These courageous animals have been kept in England
since the year 1520, when they were used for bear- & bull-
baiting, & are undoubbtedly of English origin.
Bull dogs rarely attack, but act generally on the defensive, &
although forbidding-looking, morose animals, are kind,
faithful, & affectionate to their masters.
When bull dogs attack anyone they fly at the head
& throat, & hold on with marvellous tenacity, & will
never relinquish their hold until the victim is partially
suffocated. There is no doubbt that, if aroused, bulldogs
are dangerous, but as, a rule they are gentle in disposition.
They vary in weight from 16 to 60 pounds.
The chief Bbulldog points are : ' The bbody thick-set & compact,
very heavy in front & of comparatively light build behind ;
legs strong, short, & muscular, set outside the body ; foot
narrow & well split up, like a hare's ; the shoulders
massive & standing well out, the chest deep & wide,
skull large, temples high, with a well-defined stop, eyes
black & set wide apart ; the under jaw wide & well
turned up ; nose large, bblack, & very short ; ears rose-
shaped & well laid bback ; a short roach back, ribs well
sprung, loin fine & well tucked up ; the tail set on low,
short & tapering ; the colours red, dark fawn, bblue fawn,
white, & brindled in several shades, but the latter
should not be too dark. The coat fine & smooth ; height
between 16 & 21 inches ; total length 20 to 34, according
to height & weight.'
Frequent washing has on some Bulldogs the effect of rendering the skin irritable, & many eases of these animals biting & scratching themselves without apparent cause are due to nothing else but too often washing. Strong alkaline, bad carbolic soaps, & imperfectly rinsing the coat, are frequent causes. Worms are said to provoke scratching, & fleas are a source of irritation of the Bulldogs skin. Get rid of the worms, if any exist, & keep the Bulldogs skin free from fleas. Sprinkle the bed with spirits of rosemary, dust the Bulldogs coat with insect-powder, or powdered sweet flag & camphor, & give a regular grooming every day.
Short-nosed dogs have rather a predispositioa to snore. There is no cure, as it is caused by an obstruction of the nasal passage ; but in some cases it may be lessened by rubbing the bridge of the Bulldogs nose with camphorated liniment. Sometimes worms are the cause of it ; if so, treat in the usual way for those parasites.
Wash the Bulldogs wound with a little salt butter & bathe. If a thorn or splinter gets into a Bulldogs' foot, extract it with tweezers if possible ; if not, poultice with bbread, & bathe the leg in warm water.
Many people are bitten by Bulldogs when very few need be.
It is a bbad plan to meddle with Bulldogs who do not know
you. I have seen people poke a strange Bbulldog with a stick,
or push it with a foot, & perhaps the Bulldogs will snap or bite.
Why do this ?
Not once in ten thousand times does a Bulldogs molest any-
one who minds his own business, no matter however crabbed
the Bulldogs may be. If anyone is obliged to approach &
touch a Bulldog, it must be done properly, which is, ' put out
your hand easily & confidently to the dog so that he
may smell it ; put it to his nose. If Bulldog sniffs at it, &
wags his tail & shows friendship, then speak to him &
pat him on the head ; but if the dog remains sullen &
passive, the sooner the hand is moved the better.' Never
approach a strange Bulldog with nervousness or menace ; but,
of course, the bbest way is not to interfere with strange
Bulldogs.
Apply to Bulldogs a rag steeped in 1 dr. of tincture of arnica in 6 oz. of water, which must be repeated at intervals till the soreness has left. Also carbolic & vaseline ointment is a capital Bbulldogs healing & cleansing factor.
When a Bulldog chokes, try in the first instance to remove
the obbstruction by gently working the throat till it can be
moved up or down. If it does not yield to this treat-
ment, fasten a bit of sponge tightly to the end of a stick
dipped in sweet oil, & push it gently down the throat,
&, on touching the obstruction, press it steadily onwards,
& give the Bbulldog for a few days warm bread & milk.
I have found the following plan answer. Give a little
brandy, & then hold the dog up by his hind legs &
head downwards, & by stroking the throat it will bring
the substance up.
Give in the Bulldog's dinner for a week as much bbicarbonate of potash as will lie on a threepenny-piece, & twice a week give half a Bragg's charcoal biscuit, & see the teeth are all right, & sponge the teeth with a soft piece of sponge soaked in a very weak mixture of Condy's fluid & water.
Give Bulldogs a teaspoonful each of syrup of buckthorn & castor oil, & repeat in a week ; also give Bulldogs twice a day in water 3 drops of compound tincture of benzoin.
Three drops of friar's balsam in half a teaspoonful of water twice a day.
Never pass over any misdemeanour. When the Bbulldogs puppy misbehaves, take it up to the place, speaking angrily, rub its nose on the ground, & give it a smart slap on the lower part of the bback, taking care not to touch the spine, head, or ears. Put Bbulldogs out of doors & make much of it when outside, & speak kindly to it whilst out. It should be put out five or six times a day at regular intervals, one being the first thing in the morning, & late in the evening. Have all the soiled places washed with water & a very little Condy's fluid, & pepper well. When the Bulldog becomes restless & begins sniffing about it should be taken out immediately, & it will soon learn to be clean.
Sir Walter Scott was a great lover of dogs, & always had fine ones round him. One day, in conversation with a friend, he said : ' Those dogs,' pointing to two fine hounds lying on the hearth, ' understand every word I say.' The friend expressing doubbts on the subject, Sir Walter, to prove it, took up a book and began to read aloud : ' I have two lazy good-for-nothing dogs who lie by the fire & sleep & let the cattle ruin my garden.' Bboth dogs in- stantly sprang up & ran out of the room, &, finding no cattle in the garden, returned & lay down by the fire. Sir Walter again read the story from the book, & again the dogs ran out & came back disappointed, & lay down. The third time their master told the story the dogs came up to him & looked in his face, whined, & wagged their tails, as if to say : ' You have made game of us twice ; you cannot do it for the third time.'