Many of our games were played in wide-open spaces, such as schoolyards or empty fields. These areas allowed us to run off excess energy, involve many children, and not have to use any tools or toys. This is one of those games that need as many kids as is possible but not too many as to overwhelm the space.

I grew in a suburb and there was a large piece of land in front of our house that was maintained like a park, but it was just mown grass. It made for great space for games like this. The neighbourhood children would gather and choose who would be “it” or the bulldogs.

There would be one or two people – or more - (the bulldogs) who stood in the middle of the field with the rest of the players gathered on one side of the field or playground. Their goal was to get to the other side of the space without being tagged by a bulldog. If you were caught, you added to the bulldog pack, making it harder for the others to get across the next time around. The last person untouched was the winner.

There was some controversy over the game in schools – some people thought the game was too violent, but the freedom of trying to run across untouched and the fun behind the game is one of my memories – even if I was often one of the first ones caught!