A Bulldog's week bag looks different from most dogs' because breathing, temperature, and skin folds shape almost every decision. This heavy, short-faced companion needs gentle exercise, cool rest, and daily fold care, so pack for comfort and calm rather than adventure, and write the limits down where the sitter cannot miss them.
Food, weight, and a steady stomach
Pack the Bulldog's usual food for seven days plus a spare day, pre-measured if possible, with the feeding times and amounts written clearly. Bulldogs gain weight readily and extra pounds make breathing and joint strain worse, so tell the sitter the treat limit and that rich extras and table scraps are not on the menu, however hopeful the snoring audience looks. Keep the food unchanged for the week, since a sudden swap commonly upsets this breed's digestion, and pack the bowl this dog uses at home if eating from a particular height or style suits him. Add a note on water: fresh water should always be available, and noisy drinking followed by rest is normal Bulldog behaviour. If this dog eats from a slow feeder to reduce gulping air, pack it and explain why it matters.
A harness, short walks, and heat rules
Pack a well-fitted harness for a Bulldog rather than relying on a neck collar, because pressure on a short-faced dog's throat helps nothing when breathing is already hard work. Add a sturdy lead, waste bags, and a written exercise note: short, gentle walks in the cooler parts of the day, no running games, no long hikes, and immediate rest if breathing becomes loud or laboured. Include a cooling mat for rest at the sitter's home and a light layer only if your dog is used to one in cold weather, being careful that clothing never adds heat. Tell the sitter in plain words that a Bulldog who is overheating, with heavy panting, drooling, or wobbliness, needs shade, cool air, and a vet call, not one more lap of the block. Pack a towel for drying after rain, since damp folds and skin are this breed's recurring theme.
Fold care and skin comfort kit
Pack the soft cloths and the gentle cleaning supplies you already use for the Bulldog's face folds, and write the routine out: folds cleaned gently and dried thoroughly, because moisture left sitting in those wrinkles invites sore, smelly skin. Add the same note for the tail area and any skin folds on the body, and ask the sitter to mention redness, odour, or scratching rather than applying anything new. Include the brush you use for the short coat during its heavier shedding spells, plus paw wipes for after walks. Pack bedding that is washable and a familiar blanket, accepting that a Bulldog will shed and drool on both. If the vet has already given you a skin or ear routine for this dog, pack those items labelled with your normal steps, and note what a good skin day looks like so the sitter can judge changes fairly.
Rest, snoring, and the paperwork pocket
Pack whatever makes the Bulldog's sleeping setup familiar, because this breed's rest is deep, noisy, and important, and a dog who cannot settle will pace and pant. Add a favourite sturdy chew for quiet time and a note that stairs and jumping into cars should be limited or helped, to spare joints carrying a heavy frame. In the paperwork pocket, place vet and emergency clinic numbers, your own contact, and a backup person, plus a short health summary covering breathing at rest, any known skin or eye issues, and what normal snoring sounds like for this particular dog. Ask for a prompt vet call if breathing sounds strained at rest, the dog cannot settle, gums look pale or blue-tinged, or eating stops entirely. Checking the finished bag against KinsLe's Care Pass lets the sitter confirm the harness, fold kit, and cooling mat are all present before the Bulldog waddles in.