
“Always walk with your eyes open. Avoid as many bad surprises as possible.”
©️ 2026. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“Always walk with your eyes open. Avoid as many bad surprises as possible.”
©️ 2026. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges.

Me: Hey, what’s all the foot action?
Sweetie: Can’t bulldogs pretend to be marching without a thousand questions?
Me: You’re marching in place? Cute. I’ll bet you learned that from watching the birds march in step up and down their perches.

Bud and Baby: 1 ack, 2 ack, 3 ack, 4 ack.
Doodlebug: 1 ack, 2 ack, 3, ack, 4…
Sweetie: Cut the birdie talk, Doodle. It’s undignified.
Doodlebug: It helps me keep time.
Sweetie: No fair. They copied us.

MoonCat: Let me try a cadence. Bulldogs, about face! March! 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, down the hall and through the door!
©️ 2025. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“Are you calling me a bully? How dare you call me a bully? Oh, yeah. Right.”
©️ 2025. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“It’s not hard. It’s about balance. And having a soft place to land.”
©️ 2025. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

Pointy: “Aim high. It smells way better up there.”
©️ 2025. H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges.

Sweetie: Lady Human, those big green spiky plants have grown again.
Me: Yeah, the cactus leaves have really gotten big this year.
Sweetie: And spiky. Don’t forget spiky.
Doodlebug: With big ole flowers.
Sweetie: And spikes.

MoonCat: Spikes don’t bother me because I don’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.
Me: Yeah, the spikes tend to keep trespassers cautious.
Sweetie: Ah, cactus – the bulldog of plants.
©️ 2025 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

Me: Sweetie, what are you doing?
Sweetie: Just stay seated where you are, Lady Human.
Me: You’re nudging my leg over.
Sweetie: Yes, it’s almost perfect. There. The perfect head rest. Just the way I like it.
Me: You might want to ask me first next time. There are things I need to get up to do.
Sweetie: Never you mind about all that, ma’am. Being my head rest is the only job you have for now.
©️ 2025 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

You were beautiful even before.
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“If you see a bulldog up a tree, something’s wrong!”
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“Someone left the lights on.”
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“Don’t try to out bully a bully.”
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges.
Me: What’s with all the grumble faces?

Sweetie: Are you calling us ugly?
Me: By no means, but you do look a little serious.
Sweetie: Doodlebug! Maybe now is the time to present her with all our complaints…uh… requests.

MoonCat: Grumble faces? That must be a human and dog problem. I always wear the same face. That way no one can tell what I’m thinking. Keep ’em guessing.
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill. All Rights Reserved.

“I’ve come too far to quit now. Swim!”
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

“What do you mean ‘Who?’ Me. That’s who. Who else could I be? And don’t go asking me who I am until you tell me who you are.”
Owl: Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.
“That’s not an answer.”
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. This is not about the Big Blue Chair again, is it?

Sweetie: Everything is about the Big Blue Chair. Unless it’s about something else that I want.
Me: Look. The chair is mine. I don’t mind letting you use it when I’m elsewhere, but we can’t both fit in it at the same time.
Doodlebug: No problem. It’s too tall anyway.

MoonCat: No argument here. It smells like bulldog anyway.
Sweetie: I don’t mind sharing MY chair with you, Lady Human, but you’re going to have to shrink your bottom some to accommodate both of us and I have always first dibs.
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human! Sweetie is tearing up something! I don’t know why and I don’t know what.

Sweetie: Grrrrr! Move! Move! There! There!
Me: Oh, Sweetie. What are you doing in a cardboard box? I was going to put that out for the recycle people.
Sweetie: Grrrr! No need, ma’am. I’m recycling it myself. Repurposing. Reconditioning. All those fancy words the humans use, well, I’m DOING IT! BEHOLD! My new bedroom!
Me: Well…I’m…impressed. You knocked down one side of the box and dragged a blanket into it and made it just the right size for a new bed? In addition to the other two beds you already have. Okay. Why?
Sweetie: This is who I am. This is what I do. I’m not just a bulldog toilet engineer. Now I’m a bulldog architect. Don’t waste cardboard. Give it to me! I will reuse it! Wait. Look. There’s a plastic box over there! ANOTHER PROJECT! WOO HOO!

MoonCat: Meow. All right. Everyone hide. The bulldog has lost it.
Copyright 2024 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

“Don’t cross the line! This is dog territory! No chicken invaders allowed!”
Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

“Is that what is called a ‘featherbrain’? I thought that only applied to humans.”
Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Sweetie: Lady Human, we have a problem.
Me: What’s wrong?
Sweetie: There is something running around my sunbath area. I think it is a bird. It has wings, but it is not flying. I think something needs to be done.
Me: It’s alright, Sweetie. It’s a chicken.
Sweetie: Well, I knew it wasn’t a bulldog. But I don’t think it’s right to have a big chicken running around my sunbath spot.
Me: She won’t bother you.
Sweetie: What if she wants my spot? I’m not giving up my spot to a bird. I mean, what if she invites friends? It won’t be a sunbath anymore. It’ll be a bird bath.
Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

“What do you mean newspapers are for reading? That’s not what I use them for.”
Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.