rigid routine. If you vary the routine they will make it known that they don't like what you are doing. For example, we walk a certain route every day. If I try to walk a different way, he will stop and try to pull me back to our original walk. We call it cinder blocking, because its like taking a cinder block for a walk, if he doesn't want to go.
Please contact a rescue, we got ours from a Bay Area bull terrier rescue. I follow rescue sites from Texas and the east coast too. There are so many beautiful dogs out there, you can foster to adopt (that's what we did) to ensure a right fit.
i too am looking forward to having a bull terrier..they sound like a riot! haha! foster to adopt sounds like a cool idea.
i have to say, these are such great stories you all are sharing about your bully. im hoping to find a puppy or young one from a rescue organization sometime soon..
i have twin girls who are going to be 3 yrs old this year so an older dog prob wont be a good fit.. but who knows!? age is just a number and it sounds like Bull Terriers are young at heart!
Before you get a Bull Terrier, check your city/county for breed specific legislation as we just moved from a county that had a ban on them. You'll also need to check with your home insurance provider to see what their policy is on the breed. We have relocated to a county that allows Pit Bulls, Bull Terriers, etc. and sadly, I see that most of the dogs available for adoption at the shelter are of these breeds. Terriers of any sort can be a real handful and need a lot of exercise both physical and mental. Dalmatians were, from what I understand, bred like crazy during the 101 Dalmatian craze. Make sure you look at the health issues of the breeds you are considering because health care for animals has skyrocketed just like for humans.
Many rescued dogs here in the Bay Area are from families who have lost homes, jobs, etc., its also difficult to rent here with a dog. So, don't discredit an older dog- one may have come from a family with small children and may miss them. An older dog that has been around children is good, bullies will knock over little kids like bowling pins. They are not a gentle dog- not malicious, just with no sense of self. We think our boy came from a family with kids. We live next to a day care and he likes to listen to them play and watch them! Rescues have puppies too!
Before you get a Bull Terrier, check your city/county for breed specific legislation as we just moved from a county that had a ban on them. You'll also need to check with your home insurance provider to see what their policy is on the breed. We have relocated to a county that allows Pit Bulls, Bull Terriers, etc. and sadly, I see that most of the dogs available for adoption at the shelter are of these breeds. Terriers of any sort can be a real handful and need a lot of exercise both physical and mental. Dalmatians were, from what I understand, bred like crazy during the 101 Dalmatian craze. Make sure you look at the health issues of the breeds you are considering because health care for animals has skyrocketed just like for humans.
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I've never heard of any bans of English Bull Terriers. Are you sure your not confusing with staffordshire bull terriers? Unfortunately, we do get categorized with bully breeds on airlines and for some reason kenneling.
AnywhereElse is correct when they say that certian counties/cities have banned bull terriers. They are on the restricted list for a lot of things: multi-unit apartment living being one. I myself almost couldn't get homeowner's insurance because I had what was considered a "dangerous" breed. After my meltdown on my insurance agent I told him, "a bull terrier is NOT a pit bull (which is not to say that pit bulls aren't wonderful & loving dogs, largely misunderstood), go to American Kennel Club - akc.org and you will see the difference" he relented.
That being said, I will admit that my beloved bull terrier had a pretty high prey drive. If you were a squirrel or other kind of small wild animal running away quickly...watch out! Also any object moving over the ground that caused energy caught her attention. The list: rakes, shovels, pitchforks, brooms, sticks and rocks. I couldn't vacuum my house with her in it until she was past 10 years old LOL.
But, that being said my dog lived her entire life with cats as household companions and never, ever had one problem.
Back to the original issue though. Lots of places have a thing called breed specific legislaton (BSL) which has a big list of prohibited animals who are either restricted from living there or who must be leashed and/or muzzled when in public. While I would recommend that you leash your prospective bull terrier at all times when he/she's not in an enclosed area I don't agree with the muzzle portion of the law. BSL is restrictive, unilateral and discriminating. If you were to look at a list of the top ten dogs that are prone to bite you wouldn't find an EBT on it and I'm sure you'd be surprised at the breeds you do find there.
I took my bull terrier with me everywhere I went. Her last trip was to the 5 star Boston Harbor Hotel where she was welcomed with the love and courtesy she deserved. Cookies from the doorman 6 times a day! I am sure that was her favorite part of the trip
Again, I don't know where you live so I can't speak to whether it's a place that's subject to BSL but I would definately do my homework first, speak to your insurance provider or your landlord. If you do get an EBT, socialize it well and frequently and then let your dog be a representative for the breed and let it educate people who misunderstand that bullies can and are wonderful, loving, goofy & happy family members.
Please let me know if there's more info I can give you.
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