Pickle, The English Bulldog And Patty, The Mystery Mix

Liz with Patty (left) and PIckle (right).

Actor-writer-musician Liz Eldridge fell in love with a family friend's English Bulldog and became — per her words — obsessed. She and her partner Marty have had their English Bulldog, Pickle, for nearly 10 years now, since he was a puppy. They also have an eight-year-old mystery mix pup named Patty who is Pickle’s BFF.

“Our current theory is that Patty’s a Boxer/Pit Bull or Boston Terrier/Pit Bull, but the rescue called her an English Bulldog, and I thought she was Staffordshire when she was a pup, but she never ‘chunked out’ like they do,” Liz says. “Patty just captured my heart at the rescue and then was immediately fast friends with Pickle. That's a rarity because Pickle doesn't usually like other dogs.”

Liz says at the dog park, Pickle ignores other dogs to find a tall man, then makes that man play with him. One time it was Ron Perlman!

“But Pickle adored Patty from the moment they met. They're my little gruesome twosome.”

Read more about Liz and her two pups in this interview!

Dog Whisperer: Where did you first meet your pups and bring them home from?

Liz: Pickle was a gift — the best gift of my life! I met him with his brothers and sisters. He was one of the cutest things I've ever seen! I saw Patty on petfinder and then drove out to the high desert to meet her at a rescue called Paws and Hearts. She was a desert stray and we think she was used as a bait dog as a puppy before being dumped in the desert. The high desert has some of the highest rates of death for dogs in the public pounds because people dump animals out there. It's heartbreaking how common Patty's story is; but I know she's living like a queen now!

“The high desert has some of the highest rates of death for dogs in the public pounds because people dump animals out there. It’s heartbreaking how common Patty’s story is; but I know she’s living like a queen now!”

Patty and Pickle being cute as can be.

DW: What is your relationship with your pups like?

L: My life revolves around them — especially in quarantine. I wouldn't have it any other way. Most days, I wake up and feed them around 7:30 in the morning. If I'm late, Pickle wakes me up to demand his breakfast! They get fish oil and glucosamine treats because I'm one of those crunchy moms who won't let them have junk food like a jerk. Then they go back to sleep with Marty for a while and I work. They like to help me write on the couch throughout the day. They eat dinner early, around 3 pm, and then we go for our walk by the river. In the evenings I usually have a rehearsal or acting class. They've always loved music, but quarantine means they're around me acting a lot more since I'm rehearsing and auditioning over Zoom. Patty especially dislikes my acting; she freaks out that I'm really sad or upset and needs a lot of reassurance that everything is okay! I keep them in another room when I have a very emotional scene now so they don't get upset.

“My life revolves around them — especially in quarantine. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

DW: What are your pups' favorite activities?

L: These two love the beach, though neither really swims. They just LOVE splashing around in the water. When Pickle was a puppy, he fell in a pool and sank like a stone. I jumped in and got him out IMMEDIATELY but we decided we'd skip major swimming and stick to splashing. I take them on walks at the Los Angeles River almost every day for splash time. But the ocean is their true favorite. Patty also comes on runs around the neighborhood with me. Pickle can't do that, but he does enjoy a gentle stroll.

DW: What are your pups' favorite foods and snacks?

L: Pickle likes all foods and believes that all foods are meant for him. I like to give him scraps when I'm cooking. He loves greens like kale and broccoli, and fruit like blueberries. Patty is a bit more discerning, but she is also very food motivated. I get them knuckle bones from the Filipino market for a special treat.

DW: What are some fun facts about your pups?

L: Pickle was in a movie called "Improvising" when he was a puppy. He was hired to be the dog in “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” (I was playing Hippolyta) but he freaked out at dress rehearsal and got fired. Poor little guy. I was high up on a balcony when the guy playing "the man in the moon" brought Pickle out and he was just overwhelmed. No more stage time for Pickle! He's more of a cam-boy anyway. He's stubborn and troublesome and barks — but he's just the absolute sweetest when we are sad. In the mornings he's a major snuggler.

“Pickle was in a movie called “Improvising” when he was a puppy. He was hired to be the dog in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” (I was playing Hippolyta) but he freaked out at dress rehearsal and got fired. Poor little guy.”

Liz and Pickle!

Patty is the sweetest and smartest dog. She loves every person she's ever met, but she's terrified of other dogs. Something about other dogs barking can really set her off, and little yappie dogs make her crazy. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Patty is so gentle but can be a total beast. Patty's the sweetest and snuggliest and loves to give tons of kisses. But definitely do NOT mess with her!

DW: Do you have an interesting story about your pups?

L: Pickle used to bark at the neighbor kid while he played basketball. The day before Pickle's cruciate leg surgery I noticed the neighbor kid wasn't playing like he usually did. I took Pickle to surgery and was SO FREAKED out, so worried. The vet calls — he seems to have swallowed an enormous amount of plastic. A BASKETBALL. So he had to have surgery to remove the basketball, recover from that, THEN have his cruciate surgery. The ball bounced into the yard and Pickle was so mad at it that he just ate the whole thing. It cost... a lot of money. Still, Pickle 1, Basketball 0.

He's also very protective of children. When my friends bring their babies over, Pickle will guard the child. You have to convince Pickle you're cool to approach the baby. It's very sweet.

Patty also really loves little kids. She just wants to lick them endlessly; parents don't always love that. Patty was obsessed with my neighbor, Nick. She just adored him, but somehow kept escaping my house and showing up at his second story apartment next door! We couldn't figure out how she was getting out of our fenced yard until one day I hid down the block... She was CLIMBING A TREE and then just hopping over the fence! Patty accepts no barrier. We could all learn something from Patty.

“She was CLIMBING A TREE and then just hopping over the fence! Patty accepts no barrier. We could all learn something from Patty.”