Top dogs

Dana Shapland admits it.

She spoils Hailey, Morgan, T-bone, Brodie and Tonka.

They have birthday parties. They lounge around the living room. They have a swimming pool in the yard. They go on vacations.

That’s a good life — even better considering they’re dogs. Well, not any dogs. English Bulldogs, and that makes them pretty darn special, Shapland says.

“I’m blessed,” said the Hayden Lake woman.

Her dogs don’t just provide lots of love and laughs. They won the Press Cutest Pet Contest, earning Shapland a $500 gift certificate to Hagadone Hospitality.

They were chosen from 75 entries that included playful puppies, lazy labs and curious cats.

“It’s pretty cool to win because there was great competition,” said 18-year-old Dylan Shapland. “They’re always our Christmas card every year.”

Dana was surprised her dogs came out on top.

“I had picked out my favorite. There were great photos,” she said.

And while she has great pictures of Hailey, Morgan, T-bone, Brodie and Tonka, they don’t tell the stories of these five English Bulldogs.

Hailey is 13 and the mom of Morgan, who gave birth to T-bone, Brodie and Tonka. All are quite well, thank you. Brodie and T-bone tip the scales at 65 to 70 pounds, while the others are around 45 pounds.

“They don’t have the health problems most bulldogs have,” she said.

Also unlike most bulldogs, which tend to be couch potatoes, this group is active. Very.

They ride snowboards and skateboards and snowmobiles. They love the snow.

“They don’t know to come in from the cold,” Dana said.

Come summer, they play soccer. They splash around, even dive for rocks, in a shallow pond, maybe 8-10 inches, the Shaplands put in the backyard for them.

“They don’t know they’re not labs and can’t swim,” Dana Shapland said, laughing.

Birthdays are celebrated, too. Each dog is treated to a small bowl of ice cream, wears a party hat and plays in the pond.

Each has its own personality.

T-bone can say “I love you” and provides the most laughs with his antics.

Brodie, the baby, is spoiled and gets away with more than the others, like sleeping on the couch. He is perhaps the favorite, though Dana denies it.

“If you asked me if I had a favorite, no. If you asked my husband, he would say Brodie.”

Hailey, the oldest, is lovable and compassionate.

There’s one word to describe Morgan, and that’s “diva.”

Tonka is the calmest of the bunch, likes his alone time and likes to please.

All the dogs share stubborn streaks, are faithful, great with kids and are comical, too. They like to eat, of course, and go through about 40 pounds of dog food every two weeks.

Oh, and their big bark really is worse than their bite, but they’ll do what it takes to protect their home.

“They’ll let us know if someone is there,” Dana said. “But really, they just want to play and sleep.”

Speaking of sleep, come time for bed, four of them curl up on cushions on the bedroom floor, but not Brodie.

The big guy pushes his way right in the middle of the bed, between husband and wife, his head resting comfortably on the pillow. Satisfied, it is then he closes his eyes.

“All the rest moved off the bed after four months,” Dana said. “He hasn’t quite figured that out.”

Why would he?