Sydney 
Tina's Luv-a-bull Dog

It seems that everyone that has a Bulldog insists on having a web site dedicated to their silly dog. Well, this one is ours. She is pretty cute, but of course, that is completely relative as how can a bulldog be called cute? They are simply the ugliest... well, let's just say my wife calls this mutant, "cute."

Droopy Syd

Click on images for a larger view.

Sydney, like most bulldogs, is quite lethargic throughout the day. The only time she gets excited is when she gets to go on a walk down to the park... but we'll describe that scene later on.

Once upon a time, Sydney used to sleep on the bed with my wife. But then I came along. I will admit, that I did try sleeping with both her and my wife on the bed, but it just wasn't a good idea. She's a lover, and wants to wriggle right up against you. That is just what I want.

I wasn't really excited about this prospect, so I would take my foot and tickle her ribs... well, alright, it was more like a jab, but I'll claim it was self-defense on the witness stand, as I couldn't breathe!

A Living Tongue

Eventually, she jumped off the bed and started barking like she wanted to go out. My wife, Tina, asked me to let her out. I got up, and she immediately jumped onto the bed and settled into my spot.

She sleeps downstairs now.

Yeah, she isn't happy about the situation, but hey, it is either me or the dog, and I think I'm more loveable. I mean, of course, I am, look how much effort I've been going through in setting up this virtual shine to my wife's pets?

Sydney (or Precious as I sometimes call her) is a... er, fascinating creature. I will admit that she a nice dog, but allow me to illustrate some of her more interesting features...

Sydney, for her impressive size and fearsome looks, is deathly afraid of everything. Really.

The worse is the sound of a plastic bag. I don't know why, but if you want her to move, and move quickly, just shake a plastic sack.

In fact, she used to lounge around on one of our loveseats, and I finally convinced Tina that having a dog rolling around in the dirt and then rolling around on the couch is not such a good idea. But the problem was, how do you get her to break this habit ... We put a plastic bag on the loveseat for a couple of weeks. She now doesn't go near the loveseat even after we removed the bag.

The hardest that I ever laughed was when my wife and I were watching TV with the dogs, and Sydney farted, and then took off running in fear. That's right, we have a dog that is afraid of her own flatulence.

Syd's favorite time of day (or of the week if we are busy) is the walk... She loves it. Now, normally, you aren't supposed to exercise bulldogs too much, as their short legs and other unnatural features make it hard for a bulldog to breathe under duress ... like a walk.

But Syd is a little different. She doesn't have the extra folds of flab over her nose, and her legs are longer than most. Of course, this means that she isn't show quality, but that isn't a concern for my wife, Tina.

In the picture on the left, you will notice that Syd is begging for a walk. She doesn't really beg for food, but rather she'll whine, grunt and make other unworldly noises in order to show us how much she wants to chase ravens in the park.

Eventually, we give in, and the ritual of the walk begins...

Before-walk Leash Chew

She begins the ritual by panting and wiggling excitedly. In fact, even if we aren't going for a walk, but she thinks we are (like we get our shoes or set the house alarm), she starts getting excited. If you try to get the harness on her, she attempts to chew it... it isn't that she doesn't want the harness, it is just part of the game.

Once the harness and leash is on her, she likes to chew and tug on it.

My View of a Walk

Then the walk part of the "walk" eventually begins, usually by me dragging her across the street. She then takes off, and literally pulls me all the way to the park. I've thrown my back on because of this on more than one occassion.

In this picture on the left you can see the taunt leash and she hauls me over to the park...

Once we get to the park, we take her off the leash and let her attempt to catch the ravens in the park. It is clear to me that bulldogs, left in nature, would not be able to bring down moose. But the call of the wild is strong in this one, and she gives it her best.

The Panter

But she wears out ... quickly ...

So we head back to the house with her panting all the way. In this picture on the right, you can notice that her entire facial expression changes ... from the droopy dog to the (all-too-brief) lively dog.

The After-walk Drool Shake

But the ritual of the walk isn't complete. She has to shake her head ... and let the drool fly. Some dogs, including bulldogs, are known for their drool, and she is no exception. (By the way, those white things in the picture on the left is not her drool, but paint shavings as this picture was taken after we have just finish painting our house).

Other after-walk-rituals include over-drinking, that is, drinking so much, so fast, that she ... well, she makes some funny noises that would be considered ... well, disgusting.

Tanner, Our Cocker

We actually have two dogs. Our other dog, Tanner, is a cocker-spaniel. He's a good dog, but is really annoyed when we put glasses on his butt...

Both of our dogs are pretty good dogs ... they may bark more than I like, but at least she doesn't drool all the time...

Of course there is the situation where Sydney digs a trench in the dirt, lies in it all day, and then expects to come in and dirty the house...

But these are minor compared to the love I see in my wife's eyes whenever she looks at precious.

Can't get enough? Check out her online Photo Album ...