Spike
Breed: English Bulldog
Sex: Male
Age: 10 months
Weight: 43 lbs.
Fee: $600.00
11/19/2020 Update
Where do we start….. first Spike is a GREAT little guy and he is a little guy. Spike currently tips the scales at a svelte 43 lbs. He is on the thinner side and we are working on putting on a few extra lbs. on him. The biggest challenge is he has the energy of the energizer bunny….. always going, always moving, burning as many or more calories as he takes in. We had a major occurrence this past week- we found out that indeed Spike DOES sleep, while he has never actually slept for any amount of time in front of his foster family (there is too much to do). We went into his room to find he wiped out, usually he hears us coming and is sitting there waiting to greet you. (A little more information on Spike’s sleeping arrangements: Spike sleeps in his crate at night. This is for two reasons: the first being that he prefers the solitude of his crate, he actually goes in his crate with no prompting when he is ready for bed. The second reason is that Spike is still a puppy and left to his own devices he will get himself into something he probably shouldn’t.
Spike’s favorite thing in the world is chewing. 99% of the time it is on things that have been approved for him to chew. We are working on that 1% when something unapproved calls out to him “chew me”. Spike is a big fan of football. He loves to sit on the couch with his foster dad and catch some pigskin action. Spike spent the ENTIRE second half of the game chewing is benebone, and when we say the entire second half we mean non-stop, no breaks, chewing for a solid hour +. He is such a typical Bulldog in that when he sets his mind to something, almost nothing can distract him. (The “T” word snaps him out of it EVERY time). Speaking of treats, we are working on being nice when taking treats. Currently Spike looks like a great white shark coming in for the kill. Spike has no concept of your fingers being in the equation. Spike will sit for his treats, now we are working on not losing a digit while giving him his reward.
It appears that Spike is now completely potty trained. He is a very smart boy. The first couple of weeks were a challenge, but with patience and a schedule he mastered it with no problem. Speaking of schedules, Spikels has done VERY well with a schedule and a set routine. He knows when it is dinner time, when it is time to go for his walk, when it is time to chill. Spike does NOT really care to have his picture taken (which is a challenge for his updates. As you can see in this weeks picture, based on his rest B (bulldog) face there were other things that he would have rather been doing.
As we said earlier, Spike is a great little guy with TONS of energy. Because of this unending energy Spike would do best in a house with a family that has extra amounts of time to work with him and to wear him out. He appears to do well with other dogs, but needs dogs that are patient with his nonstop need to play and rough house (the emphasis on ROUGH). This is just a quick glimpse into the world of Spike, stay tuned for more and we attempt to keep up with the whirling ball of constant energy.
9/21/2020 Update:
This weekly update on Spike is brought to you by the Count on Sesame Street….. this is a brief glimpse into Spike’s life one number at a time.
!0: The number of months that Spike is old. The sad part of the story is that he has already been surrendered and forced to start his life as he knew it, over again. Spike is a very resilient little guy. He is truly an example of why patience is necessary. When he first joined his foster family, he was nervous, not potty trained and was a “marker”. Spike is a very intelligent boy and wants to please. He has made huge strides in all areas and is settling in with his foster family nicely.
9: The number of days Spike has went “accident” free. The first week was NOT a fun week for anyone at Spike’s foster home. While Spike tried his best, it was a learning curve for everyone involved. His Foster parents, foster siblings, everyone in the whole house had their “routine” upended. This is why it is so important to have the entire foster family on board when taking in a new Bulldog. Spike says thank you to his foster family- you can tell how appreciative he is just by looking into his little eyes.
8: The number of chew toys he HAS to have with him at all times. When Spike did finally relax enough to lay down, he discovered chew toys. He LOVES chew toys. Spikes favorite place to chew on a toy is either at his foster Dad’s feet or in someone’s lap. Either way, he will not rest until he as at LEAST 8 chew toys surrounding him.
7: The number of days Spike has to be on pain killers/antibiotics. After Spike’s neuter surgery and his inability to stay calm, he suffered a scrotal hematoma. While a little bit of swelling is normal after a neuter. Spike had what his foster Dad referred to as “the angry grapefruits”, while there wasn’t anything there, you wouldn’t have known that by looking at him. It wasn’t actually the size of grapefruits, but it was LARGE and very hostile looking. Not to fear, Spike was in great hands with his Foster Family and Dr. H. The “angry grapefruits” are no longer following Mr. Spike around and he is back to normal.
6:The number of days it took Spike to feel comfortable enough in his foster home before he could/would fall asleep outside of his crate with his foster family in the same room.
5: The number (and growing) of nicknames that Spike has received from his foster family. Spikester, Spikeausarus/Spikeasaurus Rex, Spikels, and Spikeapotomus are the front runners so far.
4: The number of neighbors that have said they wanted to kidnap Spike and take him home with them. Based on his energy level and his “craziness” that he brings with him, we are sure 3 of the 4 would probably want to rethink the kidnapping scenario.
3: The number of days it took Spike to actually lay down at his new foster home. Until then Spike would just stand and look at everyone. He would relax in his crate, however when he was “chilling” with the fam, he couldn’t relax enough to actually relax and lay down. The good news is that he is fully engaged now and can even fall asleep in front of his foster family.
2: The number of surgeries Spike had to have. In addition to his neuter surgery (see above), Spike has to have his nares expanded to help with his breathing. When Spike first arrived to his foster home, he was a loud snorting, difficult breathing mess. The positive to this was that you knew exactly where Spike was at all times. Fast forward to several days later: Spike’s breathing is that of a completely different Bulldog. He is quiet now. So much so, he will sneak away to explore places his isn’t supposed to be. Spike still gets “worked up” fairly easily and has be to monitored to ensure he doesn’t over do it. Because of this, Spike will need to have a forever home that is very “Bulldog Experienced” with the uniqueness of Bulldogs breathing and how easily they can over heat AND how to avoid this from occurring.
1: Spike is ONE handsome, smart little devil. He is so loving and a very happy-go -lucky guy.
Spike has been through a lot the last couple of weeks. It all started when he joined his foster family. Spike has gotten along with everyone he has met to date (both human and canine). While Spike has not been “cat tested” the consensus is that he is too rough and would most likely injury a cat or even a smaller canine companion. Spike is the smallest dog in his foster home but he can jump off the couch and do a full pile-driver with the best of them. He loves to tackle his canine siblings, body slam them into the wall and jump on them every chance he gets. Typical Bulldog behavior that not every household is prepared. Spike is on the higher side of the maintenance spectrum- think super model. While he brings with him a very handsome mug, that mug takes a lot of work to keep it healthy and not an angry mess. Spike requires his facial folds/creases to be cleaned at least daily at this point. While he is getting better at this routine, it is still not his favorite activity. The first couple of days of cleaning yielded several wipes full of blood, dirt and other fun things that had obviously been hiding in there for some time. These days the amount of fun things hiding in those folds is getting much better BUT it still takes a lot of work and it has to be frequent and in short amounts as Spike will sit still for only a certain amount. Spike is on the smaller side of the Bulldog spectrum. He does need to gain a few lbs., but we are sure that once he gets out of his high energy, puppy phase he will start to fill out. But like all Bulldogs, he does like his food and TREATS. Speaking of TREATS, his foster family are working on manners for taking treats. Currently, when giving Spike a treat the focus has to be on your fingers and not the treat- if not you might just pull back a nub. Like we said earlier- a work in progress. It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks as Spike has learned the ropes and integrated himself into his foster home. So far, so good and each day gets a little easier for all involved. Stay tuned for more Spike shenanigans as he chills and waits for his forever family.
9/5/2020 Update:
Please welcome Spike to No Borders Bulldog Rescue. Spike is a 10 month old male English Bulldog that weighs 43 lbs.
Spike joins the NBBR family as an owner surrender. Spike’s family has a change in their living arrangements. They had multiple pets and decided that they were not able to take all of them with them. Not wanting Spike to go to just anywhere, they contacted NBBR and asked if we would take Spike and help him to find a family that could provide the life that he deserves. Once Spike was surrendered to NBBR and made his way to Dallas. Like many NBBR Bulldogs, Spike was not “local”, and required a team of volunteers to get him to Dallas. Once in the big D, Spike’s first stop was the clinic. Spike had a list of issues that needed to be addressed. Spike has not been neutered, he has allergies, an eye infection, a crusty nose and facial folds that have not been cleaned in quite some time. It is also likely that he will need to have his nares enlarged (rhinoplasty, all the fashionable Bulldogs are doing it these days). All these things are minor and can/will be addressed by either surgery, antibiotics or both. The good news is that Spike is heartworm NEGATIVE and appears to be a healthy happy boy.
Spike is ALL Bulldog. He is young, stubborn and thinks that he knows what is best. He is very easily excited and breathes very heavily (see above about his nares). Spike is a little skittish when it comes to things that are new to him but he warms up quickly. It appears that Spike has two speeds: fast and really fast. Spike doesn’t appear to know how to walk anywhere, he wants to do everything at warp speed. It also appears that Spike will need to brush up on his house manners, but Spike is a very smart boy and we are sure that he will figures those pesky manner things out in no time. While Spike is a handsome guy, he is like many “puppies” that come into Rescue, he comes with a lot of work for his foster family and his forever family to be. All that will be taken care of, but in the meantime Spike will be chillin’ at his new foster family and working on becoming the best Bulldog that he can be. He knows that his forever family is out there, it may take NBBR awhile to find them, but Spike knows that the volunteers of NBBR have his back. With the character that this guy has, stay tuned for what we are sure are going to be some very entertaining stories from Spike’s foster family.
