My name is James Beale, and I am the creator of this website. I am 17 years old and am currently in my final year of sixth form grammar school studying 4 A2 levels, after completing 5 AS levels last year.
I have been interested in Bulldogs for the last 10 or so years. It all started when I saw one on a doggie calendar, and has escalated from there. I started collecting Bulldog figurines about 5 years ago, and now have 7 Robert Harrop Doggie People Bulldog figures and a Best Of Breed Bulldog sculpture all proudly standing on my fireplace. I also have many other Bulldog related articles such as calendars, books, cups, and cuddly toys!
I attended my first Bulldog show in the autumn (the London Bulldog Society one in Orpington, Kent), and it was here that I finally convinced my parents that a Bulldog would be good for us. I have grown up with animals for my entire life, but sadly lost my best friend George in August (2001). He was a cat that lived to the grand old age of 23. We also lost our other feline friend in the summer of 1997 - Gemma, aged 15 was a long haired black cat. She made vetinary history being the first cat in Great Britain to sucessfully have a tumour removed from her spine, along with the two vertibrae it was attached to, and, not only survive for a further 5 years but also to learn how to walk fully unaided again. She is still frequently used as an example of innovitave vetinary surgery at Edinburgh Vetinary University.
I started making some firm enquiries about getting a Bulldog, and after chatting to many breeders and other 'doggie people', finally decided to purchase a puppy off of Fay Stokes - a reputable breeder of Bulldogs for the last 10 years from Shropshire. On the 6th October, Sabany Goodness Gracious Me had a litter of 8 pups and I was very happy to make the 500+ miles round trip from East Kent to North Shropshire on the 28th November to pick up my new companion.
The first few nights were a bit hectic as 'Riggs' (that was my choice of name - my mum still prefers 'Boot'!) seemed a bit lonely without his mum, brothers and sisters to keep him company, and whimpered for most of the night. Now he plays with his toys whilst remembering how happy his first 8 weeks of life were. Maybe one day he'll see some of his family again.
Other than animals, my interests include sport, computers, and aviation. I hope to become a commercial airline pilot when I leave university in 4 years time.
If you want to know anything else about me (though there isn't much else!), email me. |
