The good reasons for having a bull terrier.

 Just over 2 years ago we had our old girl put down at 15 years due to
ill health. We had a big space in are hearts and at home, after about 3
weeks we made the step to get a dog, we thought long about what sort of
dog.We know a few people who have bull terriers, so we went to a few shows, asked a lot of questions and choose to go for a rescue dog .
We waited for a while and after plenty of phone calls we choose snubs
(or rather he choose us). Two years down line what a dog , loyal ,protective, with my wife and girls, good with kids and people. He has made himself right at home ,its not been easy due to him being deaf. This was our first bull terrier and i don't think it will be are last due to way he has been,and the way the breed is (a strong ,loyal,trustworthy,an lovable breed). When you go to fun- days and meet other owners there will all say the same thing. 
That they would not have any other breed and i know what they mean, plus we have good days out with welfare. My wife was not to sure about having a bull terrier but now she wouldn't have it any other way or breed.

Matt, Tracy, Lilly & Snubbs.

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Vinnie

 It was October 2007 when Vinnie touched our lives.  Never having experienced bull terrier ownership nothing could have prepared us for the joys of a rescued  bull terrier. 

We landed on our feet when we got him though on first impressions we thought “what have we done?”… Vinnie is a BIG bull terrier, not fat just exceptionally BIG and he was like a tornado charging round the place humping everything that was stationary or moved…. It really didn’t matter to him.  Myself and my daughter drove down to Stafford to collect him from his foster mum (a ten hour round trip but so worth it) .  When we arrived back in Dunbartonshire and I went to get him out of the car he jumped out,  pulled me to the ground and I landed on my backside.  You should have seen the look of apprehension in my husbands eyes!  We spent the first few days thinking he was slightly disabled, perhaps deaf,  until we realised he could hear a sweetie wrapper from the next room.  This manic behaviour didn’t last and Vinnie has turned out to be the most laid back, comical, individual, most amazing dog you could hope to meet.  Once he had been castrated a few days later the humping stopped almost immediately and he became so, so chilled out.  We were lucky that we got him from 2 years old as he had skipped the puppy stage and there was no chewing, mouthing or toilet training required.  Sometimes people are a bit wary of him when they first meet him but he always wins everyone over with a big bullie cuddle.  Vinnie loves nothing better than a cuddle and as I write this he is cuddled up on the sofa with my husband, doing what he does best.. Sleeping! 
The only slight problem we have ever  had was sorted out very quickly with the advice from the bullie forum (invaluable for the new bullie owner).  He was covered in bumps and sores but with the correct diet he was fine within a month and there has been no reoccurrence since.
The rescue is so helpful and a home visit will assess your individual circumstances and determine the right dog for you.  For us it was an active male bullie who was dog, child and cat friendly as we had an eight year old,  a staffie girl and two cats.  A tall order you might think – but we only waited a month for our perfect boy!  And since then we have laughed so much… the first commando crawl about the carpet, the first trance under the bush, every bullie run, his selective deafness…  Hilarious!  We know now that we will never buy a pup - it will always be a rescue bullie who can fit in with our family.  We also know that we are not unique in our experience either as the stories on the bull terrier forum from other ‘rescuers’ confirms that it is not just Vinnie who is the perfect rescue dog -  bullies  rescued by others have been just perfect for them too.  

Our advice to anyone who is considering rescuing a bullie  - we couldn’t recommend it enough as Vinnie has totally enriched our lives.
Teresa & Alistair Green

 I HAVE JUST READ YOUR EMAIL REGARDING RESCUE BULLIES AND HOW GREAT A PET THEY CAN BE. 
ALTHOUGH I RESCUED MY BULL PRIVATELY AND NOT THROUGH YOURSELVES, I FELT I SHOULD WRITE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW GREAT A PET THEY CAN BE.
 
OUR ENGLISH BULL WAS RESCUED BY US WHEN SHE WAS 6, SHE HAD BEEN USED OR FIGHTING AND THE SCARS ALL DOWN HER BACK AND HIND LEGS SHOWED THIS.
FOR THIS REASON SHE WAS NOT GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS, HOWEVER A MUZZLE, STRONG LEAD AND FIRM HAND AND SHE COULD STILL BE WALKED.
 
WHEN WE TOOK HER IN WE HAD A 2 YEAR OLD GIRL, SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD 2 MORE GIRLS AND MY BELOVED SHY HAS NEVER EVEN GROWLED AT THEM.
SADLY LAST OCTOBER SHE HAD TO BE PUT DOWN AGED 10 AND A HALF. SHE IS SADLY MISSED.
 
THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT AN ENGLISH BULL, BEFORE WE HAD OURS THEY WERE JUST ANOTHER BREED OF DOG. NOW THE WHOLE FAMILY IS HOOKED ON THEM. WE KNOW THAT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT TO GET ANOTHER DOG THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE BREED IN CONTENTION.
Bryan Taylor

Foxy 

Hello, I have just read your email and thought I would respond.
 
I rescued 'Foxy' 3 years ago - she found her way to welfare by way of a nice Dog Warden in Caerphilly in Wales.  The dog warden makes sure that she visits the council dog pound on a weekly basis to see how many dogs she can save, Foxy was microchipped and the people registered on the chip were written to, the only history Foxy has is that she was handed in by a member of the public?  There was no response within the 7 day period and she was due to be put to sleep but the Dog warden moved her to a sanctury, she then contacted Bull Terrier Welfare, Foxy was eventually picked up and transferred to the Somerset Kennel run by Jan & David Furneaux.  I had lost my beloved bullie Lillie 6 months earlier (Lillie was bred by the Furneaux's)  I had been in contact with Jan & David and went with my Mum and 2 daughters to meet Foxy, At first sight I was not sure, she stood ears back looking at a wall, I tapped the floor and asked her to come to me - she did, she stood on my lap and I asked if she would like to come and live with me - she did!  She settled well, she was hard to walk and it soon became clear to me that she was a dog that had not seen much of the outside world.  She did show signs of aggression to other dogs but as I got to know her more I could tell that this aggression came from fear, if only she could speak and tell me her story?  Foxy has her strange ways but her loving, friendly personality wins everyone over, her manners are excellent and you can take her anywhere (as long as there are not too many dogs to bother her) she does not hate all dogs - the one's she loves she likes to jump on their heads and nip them, she has a couple of doggie friends who allow her to do this the others nip back, which if allowed would end up in a scrap, I have never let Foxy off of her lead for fear of losing her as if distracted her re-call is rubbish.  All dogs have there problems, before I came to love Foxy I 'respected' her as she has been through  things I can only imagine, she is a gentle thoughtful girl, loves her food and sitting by the fire or cuddled up with me on the sofa.   They say bullies are not for the faint hearted - this is true another quote I love is - 'You can't buy affection but you can buy or RESCUE a Bull Terrier'.
I would rescue again - I have never owned a bullie pup, Foxy is my 3rd girlie and she can be sure that with me she has a happy, safe loving home for the rest of her life!
 
Regards
Jenny Watt