overview

Dudley’s Story

Dudley came into the SNAFU Rescue via a breeder release. His breeder wanted him to be placed in a loving home and spend the rest of his years being a spoiled pet.

Dudley is an active, playful, cuddly, outgoing, friendly young English Bulldog pup.  His absolute favorite place to be is with his human snuggling and chilling on the couch or supervising any other human activities that may be happening.  He is looking for his forever home, where cuddles are endless, play is the name of the name of the game, and snacks are a priority. Is that your home? Keep reading to learn more about Dudley and what type of home would work best for him.

Dudley has a frisbee and football that he considers his prized possessions. He will carry them around wherever he goes and gently chew on them. He also appreciates a good water buffalo horn when he needs a hearty chew session. Dudley is still a puppy, so he is still learning what is ok for him to chew on, and what is not. He is also a big fan of playing with and chasing balls. He frequently gets bulldog sprints of zoomies, running a few laps around the yard, then engaging in a wrestling session with one of his foster pack. This extremely smart boy loves to play, play, and play all day! He enjoys romping around the house and exploring every inch of his surroundings. This curious boy is a master at keep-away and frequently bounces on a foster sibling to steal their toy. Dudley isn’t quite sure what all the hype is regarding personal space, he tends to do what he wants when he wants. Dudley cannot get enough sunshine or exploring the outdoors and will romp around the yard with his furry friends or head out for solo exploration. After he runs a few laps around the yard, he will head back indoors to find his furry foster siblings in hopes he can engage them in more play. If he finds his foster friends in the playing mood, Dudley will never turn down a wrestling match. He love, love, loves to play, but he also needs to be reminded of his size. He doesn’t have a lot of self-restraint, so his forever family will need to make sure he is respectful when playing with other dogs, especially those who are smaller than he is. He truly believes every pet he meets, and every person that comes across his path not only wants to play but is his new BFF. He is working on picking up on signals that it might not be playtime (he’s a little dense, aka, bulldog stubborn). While he is ok with solo play and exploration, he truly just wants to be with his people or foster siblings all the time as he finds comfort in their presence and the attention he is offered. After all that play and exploration, he will settle in for a much-needed puppy nap. Then, the play cycle starts again (after he is reminded of the need for a quick potty break). Fully refreshed, he is off circling the house following his people around mimicking his foster pack’s behavior.  This boy is smart! 

Dudley seems to get along with big and small dogs –but he does not understand if a new furry pal is not immediately his BFF – slow intros are a must to help him not come on too strong!  He would strive in a home with a calm, balanced sibling to help him learn the ropes.  Likewise, he would be equally happy as the only spoiled pet in the home, just as long as his family has plans to regularly socialize him with other dogs.  Dudley likes to chase the cat, so a cat-free home is best for him. Slow introductions to other dogs in the household is a must and he should always be supervised to make sure both he and they are kept safe.

Dudley has yet to meet any human, big or small, that he hasn’t fallen head over paws for. He did have one bite incident in the past when play got a little too wild, it was an isolated moment with unique circumstances. He’s since been placed in a child-free foster home, has been neutered, and continues to show his sweet and playful behavior. Dudley does have adverse reactions to loud, or unusual noises. When he is startled by a noise he will jolt and jump up, which could easily escalate if allowed to, calm and firm leadership and a quiet home would be best for Mr. Dudley.  Because of his history, we believe Dudley would do best in a home with no children.  He is a typical dense, stubborn and quirky English Bulldog, so a family with Bulldog experience will set this guy up for success.  Dudley needs a firm and consistent leader to ensure he listens and follows the house rules! Dudley has flourished with routine and he would be a great candidate for ongoing, structured training.  

Dudley is 100% crate trained and does extremely well in his crate.  He sleeps all night in his crate without complaint.  He is also crated when his foster family leaves the house and at feeding time. Dudley is still very much a “puppy”, he does not know danger and should always be supervised as he has a tendency to find items he is not supposed to chew on or get into.  For his safety, we recommend that he is kept on a similar crating routine when his family is away or unable to supervise him.  

Dudley is fully potty trained. He does his business every time he’s let out, like we said he loves routine, but if he needs to go out of his normal schedule, he will pace by the door to let you know.  As with all of our dogs, any adopter must be patient and willing to continue working on his potty-training success as he acclimates to his new home and surroundings. He is still a very young dog in need of a consistent outside routine and a signal for potty. Dudley still has work to do on his leash skills and learning that he can’t pull you where he wants to go.

Medically, Dudley was born with a heart murmur which is graded at 5/6.  He has had 2 echocardiograms (ultrasound) done on his heart while in Rescue.  He has been diagnosed with 2 congenital conditions: Infundibular Pulmonic Stenosis, which is a heart condition where the outflow tract of the right ventricle is obstructed which causes difficulty for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs and Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis which is a defect that narrows the passageway between the heart’s left ventricle and the aorta. Dudley currently takes a prescribed Beta Blocker twice daily to help maintain his heart.  Currently, he does not show any outward symptoms (fatigue, fainting, etc.) that indicate he has any issues with his heart. He will need to be monitored for any signs of heart disease or congestive heart failure as he ages (fatigue, weakness, lethargy, shortness of breath, fainting, etc.)   He will need a follow-up echocardiogram annually to monitor the condition of his heart.  Dudley is a happy dog (showing no outward signs of a murmur) but his heart absolutely *must* continue to be monitored by both a veterinarian *AND* a veterinary cardiologist for life. The cost of one echocardiogram ranges from approximately $500 at K-State to approximately $550 in the Omaha, Nebraska area.  Please research cardiologists in your area to check on prices for future echocardiograms for him in the future as they will absolutely be required for Dudley and can be more or less costly depending on the area in which you live. Potential adopters will need to have a veterinary cardiologist within reasonable driving distance to be approved to adopt him (3-4 hours max driving time). Since his lifespan could possibly be shorter than a “regular” dog, we want him to have the best life he can possibly have, but that goes for all our foster dogs, of course! We will be VERY strict with “vetting” any potential adopters for Dudley, as we want to make sure he is very loved and has the best life and care (both in-home care and vet care) that he possibly can during his lifetime.  

Please see these links for more information: 

Infundibular Pulmonic Stenosis: https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/cardiovascular/pulmonic-stenosis-dogs

Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis: https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/cardiovascular/c_dg_aortic_stenosis

While in Rescue Dudley had bilateral cherry eye repairs.  His adopter will need to continue to monitor and address any future eye issues and administer eye drops as needed/recommended. Dudley also has congenital defects in his hind legs (lower legs have more extenders than connectors) and his paws “drag” a bit when he walks. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t currently cause him pain or mobility issues, however this should continue to be monitored to ensure joint health and that he remains pain free.  Dudley has been neutered, microchipped, updated on vaccinations/dewormings, and has been given the okay to adopt by our veterinarian!

Dudley would do best in a single family home with a fence! He is a champ at going up and down stairs, so those are not an issue. Since he does love to explore the yard and run all around the fence, a house with a completely closed fenced yard will be needed for him (as opposed to an apartment style dwelling with shared walls and no yard). The fence will also keep him safe if he hears a loud noise and gets startled, this will ensure he’s not able to bolt or run away. Since Dudley is quite a people’s pup, we think he would love going to work with his new family if they wanted to take him with them to the office and the office is a quiet and calm place. He is in need of some basic training before entering the workspace but with some consistent work he would do just fine! If his people are not able to take him to work with them, no problem at all – he’s completely happy sleeping in his crate at home for a few hours as long as he has a warm soft bed, a chew toy to occupy him and his people can arrange for a mid-day potty break for him! If his forever family doesn’t have another dog for him to play with, he will need to continue to be socialized with other dogs and given lots of playtime with his humans. Dudley is a little snuggle bug looking for a home that has people to dote on him, can include him in their activities, can offer him the exercise he desires, and lots of love and attention. Dudley is still a very young dog that will require a little extra patience as he is guided into what is expected of him. He is a very smart dog that is food motivated so we know he will pick up on things VERY quickly! Dudley will have you wrapped around his little quirky paw in no time! 

If you feel like your family might be the perfect forever home for Dudley, please submit an adoption application for him.