Of Bulldogs and Inner City Apartments
Buurman and I spent Friday night on the eleventh floor of an apartment in the inner city. The full moon hovering over the Old Post Office Building was just as beautiful as in the bush. We were able to afford this luxury courtesy of a $100-bonus I got from Airbnb just for doing my job. Normally we travel much more modestly and never in the price class of my own guest accommodation.
We went to Cape Town for Buurman's three-monthly check-up at the oncology centre and decided to throw in a show at the Artscape so we wouldn't lose our kulcha completely. What passes for culture in the countryside consists largely of Afrikaans singers I do not know and do not wish to listen to. Neither of us thought much about the radiology results before the appointment. With one word - "clear" - the oncologist determined the tone of our next three months. Relief and gratitude only really set in over rosemary-and-seasalt flatbread at Primi Piatti as I allowed myself to think of the alternative. There will be a second PET-scan at the end of the year if the medical aid allows, followed by further monitoring and regular visits to the dermatologist in a nearby town.
Saturday afternoon we drove home via that same neighbouring town to
Honesty Bulldogs
Mountain-Bred for Health and Longevity
with a synopsis of Roepman's story as the start of my research into Bulldog health.
I would be an ethical breeder with a return clause in every contract stipulating each dog I sold came back to me if the owner became unable to keep it for any reason. I would source my breeding stock based on health alone. No dog show champions, no British Breed Standard; no man-made monsters who can't breathe, can't walk and can't give birth. (Bulldogs are born by caesarean section because unscrupulous humans have bred their heads to a disproportionate size.)
If you are unfamiliar with the state of Bulldog health, please listen to The Problem with English Bulldogs for an easy-to-follow argument why current breeding practices should not continue or ask anybody who has loved and lost a puppy owing to congenital problems caused by inbreeding for the show ring. Unscrupulous breeders call it line breeding and they see nothing wrong with it.
So it was with soaring spirits that Buurman and I arrived at the gate of Bowie's breeder. Within minutes I was holding a six-week old male pup on my lap. My potential health champion sucked my pinkie and whined for its mother. And then the dream started to crumble. The mother was brought in. She had virtually no tail and excessively short, bowed legs, a too-squashed face and breathing that was too laboured for such a young dog. The puppy on my lap was not an option.
I asked about Bowie's parents. The mother had died; they still have the father. Somehow I didn't get to see him. I was shown another female. This one was even worse: over-exaggerated bowed front legs, feet facing outwards, very serious breathing difficulty. "I like the stocky look", the breeder declared. Over the course of our visit it dawned on me that Bowie was a fluke. This man does not breed for health. He is not the conscious human I had hoped for. His dogs were the same as all the other snorting caricatures that labour for air and pass as Champion English Bulldogs in South Africa.
I feel devastated that Buurman's first exposure to Bulldogs was these unfortunate miscreations. He is understandably un-enthusiastic about owning a Bulldog now.
A large packet of Chuckles, a bag of chips and two long naps later it still feels as if a part of my identity has been compromised by losing the healthy Bulldog that never existed. It was all wishful thinking. I guess I'll keep on looking. I have asked the hairdresser for photos of her boy so I could at least demonstrate the kind of long-legged dog I'm searching for.
And I'll keep my imagination in check this time.
💙
For more on Bulldog health:
Is a Healthier English Bulldog Possible? (16 min)
If you are unfamiliar with the state of Bulldog health, please listen to The Problem with English Bulldogs for an easy-to-follow argument why current breeding practices should not continue or ask anybody who has loved and lost a puppy owing to congenital problems caused by inbreeding for the show ring. Unscrupulous breeders call it line breeding and they see nothing wrong with it.
So it was with soaring spirits that Buurman and I arrived at the gate of Bowie's breeder. Within minutes I was holding a six-week old male pup on my lap. My potential health champion sucked my pinkie and whined for its mother. And then the dream started to crumble. The mother was brought in. She had virtually no tail and excessively short, bowed legs, a too-squashed face and breathing that was too laboured for such a young dog. The puppy on my lap was not an option.
I asked about Bowie's parents. The mother had died; they still have the father. Somehow I didn't get to see him. I was shown another female. This one was even worse: over-exaggerated bowed front legs, feet facing outwards, very serious breathing difficulty. "I like the stocky look", the breeder declared. Over the course of our visit it dawned on me that Bowie was a fluke. This man does not breed for health. He is not the conscious human I had hoped for. His dogs were the same as all the other snorting caricatures that labour for air and pass as Champion English Bulldogs in South Africa.
I feel devastated that Buurman's first exposure to Bulldogs was these unfortunate miscreations. He is understandably un-enthusiastic about owning a Bulldog now.
A large packet of Chuckles, a bag of chips and two long naps later it still feels as if a part of my identity has been compromised by losing the healthy Bulldog that never existed. It was all wishful thinking. I guess I'll keep on looking. I have asked the hairdresser for photos of her boy so I could at least demonstrate the kind of long-legged dog I'm searching for.
And I'll keep my imagination in check this time.
💙
For more on Bulldog health:
Is a Healthier English Bulldog Possible? (16 min)
Little Hope for Breeding Healthier English Bulldogs
Health Testing for Bulldogs (in the UK)
Healthy Bulldog Association (in the US)
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