After toying with the idea of getting a dog for a few years, i finally took the plunge 2 years ago. My partner wanted a staff and i wanted an english bull.I had 2 children at the time aged 3 & 5 so getting a dog with great patience and a love of children was a must.
After being told by so many people not to get an english bull i nearly reconsidered,but as i have always loved the look of the breed so much i decided to do some homework.After speaking with the kennel club i was confident an english bull would be great for my family.

We brought our little fat bundle home and named him Hammers.We were prepared for endless nights of howling,days of grab and dash to toilet train him,we got only one night of howling and managed to paper train him in about 3 days,although convincing him to stop using paper and use the garden took about a month.

The only problem we had with Hammers as a puppy was his love of wood.He ate doors, skirting boards and anything else wooden he could get his teeth into.We got him stumps off of chopped down trees,scaffolding planks and any really large bits of wood we could find, but these only lasted 2 minutes.

When it comes to other dogs Hammers will appear like he wants to eat them,but its all mouth no trousers and once introduced to another dog(on lead)he will quite happily play.
You will find that people either love or hate the english bulls appearance,but people always comment.When you have an english bull,going for a walk is made difficult by peoples attitudes,i have even been reported to the police for having a pitbull,luckily i live behind the police station and the officers know Hammers and love him and will put people straight for me.
You will often find that the only people who will approach you without asking if your dog is safe are people who are bull terrior owners or lovers.

Hammers is now 2 and seems much more laid back,although he does have his mad half hours when he charges round the garden like a looney bin and rips up my grass in the process.
Hammers isn't a large dog but he still weighs 5 stone and when charging can not always stop where he intends to.This i discovered one day when my next door neighbour knocked on my door asking if i had lost something clutching the collar of Hammers.He had charged around the garden and went staight through the fence.

He has a cheeky character and really sulks when he doesn't get his own way.He doesn't like being left alone,if you leave him too long he will get the hump.He wouldn't be any good scaring away a burgler because if the doorbell goes he won't bark,he will just race you to the door to be nosey,however i wouldn't like to guess how he would react if someone broke into our home.

Just to reassure you of english bulls and children, Hammers took to my boys like a duck to water,he is very protective over them,but he loves all kids and on many a summer day i have let my childrens friends play with him,although he can get over excited and a little clumbsy resulting in the odd bruise on a childs knee.
We had a baby 5 weeks ago,and naturally was a little concerned that Hammers may be jealous,we made a point of showing hammers the baby as soon as we brought him home,although he was a little put out at not having so much freedom round the house,he knows he can look at the baby but not touch,if the baby cries Hammers will let you know he is concerned.

If you are considering getting an english bull i would say that they make great family dogs and don't be put off by people telling you that an english bull will eat the local kids.If you can give lots of love and commitment to an english bull you will be rewarded with a loyal loving friend for LIFE.