Maude's House

Our house is currently bully-less, except for Maude, a life-size concrete bull terrier created by Norm Norton of Eaglemount Statuary, Port Townsend, Washington. He made a number of the statues, but we were the first to be lucky enough to have ours arrive in one piece. He finally gave up shipping them because of the problems in getting them to their destinations in one piece. Maude now keeps guard on our back porch until the time comes to add a more lively bully to our household. She's named for a bull terrier character in a mystery novel I hope to some day move from my mind to paper.

Nimbus came to us through Bull Terrier Rescue about 6 months after we lost our first bully, Maggie to kidney failure just a week short of her 12th birthday. He was 14 months old when we got him, an enthusiastic, mostly untrained, bouncing bully boy - pretty much the opposite of our mellow, laid back Maggie. Training a 50 lb. social butterfly was an interesting experience, but he surprised everyone, especially the instructor, by passing his Canine Good Citizen test on the first go-around. He did his best to fit into our slower life style, but having been raised around other dogs in a busy family, he continued to miss the companionship and activites they offered. We finally made the very difficult decision to find a more active home for him and after a short search found the perfect "forever" home. He's now a member of a household with two kids and another dog, and as hard as it was to give him up we know we made the right decision for him.

Think a bully might be just the pet you're looking for? Be aware they're not a dog for everyone. If you want a pet that says "how high?" when you say "jump" you need to look for another breed. If you can survive a pet that at times seems to be a cross between a goat, a pirhana, a bull, an escape artist, chow hound, and one creature destruction derby you might be ready for a bull terrier. But don't even think about it if you don't possess a very keen sense of humor and a lot of patience. There are some excellent web sites with bull terrier specific information that can help you decide, including:

Bull Terrier Club of America A good place to start for general information on the breed and breed standards, with links to other sites.
Corsaire Bull Terriers An award-winning breeder, Corsaire has links to BTCA owner-breeders on their web site as well as breed information and rescue links.
Bull Terrier Rescue The BTCA has a national rescue organization which rescues, fosters and find homes for bull terriers. There are also links to state coordinators and local clubs for more information.
Bull Terrier Rescue, Inc. which services Northern California, and has some funny, but all too true true, stories about life with a bully.

Whether you're looking to buy a bull terrier or adopt one, please do your home work first! The more you know about a breed, the more likely you are to find a reliable breeder who tests adults and puppies for genetic problems, will be there to answer questions before, during and after your purchase, and who cares deeply about the breed, not just the money they're getting from the sale. Many prospective buyers/adopters complain it would be easier to adopt a child than bring a bull terrier home. If that happens to you, don't be offended. Be thankful you've found one of the dedicated breeders who cares deeply enough about their breed to try and find the best home possible to ensure their dogs won't wind up in rescue. And for those that do, rescue groups work hard to ensure the next home is a "forever" home.