We have been Bulldog owners since 2008 and we have learned a lot along the way.\u00a0 We have learned they will eat almost anything.\u00a0 This includes much more than food items.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Obviously the kid’s toys, balls, shoes, UPS packages, and whatever else you would like to add can be included.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Last September I was in the yard with Ethan and Mack our 1.5 year old American Bulldog.\u00a0 Loyal and true are two great words to describe him\u00a0\u00a0 I was taking photographs of them in front of a huge patch of Black Eyed Susans.\u00a0 Well after a few shots Mack decided to take a taste and I could not resist a few pics.\u00a0 You see by now I was used to it.\u00a0 So he does a little pruning\u00a0here and there, it’s not a big deal.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 His death ripped our hearts out and we could not imagine our lives without him.<\/p>\n

Since his death we have added two American Bulldogs to our lives and I have to say have had our share of eaten items.\u00a0 So the other day when after planting most of my new perennials\u00a0I 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

So, let them eat the Cornflowers, having since went to the local nursery and buying two more.\u00a0 I realize my flower beds will never be Martha Stewart worthy.\u00a0 I realize \u00a0there 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.\u00a0 So my flower beds will never be perfect, they will never be photographed in some famous garden magazine.\u00a0 You know what though, that’s fine with us as we are far from perfect nor are our lives.\u00a0 We embrace the perfectly imperfect lives we live and try to go with the flow and where it takes us.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We are so thankful for the joy that \u00a0chaos brings into our lives.\u00a0 So if you eat the Cornflowers could you try to leave a few?\u00a0 If you can’t…well, we understand.<\/p>\n