Readers, or at least a select but discriminating group of them, regularly, or at least occasionally, write to me asking about Mildred, many of their messages including requests that I publish more pictures of her at the site. I wish I could post some images other than those you already have seen, but hindering this effort is the fact that some two years ago I bought what has to be one of the worst digital cameras ever made, a Kodak, that seems able to produce only blurry shots. (Maybe it’s defective, I don’t know.) And it wasn’t cheap. And I’m not happy.

Anyway, lacking a fresh photograph, for now let me tell you that there are two handsome bulldog boys in our (still relatively new, to us) neighborhood here in Philadelphia. Riordan lives just a short hop away. He’s not yet two years old, and despite that age is still very much a puppy, displaying all the typical goofy behavior of a bulldog pup, particularly that of the male hellion of the breed.

And then there’s Wallace, a four-year-old who lives a few blocks north of us. Wallace is a striking dog, generously proportioned through the shoulders and displaying with full force the typical yet peculiar gait of the bulldog. That I say Wallace is striking may be evidence of bias on my part, for Wallace resembles Mildred in many ways. Mildred is taller and longer than Wallace, and, yes, she weighs more than he, but both are mostly white, as is Riordan, and Wallace has the same light brown speckles on his ears and down his back, clustered about the spine, as does Mildred.

Mildred, who by the way is seven years old, has met both bulldogs just a few times each and was unusually reserved in nearly every encounter. She may not be the brightest bulb on the string, but I know her well enough to suspect there’s an agenda at work, even something as simple as playing coy. Honestly, I think Wallace is the more attractive of the two, but I’m guessing Riordan’s owner is more my type.

If anything develops, I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, let me share with you again a photograph of another bulldog I owned, Montgomery (or Chadwin VII’s Montgomery Clift). A beautiful dog, handsome, kind, affectionate, friendly, and oh so energetic.

Have a great weekend.

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