Lita Eitner-England
Lita Eitner-England’s first children’s novel about Bulldogs takes place in England during the 1830’s. Taken away from an ideal life on the Duke of Chathamworthshire’s estate, Bullmina is forced to breed champions for the greedy Fortie Billingsley. When Fortie’s head trainer, Andrew Cameron is ordered to kill the Bulldog, he makes a heart-wrenching decision and sets her free. Abandoned in London, Bullmina learns to live by her instincts. Bloody and near death, she is rescued by eleven-year old Lisette St. Germaine. Lisette falls in love with Bullmina only to have her heart broken when Bullmina is stolen by greedy thieves and forced to fight in the dogfight pits. Bullmina’s triumph becomes the triumph of dogs everywhere because they will never be forced to fight in the dogfight pits again. With rich, complex characters, Eitner-England paints a realistic picture of the miserable conditions dogs had to endure. The book is also about the decisions people make and the consequences of those decisions. Realizing that owning a dog can be expensive and time-consuming, Eitner-England has included a section at the end of the book with thoughtful questions about ownership and rescue should any of her readers decide to rescue a dog themselves.
