Adopting a British Bulldog in Liverpool: rescues, costs and health

The figure under the short answer is a live count of British Bulldogs, and English Bulldog crosses listed as such, with the rescues we cover within about 25 miles. When we checked on 21 October 2026, the only one was a 9-month-old at Freshfields. Expect the breed charity below to be your main route.

Mostly through changes at home, not cruelty. Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming says only a few of its dogs have been abused, mistreated or abandoned; most are what it calls victims of circumstance, given up after a divorce, a new baby or another change in the family.

PDSA calls the Bulldog a severely brachycephalic, or flat-faced, breed, very likely to have serious health problems because of its shape, including breathing difficulties and skin, joint and dental trouble. Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) narrows the airway; PDSA's BOAS page lists snoring, noisy breathing and struggling with exercise or heat among the signs, and the University of Cambridge BOAS researchers note that not every flat-faced dog shows them. Ask the rescue:

• How does it breathe? At rest, after a short walk and on a warm day. The Royal Kennel Club's Respiratory Function Grading Scheme grades Bulldogs as well as French Bulldogs and Pugs, and dogs of those breeds over 14 months needed a valid grade to enter Crufts 2026, but a rescue dog is unlikely to have one.
• Heat. PDSA says a Bulldog should never be exercised in the heat of the day because the breed is prone to overheating.
• Joints. PDSA lists elbow and hip dysplasia, which can be managed but cause lasting joint disease.

The loose skin that gives a Bulldog its face needs daily care. PDSA says the facial wrinkles need cleaning every day, and that bacteria in the folds, including the deep fold around the tail, can cause an infection called skin fold pyoderma. It also lists eyelids that roll in or out (entropion and ectropion), dry eye and cherry eye. The Royal Kennel Club's Breed Watch asks show judges to look for the same kinds of problems: signs of breathing difficulty, irritated skin folds, a heavy nose wrinkle and eyelids that turn in or out.

A rescue Bulldog comes with support a puppy from a breeder rarely does. Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming gives adopters the dog's known medical and behaviour notes, five weeks' free insurance and backup for the dog's whole life, and if the dog isn't neutered yet it pays for the operation, which you arrange within six months. Freshfields Animal Rescue neuters, microchips, vaccinates and worms its dogs before they leave, within its £220 fee.

UK law requires every dog to be chipped and registered by 8 weeks, so a bought puppy should come chipped; neutering and later jabs are extra, after the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross puts on the puppy, and with this breed later vet bills can cost more.

Bulldogs don't need much space or exercise. The Royal Kennel Club lists up to an hour a day, a small house and a small or medium garden, and PDSA calls them calm dogs that get on with other pets if well socialised young.

On children, each rescue has its own line. Freshfields Animal Rescue doesn't place dogs in homes with children aged 5 or under, and Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming weighs the ages of any children, and any other animals, as a risk factor when it picks a home.

They are three different breeds. The British Bulldog, which The Royal Kennel Club calls simply the Bulldog and Dogs Trust the English Bulldog, is the medium-sized, flat-faced dog this page is about, and it is not a banned type in the UK (see the gov.uk banned dogs list). American Bulldogs are a separate breed with their own page, and Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming won't take them or any other bulldog type. French Bulldogs are a smaller breed with their own guide.

Rescue Bulldogs are not for sale. Bulldog Rescue & Rehoming says its £7.50 registration fee is partly there to put off people looking for cheap breeding stock, and it keeps any pedigree registration papers rather than passing them on, so its dogs go to pet homes. Puppies are rare in rescue; an adult whose breathing is already known is the safer choice anyway.

Set on buying? Use The Royal Kennel Club's checklist for flat-faced puppies: walk away if either parent breathes loudly or snores while awake, and check both have been tested under the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme. Dogs Trust suggests a pre-purchase consultation with your vet about likely health costs, The Royal Kennel Club runs a "Find a puppy" service, and suspected scam adverts go to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).