Bulldogs sure are endearing, and bulldog lovers may love their pets to death, literaly. You see, bulldogs are bred to look that way, and the lengths that people are willing to go to get that cute look is killing the breed:

“It is the most extreme example of genetic manipulation in the dog-breeding world that results in congenital and hereditary problems,” Pacelle said.

Brenda Bonnett, a consulting veterinary epidemiologist and a speaker at the conference, outlined the results of her study of Swedish dog-insurance data from 1995 to 2006. She told conference attendees that bulldogs are significantly more likely than other dogs to suffer from a wide range of health issues, including ear and eye problems, skin infections, respiratory issues, immunological and neurological problems and locomotor challenges.

Can the bulldog be saved? Benoit Denizet-Lewis wrote an interesting article for The New York Times Magazine about how the bulldog breed can redesigned ... and whether we should do so: Link (Photo: Andrew Bettles for The New York Times) - via PopSci

Well, you would too if babysitting a kid like this is your day job: Link [embedded YouTube]

Now, Tillman has set his sights to winter, and snowboarding.  Skateboarding Magazine.com has the story of his role in the upcoming Olympics, along with Rose- a kindred spirit in all things board.  Aww.

Link via The Cellar Image of the Day (Photo byDamian Dovarganes)

YouTube Link

In 2007, Tillman the bulldog amazed the world with his video of him riding a skateboard around a park, just as naturally as you please.  Apparently the dog is still refining his moves, via Tony Hawk’s video game.  (Obviously, he’s not playing the game, but he’s definitely into it.)  More videos of Tillman snowboarding, surfing, and of course, skateboarding can be found here.  Tillman’s website.

Photo: Art Verduzco

Psst! Wanna win your very own Monkey drawing by Adam "Ape Lad" Koford? Here’s your chance – but first, the ‘splanation by Art Verduzco, whose photo was featured in National Geographic Magazine’s Your Shot editor Susan Welchman’s Daily Dozen:

Her name is Minicooper and she is a one years old English bulldog. We where relaxing on the beach when I caught her looking thru the scope.

Your task is simple: caption the photo above to win! Place your caption in the comment section. One caption per comment, please. You may enter as many funny ones as you’d like.

Good luck and be sure to visit Adam’s blog for your daily Laugh-Out-Loud Cats.

Update 11/11/09 – Adam has picked the winner! Congratulations to sybann who won with this caption: I really wish you wouldn’t use a rocket launcher for "fetch."

I don’t to post links to galleries (too much clicking!) but I’ll make an exception for this one: an AskMen Top 10 list of … manly dogs! (It’s a fun topic, and I was itching to use this cute lil’ bulldog photo above by Neil Lee of BeatnikPad)

Anyhoo, here’s number 10 of AskMen’s Top 10 Manly Dogs:

No.10 – Bulldog

Taking a turn toward a smaller breed, the Bulldog is a pint-sized tough guy, or at least they’re designed to look that way. This dog looks like a mix of a pug and a Mastiff. Bulldogs can look simultaneously peeved and happy, and they have lovable and quirky personalities that are a significant departure from the other manly dogs seen here.

Having a Bulldog as a pet is a surefire way to win friends and impress women; their bullish looks and saggy skin folds provide lots of laughs and their relatively poor conditioning, due to their heavyset, makes for some hilarious outings at the park when tossing a stick around. Still, they are just as dedicated to their territory as any other breed, and their dedicated companionship and ability to inspire are perfect reasons for their use as the official mascot of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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