Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Not good with kids,
Good with dogs,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Emmy Lou is an estimated 2 year old female English Bulldog mix who was found stray, and unclaimed at Animal Services. She is a compact 60lbs, lean, but strong. She is a very sensitive girl and wasn't showing well in the busy shelter environment, and sadly was at risk of euthanasia. We pulled her into our rescue where Emmy has flourished, and showed us what a wonderful, silly, playful and affectionate girl she is!
Emmy Lou is generally pretty independent and low energy. She is a very typical English bulldog mix - lower energy, snuggly, gets cold easily but also overheats easily, brachycephalic, snores very loudly, and can be sensitive and particular about a few things!
With her family, Emmy is very playful, enthusiastic, and zoomie for about 10 minutes, twice daily. She loves to snuggle, and is comfortable with manipulations, including paw cleaning, face wrinkle cleaning, general facial cleaning after eating/drinking, pets, and even baths. With strangers, Emmy is more reserved and defensive. She does not like strangers reaching for her without consent, and does not like feeling pressured- including from the vet! Emmy is very neutral with strangers as long as they don't put pressure on her - she's actually a wonderful patio pup, but does need to be advocated for. Emmy warms up quickly with neutral interactions, and lots of treats!
With dogs, Emmy similarly does best with neutral introductions. She can be sensitive to dogs coming into her space too quickly, and prefers neutral walks and respectful space. She had done well in a very busy canicross setting with many excited dogs that were respectful of her space, and lives with 3 respectful foster brothers. We've observed that she can be a bit more of a bully to her anxious/sensitive middle aged foster brother, compared to her other 2 more confident foster brothers, however she takes redirection from her humans well and engages nicely with all 3 with supervision. Emmy has not met cats. Emmy is curious/ eager to bully the chickens that live on the property with her, although they have always been safely fenced outside her reach.
We have observed that Emmy Lou is a resource guarder with other animals. In a multi-dog home, feedings are done separately, and Emmy gets her own space when playing with toys. Emmy will also guard dog beds, her space on the couch, and other objects she decides to claim- unexpected ones have included a sweater on the floor she decided to sit on, and a stick she decided was her toy. Her foster home is an experienced home with obedient and respectful dogs, so managing resources and redirecting Emmy when she starts showing warning signs has been easy for everyone to peacefully coexist, however potential adopters with other pets will have to be aware of subtle body language cues and have a management plan to prevent and conflicts around resource guarding. For this reason, we are also looking for a home for Emmy without young kids.
Emmy Lou is very food motivated, eager to please, and quite sensitive. She enjoys training and is easy to redirect with verbal cues, food, and tone of voice. Emmy is a sensitive girl, and any raised voices she perceives to be directed at her, and can get defensive. While Emmy is easy to manipulate when she's in her usual happy-go-lucky mood, if she is defensive she will not tolerate collar grabs or manipulations. Emmy is easy to coax out of a defensive state with verbal encouragement and treats, however her future adopters will have to be aware of how much pressure they are putting on her, and be mindful that she may interpret their actions differently than they may intend.
Emmy is also sensitive about potty breaks in the dark, the cold, and loud noises. Her safe space is in her crate in the house, and if she's feeling sensitive she will seek out her crate. Her other favourite spot is being on a pillow, on the couch, snuggled in a cozy throw blanket! Once she's comfortable and cozy, Emmy will snuggle and snore up a storm!
Emmy is a silly, playful, and funny girl! She loves shaking and ripping up stuffy toes, loves her treat ball and other food toys, loves to squeak squeakers, and loves her single ingredient raw/dehydrated treats to chew up! She is low energy, but loves to run around with a toy when her people wake up in the morning, or when they come home from work. She quickly gets tired and loves to snuggle her people in her corner of the couch. She also loves to "supervise" in the kitchen, but will lay on her dog bed if asked to. She has a hilarious "resting grumpy face", but loves to give kisses to her people.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER!
Emmy Lou had a severe adverse reaction to what is thought to be the general anesthetic during her routine spay surgery. She developed pyothorax and aspiration pneumonia, causing her to be hospitalized for 10 days on oxygen, an IV with antibiotics and fluids, and with a chest tube, which cost us over $13,000 for treatment with a 50% survival rate. English Bulldogs are not healthy dogs, and are genetically higher risk patients for routine surgeries and procedures. They are also dogs that will likely need dentals in their future. Due to Emmy's severe adverse reaction, any future dentals should be done at a veterinary dentist with a anesthesiologist present.
English Bulldogs are also very sensitive to heat and breathing issues. Emmy Lou will very likely be more expensive to maintain good health than other breeds of rescue dogs, and she will need an adopter prepared to cover those costs for the duration of her lifetime, up to 15 years. Adopters should have previous experience, or have done thorough research into the health issues associated with English Bulldogs. Pet Insurance, or having a very large savings fund for emergencies is required. Taking a Pet First Aid course may also be an asset.
Emmy Lou Summary:
2-3yo (f) English Bulldog mix
-Good with dogs
-Untested with cats
-Older kids
-Ignores strangers, happy to coexist, doesn't want strangers applying pressure. Happy to be affectionate on her own terms with strangers.
-Crate trained
-Good in car
-Good on leash
-Low energy, but very playful and gets short zoomies twice daily.
-Non-vocal, but snores very loudly
Personality: Silly, playful, joyful, snuggly, sensitive, funny, independent, defensive
Behaviours:
-Resource guards toys, food, space, furniture with other dogs. No observations of guarding with people. Easy to redirect, however management must be considered in multi-pet homes.
-Sensitive and easily defensive: Emmy is a sensitive girl and any raised voices she thinks she is being yelled at, and if she is in a defensive state she can be nervous of collar grabs or sudden manipulations. Emmy is also defensive for some medical handling, especially by strangers. If she does not feel threatened, and with her people that she knows, Emmy is easy to manipulate and touch everywhere (we've even done rectal temperature checks without her being defensive).
Health concerns:
-Brachycephalic breed, take extreme caution in hot/humid weather, and restrict exercise when needed
-Some allergies present in shelter, and post-hospitalization. Suspected chicken. Not extreme - did well on Performatin Lamb Kibble, and Blue Buffalo Salmon.
-Had extreme response to spay surgery, may be sensitive to general anesthesia. Any future surgeries (dentals, etc.) will need to be done at a veterinary dentist with an anesthesia specialist.
English bulldogs are notoriously unhealthy breeds. While Emmy Lou seems to have better breathing, and our vets think she's healthier than a typical English Bulldog, her future adopters should be prepared for budgeting for higher than average vet costs.
Adoption inquires: molsonsfosterfriends@gmail.com
