We have been Bulldog owners since 2008 and we have learned a lot along the way. We have learned they will eat almost anything. This includes much more than food items. It includes cedar porch spindles that I will add have to be hand milled now at $15.00 a piece because we have run through all the extras we had when we built the house. It also encompasses the weather-stripping of storm doors and that would most likely result in a trip to the vet because the dog had trouble passing the strip, not that I speak from experience or anything. Obviously the kid’s toys, balls, shoes, UPS packages, and whatever else you would like to add can be included. When first dealing with this it was a bit frustrating but I guess that is why God made American Bulldogs so darn cute and lovable because even with all this we would not trade them.
Last September I was in the yard with Ethan and Mack our 1.5 year old American Bulldog. Loyal and true are two great words to describe him I was taking photographs of them in front of a huge patch of Black Eyed Susans. Well after a few shots Mack decided to take a taste and I could not resist a few pics. You see by now I was used to it. So he does a little pruning here and there, it’s not a big deal. It also made for some darn cute pictures but when a few short days later we lost our majestic buddy to a severe diaphragmatic hernia it really put everything in perspective. One of the last things I told my husband as he spent the last few minutes of Mack’s life with him was that I forgave him for everything he had ever eaten which was spoken through my tears. His death ripped our hearts out and we could not imagine our lives without him.
Since his death we have added two American Bulldogs to our lives and I have to say have had our share of eaten items. So the other day when after planting most of my new perennials I could not find my purple Cornflowers, I was a bit perplexed until I saw the container and the identification strip leading me to conclude that one of my dears had indeed ingested my lovely Cornflowers. I had a moment or two of anger, but when I realized it was Echinacea and probably good for their immune system and that I could replace the flowers but never the dogs it put it all in perspective.
So, let them eat the Cornflowers, having since went to the local nursery and buying two more. I realize my flower beds will never be Martha Stewart worthy. I realize there will be trampled flowers and such but that’s why I love perennials because they come back stronger every year and exactly what we need here. So my flower beds will never be perfect, they will never be photographed in some famous garden magazine. You know what though, that’s fine with us as we are far from perfect nor are our lives. We embrace the perfectly imperfect lives we live and try to go with the flow and where it takes us. We would rather have the chaos our teenagers, toddlers, and pets bring to our lives then to live in a pristine world with no fun. We are so thankful for the joy that chaos brings into our lives. So if you eat the Cornflowers could you try to leave a few? If you can’t…well, we understand.
