Honey Bunny

Bunny is one of three new fosters in the wide open state of Arizona. She was surrendered when her family found a new place to live that would allow them only one dog. Knowing their elderly dog would be very hard to place, they surrendered young Bunny to us. We haven't known her long, but we've discovered that this girl will be an easy placement. She loves everyone, has no temperament issues with other dogs, is healthy, newly spayed (as of yesterday) and will be an ornament to any home fortunate enough to be selected to provide for her every need, whim and fancy.
These photos were taken last weekend at a dog event. Bunny, newbie or not, skippered the team of French bulldogs sent to provide Frenchie kisses and to be ambassadors to the public. She made many friends, and we are expecting that a number of the folks she met at the event will be submitting applications.
She's a heartbreaker, young Bunny is, with a face that will launch 1,000 apps. If you'd like to sponsor this sunny young thing, you can find her story here.
Ah, youth!
The Frog Princess

Denali

Christmas 2006: A shelter worker arrived early one morning in late December to find a dog crate on the doorstep. Taped to the top was a note saying, "Snickers. 11 year old spayed female." She opened the crate and found a little pearl! A glowing, charming gem, though a little confused, and due to her age, unlikely to be adopted. So our shelter worker took her home, and assessed her condition and training. She's a housebroken, lively, youthful lady of a certain age. Her foster mom decided to change her name. We are delighted to have been entrusted with the placement of Denali.

Here are the first comments on Denali's first few days in foster care. Since receiving this email, we've learned that she's relaxed a little bit and seems to be more at ease with her foster siblings. Here's the original report:


"Just thought I'd give the first Denali update, now that we're getting to know her a bit more.

...this girl is great! We learned that she *hates* the vacuum - not only does she charge the vacuum itself, but also everything else in close proximity. She turns into a furry bowling ball, head down and Charge! Cracks me up, but obviously we'll work on that with her. She's been great so far with Lucy and Stanley the cat too. She *loves* her beds(and by bed, I mean any piece of fabric on the floor...) and will protect at once if anyone so much as thinks they might one day want to walk near one of them. But by "protect" I mean turning into the bowling ball and charging the intruder. No growling, nipping, anything like that. Luckily Lucy prefers the couch and human bed to dog beds (or mats or area rugs) so it's not a big deal (Denali prefers her beds, I think because she can't get off the couch or bed by herself - makes her nervous) . But we'll also be working on her "sharing" while she's here.
And since this girl's got the appetite of a gorilla, I'm sure the training will go well! She'll do anything if she thinks there's food involved.

She's also housetrained - she had an accident the first day, but it was when I was putting my shoes on to take her out. I even teach people "if you think about taking the dog out, take them out immediately - don't wait!" Would be nice if I could listen to my own advice...

She's incredibly sweet with people and has very nicely greeted every vistor we've had (which has been a lot - our contractor decided today was a great day to install our new picture window, but didn't tell us - surprise!). She's sparing with her kisses, and isn't much of a cuddler, but she will run over to you and turn around so you can easily pet her back - she loved being combed on her back! So all in all this is one great girl - I can't believe someone would give her up!"

We can't believe it, either, but who knows what personal tragedy or sad circumstance would force a loving owner to bundle her beloved frog-baby into a crate and set her on the doorstep of a shelter in winter's cruel cold and wind. She's our own dear Grandma Moses, cast adrift on the river of life in a sort of basket and fetched up on a shore of bulldogs instead of bullrushes. We feel that it's only a matter of time before this old girl arrives in her own promised land of gravy and biscuits.

Out of kindness and consideration for our readers, we will draw a veil over this painfully extended and far-fetched metaphor and close, remaining, as ever,

The Frog Princess

Lillie's Check Up

Many of our supporters have been following Lillie's story since last summer, when she came to us in active labor. Since then, her puppies, the adorable Frenchadors, have been placed with loving families, Lillie has undergone two separate ear surgeries to try to repair and heal the damage done by neglect in her first home and has been treated for allergies that seem to shift with the changing seasons. We got this update on Lillie's condition from her foster mom recently, and we thought Lillie's supporters would like to know how she is doing.

"Lillie had her check up last night. Her ears (after both underwent complete ablation surgeries) are doing great. Her allergies, not so great. She has an entirely new contact allergy, which has caused an infection on her tummy. She received a mild steroidal injection and has experienced immediate relief. She is also on antibiotics for the infection. She is also under strict instruction not to run around with a toy in her mouth while dragging her tummy on the ground, although we find this to be quite entertaining. After Dr. Dalo checked one ear, Murpheee raan over and licked it. After Dr. Dalo checked the other ear, Murpheee licked that one too. Then, while Dr. Dalo was examining her tummy, Murpheee licked her tummy. Lillie weighed in at 30.3 #. We have specific instruction that she is currently at the ideal weight for her frame. No more, Lillie. Lillie does NOT agree."

Lillie is on our available page at last. If you are among the admiring throngs Lillie has accrued and if you are interested in adopting her, read the long and detailed bio her foster mom has provided and see if you think you and your family would be a good match for Lillie.

We are looking forward to the day when Lillie is home forever, at last.
The Frog Princess

Hardly Mere

"Man's best friend is also a woman's. A strong woman can accomplish anything with a loyal dog at her side. Men may come and go, but dogs walk (and sniff) on forever. Like men, dogs think with their noses. Unlike men, dogs are fiercely loyal. I could tell you the story of my life through the dogs I have loved. I could tell you the story of the losses in my life through their deaths. Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love and loyalty. They depart to teach us about loss. We try to replace them but never quite succeed. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big. Did I say merely? What dogs teach us is hardly mere."

-Erica Jong

Clara Belle

No, of course she's no relation to the character on the old Howdy Doody
show. She's a gorgeous brindle-pied Frenchie girl who has serious itchies from serious allergies. She's one of our available girls and if you'd like to know more about her, check out her bio on our website. Here's a photo of one of her poor feet, so you can see how relentless licking and chewing, one of the symptoms an allergic dog may throw, makes a foot red/orange and can even cause sores and swelling of the feet. Clara Belle is seeing a dermatologist while she is in foster care. We are hoping we'll be able to do something for this poor girl.

One of our volunteers had a chance to meet Clara Belle recently. This was her impression:



"She's such a cutie patootie! Her face is the color of rich chocolate and she's just absolutely edible. She was spayed a week ago so I'm sure all this change is probably making her a bit defensive but let me tell you, she's got that female frenchie
attitude."

We are not entirely sure we know to what attitude this volunteer is referring. Perhaps she is simply not accustomed to sharing the room with a Being In Total Control of Herself. Her foster mom said Miss Clara Belle is very smart. Maybe a little too smart. Seems she knows how to get out of her crate at night. She picks the lock, easily flies over the babygate, speeds down the hall, shoulders the bedroom door open and soars up and over the snoozing kitties and into her foster mom's arms. Is she sleeping in the bed at night? What do you think?

Listen! A lady must have her little comforts. If a little lock-picking is involved, well, so be it! proclaims
The Frog Princess

Vinnie

Vinnie, like the redoubtable Hank before him in Lexington, was found playing chicken with the traffic in the streets of Memphis with nary a tag nor a collar nor even a little stick with a bandana pouch tied to it to call his own. He's been neutered, he's wonderful with older kids, though a bit rambunctious for the wee tots, and he is looking for a home where he can be the headliner. No sidekicks, no auxiliary dogs, just Vinnie.

"One boy
One special boy
One boy to go with
And talk with
And walk with
One boy
That's the way it should be"

Now where did that come from? Hmm. Memphis. Elvis. Musical satire on the cult of Elvis. Dog who wants to be an only. "One Boy." See? The Frog Princess's mental workings are easy to follow, once you know how. Yes, some reigning monarchs prefer to present themselves like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as a sort of political turducken. Not the Frog Princess. There's nothing in our mind that is hidden from our dear subjects. Very little in our mind at all, to be perfectly frank.


What were we speaking of? Oh! Vinnie! Adorable young dog, isn't he? Yes, indeed.

Vinnie's up on our available page. He's looking for a home and a family. Check out his bio and see if you and he might have a future together.

Turducken, turducken, turducken. Hmm. What's for dinner? wonders
The Frog Princess

Smeagol Celebrates

Yes, it has been far too long since we shared a Smeagol photo with our readers. We know how you look forward to seeing our old man, and we apologize for being remiss. Here is our darling Smeagol, sporting a set of deelybobs for New Year's Eve. What this poor beast endures is simply shocking. We are outraged on his behalf.

Hee! snorts

The Frog Princess

Phoebe

Phoebe has an interesting story, if only she could tell it. Even the part we know from her surrendering family is quite intriguing.


Once upon a time, a little deaf Frenchie was born somewhere in Europe. She was microchipped with a chip of German manufacture, but US chip readers and European chip readers are experiencing a technological cold war and do not communicate with each other. Silly chip makers.

At some point, our little Phoebe made the long journey from Europe to Wisconsin, USA. Some time following her arrival here, Phoebe got loose or was stolen and dumped or was abandoned or fled without a penny in her pocket, but she somehow found herself in deadly peril: she was discovered walking around without a coat or covering in one of the most frigid, least forgiving zones of the nation in dead of winter. It's a near miracle that Phoebe was found by animal control and brought in to the local shelter before becoming a little Frogsicle.

Recognizing an adorable and needy creature when she saw one, a shelter worker adopted Phoebe and took her home. During the few weeks Phoebe was in this family's care, it was discovered that she was deaf, had dreadful allergies, awful diarrhea and had strangely motheaten-looking skin on her back. We got pages of veterinary notes just from the few weeks she was in the shelter and her new home. Alas! Phoebe was not the only soul suffering from cruel allergies: the family's dad was dreadfully allergic to Phoebe, and his sneezing, teary, swollen and itchy state dictated that Phoebe find another place to live. Tearfully and sadly, the family surrendered Phoebe to us for rehoming.

At this point, dear Phoebe is being treated for mange, Giardia, and for yeasty ears. She is on a special diet to try to help us clear up her diarrhea and to get a start
on identifying her allergies. We'll also test her thyroid at the University of Michigan, and we'll be putting her on a high calorie diet with supplements to put some weight back on. At seventeen pounds, she's about 3 pounds underweight for her size.

At the moment, young Phoebe is having a high time in her foster digs. Her mom says the redness on her back and the scabs are disappearing, she likes to sleep in the people bed at night, and she really appreciates the nightlights her mom has installed so a little deaf Froggie can see what people are hearing.


Her foster mom says that in terms of temperament, Phoebe is a complete lovebug, and is getting along well with the other critters at her foster home. Phoebe, says her foster mom, is going to make a lucky family a wonderful companion. If you are interested in Phoebe, check out this Deaf Dogs Website.

Someday we hope Phoebe will sit down and tell her secrets to
The Frog Princess

Lola in the Black Hills

Lola is an FBRN grad who enjoys RV'ing with her family all across the country. Here she is in South Dakota's Black Hills last summer.

Lots of Frenchies are great travelers and they enjoy the chance to see the world and meet the friendly people who share their planet. If you ever see a grinning little red-haired girl Frenchie with her nose against the window of her RV, be sure to give her a honk and a wave!
And don't forget to wave at the driver, who so thoughtfully ornaments the highway with a lovely gift of canine pulchritude.

Frenchie people are generous that way, approves
The Frog Princess

Warts and All--We Love Jacques!

The magnificent and mischievous Jacques has made such strides in his behavior that his foster mom has decided he's ready for a home of his own. Following training classes and strict and consistent at-home follow-up, Jacques has gotten it into his thick, round noggin that he can relax and have fun with his dumptruck and his foster sister. The world will take care of itself without his supervision, direction and control. We can only imagine what a relief it must be for Jacques to let go of all the stress of running everything all the time.

We got this note from Jacques' foster mom this week:

"Jacques has made a lot of progress and will be going up on the available page this week.

His two aggressive episodes to people in foster homes have both been toward men. In case Jacques really has an issue with men, my husband has been working every evening with him with positive reward training.
Jacques now is so excited when Mark gets home; he runs to him and sits for pets and is very happy to spend time with him. He's even begun relaxing under Mark's chair occasionally when we hang out in the evening instead of always being by me.

His leash and dog aggression are subsiding although his new owners will always need to stay on top of his tendency toward that. He plays well with my Frenchie but does not like my mixed breed (however he has learned to peacefully coexist with her).

Tonight I removed the sutures from his punch biopsy on his forehead. This is something I would have only done with two people when he first came to our home; tonight I didn't even think twice about doing it myself. He lay down on his side, and did not even protest or flinch as the stitches came out. The biopsy showed the red wartlike bumps on his forehead to be benign cutaneous hamartomas. They are of cosmetic significance only and are not predicted to spread or grow in size. We don't even notice the bumps anymore; all we see is a handsome loving boy."

And we will expect no less from his forever home. He is going to make someone a very wonderful, handsome, loving and incredibly intelligent life companion. Yay for Jacques! Look for him on the Available Page after this week's update!

Ahhh. A dog and his dumptruck. It's a beautiful thing.

The Frog Princess

Renault and Onjolie Warm Up

Our favorite couple has some news to share on St. Valentine's Day. They have found a new home and will soon be moving from the wintry weather of Vermont to merely nippy New Jersey. Here's a note from Renault and Onjolie's foster mom.

"Renault is the brindle, Onjolie is reverse brindle....They love to be by the woodstove as you can see. Onjolie is hard to photograph - she moves alot and puts her ears back - I tried to get her picture with her pretty ears up. They both thrive on affection, full face kisses and bum scratches!"

Ah, there's nothing like the tupor induced by 2 feet of snow outside and a warm woodstove inside! These froggy friends will be enjoying a little more time in their foster home, as we hear there is a winter storm currently rendering roads impassable, but we hope that their new family provides them with an equivalent source of comfy warmth and similar opportunities to stretch themselves into improbable shapes while water for tea seethes in a kettle somewhere, softly humidifying the air.



Tea? Yes, please! accepts
The Frog Princess

PS If you've forgotten to remember your own Valentine today, it's not too late to send an FBRN card. Our fosters get the moola, and you get the kisses! Not a bad exchange.

Babycakes Has a Toy Drive

Dame Babycakes, a perennial favorite FBRN Outpost grad, has collected a whole bunch of toys for needy Frenchie fosters! She's awash in them, she's stupefied by the Excess of toys, she's tempted to taste test and squeak-squeak each one before she lets them go.

But she will limit herself to quality testing just the nylabones. That's what we nobles do, you know. Deny ourselves in favor of the little Froggies in our demesne and under our purview.

Noblesse oblige, nods
The Frog Princess

Evie-Ivy-Over!

Evie is a sweetie girl who was named for the boxer Evander Holyfield. Why?
On account of her mamma nibbled on her ear when she was just a wee pup! That's how her ear came to be a little tipped over.




Evie has moved to a new foster home on the way other side of Florida. She's learning to get along with a whole pack of Frogs, and so far has comported herself like a little lady. She has been tagging along with her Frenchie foster brothers. She really likes to sit back and observe their games of tug. We don't think it will be too long before she feels ready to participate.





Turns out Miss Evie is a daddy's girl. So far in her new digs, her number one favorite thing to do is snuggle up next to her foster dad and nap. Napping with a Frenchie is medically beneficial, we hear. Frenchie-assisted napping is a surefire way to lower blood pressure and increase serotonin production. Evie looks skeptical, but I do believe it is true!


This pretty girl is being re-educated in order to make her less aggressive with other dogs, and she seems to be improving in that area. We will keep folks posted on her progress as we get news of it. According to her foster mom and her surrendering family, Evie has always been great with people, and is a classic lapfrog in temperament. Keep a good thought that Evie can learn to get along with others. Life is much easier when one doesn't regard one's fellows as enemies to be pummeled and punished, declares

The Frog Princess

Sadie's Spleen's Nowhere to Be Seen!

Here's a perfectly ridiculous face for you to look upon and enjoy.For several days last week and this week, we didn't know if this face was going to be around much longer. Sadie scared us witless last week when her foster mom had to zippy her over to the vet and she underwent emergency surgery. Her spleen was enormously enlarged and there was a horrible growth on it. You know how some people like to say, "And they opened her up and found a tumor the size of a baseball!" with that disgusting mix of revulsion, awe and relish? Well, they opened her up and found a tumor the size of a soccer ball,lord's sake, and the spleen was actually split in two pieces! Ew!

The doctor removed the hideous mass and the mess of spleen and sent a bit of the tissue off to be biopsied to see if the tumor was deadly or not.

We sat around twiddling our thumbs and worrying for days and days and then came this extraordinarily dense and unhelpful bit of veterinarianese, reported by Sadie's foster mom: "Dr. Scott just called and the path report came back "splenic nodular
hyperplasia....yahoooooooooo!!!! No neoplasia seen....it was a lesion that infarcted and developed into a hematoma that ruptured."

Well, we don't know a lot about the denotation of hyperplasias and neoplasias and infarcted hematomas, but we fully grasp the connotation of the term "yahoooooooo" in this context, and we made a stately and dignified little gavotte with just a hint of exuberant polka around the palace hall. And when we'd caught our breath, we drank a toast to Sadie with a champagne cocktail made with pomegranate juice and a twist of lime. It was most refreshing.

As you see, poor Sadie's tummy was slit, as James Thurber might say, from her guggle to her zatch, and then those vicious looking staples were used to zip her back up again. Her foster mom says Sadie "loves to have the area near the incision scratched and she is very noisy when it comes to wanting her belly scratched. She is a real character...just a real card. I wish I could download a video on her, she just tells you how the cow ate the cabbage! Very demanding this furr baby!"

From her beginnings with FBRN, when Sadie was so withdrawn that she could only squeak, to her current full-blown Divaticulation, we have enjoyed watching Sadie step out toward a happy future and a wonderful home. She's recuperating from her surgery, but you can put in an application to adopt this funny girl if you like. And you can contribute to the costs of her operation here. In an anxious week of worry and grief, Sadie's good news has cheered us all. We hope you will celebrate in your own way with
The Frog Princess

Napoleon's Dynamite!

You are simply not going to believe how adorable this little man is. His name is Napoleon, and he is every inch a little Emperor. Here are two reports from his foster mom, detailing Napoleon's health and personality and his life in his foster home.

Napoleon's First Day in His New Foster Home
He had his check up today with Dr. Lillie(who was fabulous!) and he was quite a hit at the office. He was checked for heartworm(which was negative) and given a general exam. Dr. Lillie thinks he is in good shape, but could gain an extra pound or two. I must say he is a bit skinny, especially compared to my big boy Louis(31lbs). The only issue I am going to watch out for is potential allergies. As I mentioned before, his previous owner thought he might be allergic to grass, and he is quite pink on his belly and feet.
Dr. Lillie didn't think it was anything to be too concerned about now, and since we've finally got some snow here, I will see if it clears up a bit. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it at this point either, but if he starts excessively licking his feet or hind legs, I'll bring him in again.

He has been settling in here nicely, although I think my dogs may sleep for a month after he goes to his forever home! :) I took him for his first walk yesterday and he was just perfect! With his high energy level, I was expecting it to be quite the walk, but the minute we stepped outside away from my dogs, he heeled right at my left side and was a perfect gentleman the entire walk! I was so thrilled! He also spent the day with me today going to the vet and running errands, and he is much more mellow on his own; he was such a good sport. It was nice to get him away from all the action at my house and see how he would do on his own.

He is also completely housebroken, and we have not even had one accident so far! He's such a good boy and everyone we have run into just thinks he is the cutest thing ever! He has officially become my little "shadow" and follows me wherever I go.


A Few Days Later
Napoleon is still doing just great! Of course, there has been no sign of him slowing down, and is in constant movement! I think he is just so incrediby excited to be with other dogs, he can hardly contain himself!

As I mentioned before, he does incredibly well on his own, away from my other "kids" and is quite a nice calm boy. I took him over to a friend's house the other day to see how he would do with her female Rhodesian Ridgeback who is incredibly friendly. Although Napoleon was outweighed by about 60lbs, he still managed to chase her all around the house and pin her under a table. Needless to say, the visit didn't last too long. We have also encountered dogs on our daily walks(he definitely needs walks in his forever home!) and he gets very excited.
Just by watching him over the last week, I think he would do best as an only dog. Female dogs seem to drive him into a frenzy; my husband and I were laughing the other night thinking he sort of reminds us of a lanky teenage boy!

He loves having the backyard to play in, and I think this should also definitely be a requirement for his future home. He does need a tall fence though, as his previous owners warned us he has been known to jump fences. We currently have a tall privacy fence, so he has been just fine.

He loves his toys, and especially loves to play fetch. I could throw the toy a million times and he would never get tired! :) So, his new home should be prepared for daily walks and play times to try and get out some of that energy.
On a final note, since we have had a pretty good blanket of snow lately, the pinkness on his belly and feet has really subsided. So, it is looking like he may be allergic to grass, as his previous owners suspected. I keep watching it, but I was pleased to see the redness subside this week.
That's all I have to report on Napoleon(or Poli as we call him) for now!"

Roly Poli! First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen! Or very nearly so. We do expect that before long, a line of sycophants and courtiers will be attending to his every whim and yet-unspoken wish. And so it should be, for one as noble and appealing as this young dog. When one has the power to enrapture and beguile, why not employ it? It's a philosophy long-ago adopted by your own
Frog Princess

Lucy Lou's True Colors

Lucy Lou, our own unsinkable girl, went to the Houston Frenchie-meetup this week. She's not built for comfort, people. This girl is built for speed!

Here she is in her Apollo Ono number, with her little booties taped on to protect her feet. We know that there is a home for Lucy Lou somewhere in this world. She wears a diaper indoors, but she has very regular habits, and her foster mom says it is very little trouble to tend to her needs.

Lucy is a beautiful, people-oriented, life-loving girl who deserves a family who'll care for her and give her a forever home. If you think you and your family can give Lucy the love and commitment she deserves, please apply for her. It's past time for her to know the security and warmth of living with her own dedicated people.

Lucy Lou's foster mom is a talented collage and photo designer. You can see her work in a collage she did for Lucy Lou on youtube here.

We wish you well, young Lucy Lou! We know a number of able-bodied Frenchies who'd like to race around the park with your esprit de joie! Sadly, we ourselves must acknowledge that our tummy is too round and our aged muscles too accustomed to a habit of snoozing before the fire to keep up for very long. But it gives us pleasure to see the young Frenchies enjoying their vitality. Lucy Lou is too busy drinking up her life to worry about tomorrow.

We aren't worried, either. We know your home is waiting for you somewhere, Lucy Lou,
staunchly maintains
The Frog Princess

Sad News for FBRN

This note was posted tonight to inform our volunteers that one of our fosters has passed away.

"Being in Rescue can be a very rewarding experience. When you've done a transport or when you've fostered a dog, nursed him back to health and then find a wonderful forever home, you get a warm, wonderful feeling that you've done one little thing that matters in this world. And you smile.

Sometimes being a Rescuer is hard. Very hard. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it just doesn't work, and you feel empty and hollow inside. And you cry. And it stinks. Really stinks. This is one of those times.

It is with a very heavy heart that I write to you tonight that the Board of Directors had no choice but to help our Dodger cross the Rainbow Bridge this evening.

Little Dodger was nine years old. He had advanced Heartworm, an enlarged heart, lungs filled with liquid, one sinus completely blocked and the other filled with green mucous. He had been on antibiotics for weeks with no relief. He was bent over with pain and could hardly breathe. His foster mom was kind enough to take him to a specialist for us and the doctor's evaluation was that Dodger would not be able to make it through surgery, even if we were to choose to subject him to that.

It was obvious to us that Dodger's present quality of life was not what we would want for any dog, and he had really no chance of any recovery. This decision was made with much discussion, anguish and was not made lightly, but in the end it once again (as it always should) came down to, 'what's the best for this dog?'....

Go in peace dear little Dodger. You can run and play and breathe now and you have lots of beloved little friends to play with. We will never forget you."

Wishing Dodger an eternity of deep and easy breaths, of joyous, scrabbling races on soft and fragrant grass, and the comfort of warm and dreamless rest in the company of friends.

The Frog Princess

Carlin Comes Home

We received this note from Carlin's foster family last week, and we wanted to share it with you.

"Yesterday was a day that will be remembered in our hearts for a long time to come. Not only was it absolutely beautiful weather wise, but it was the day we had to say goodbye to our wonderful foster baby Carlin. Carlin came to us early August of last year with a host of medical issues and some behavioral issues as well. With months of love, medication, love, training, love, good food and love, he recovered from his medical issues and became a very well behaved little man.


The task of finding him a home to call his own was very difficult for us. We had come to believe that Carlin had been a part of our family from day one and it didn’t dawn on us that he was just here to get better. After reviewing applications and speaking with selected prospects we narrowed it down to one person, Amanda. We were very worried because she lived so far from us and that if for some reason things did not work out, Carlin would have to make the long journey back.

All day we waited to hear from Amanda as she and her boyfriend and frenchie boy made their way to my home. Keeping Ryan at peace with letting Carlin go was no small task.
He loves Carlin (as he loves all dogs) and did not want him to go as much as I didn’t. I had to keep reminding him that this is what we do as foster parents and we have to be strong for Carlin.

When Amanda arrived, she handed Hutch off and took Carlin from my arms to give him a big hug and kiss. Carlin gave her kisses back and they had no problems with bonding. Carlin did well with Hutch [his new brother], and Amanda was very aware of the fact that they will need to get to know each other. Hutch got to meet Pogo and Dutch [resident Frenchies] and they played and played and played. Carlin did his usual, "I’m going to just watch you for a while" and jump in when he thought no one was looking. He loves to play, but can be very wary of new dogs. I think he did great and so did his mom.



Ryan was having a hard time dealing with Carlin leaving, so he stayed in his room most of the time. Hutch went down frequently to visit with him and to make sure he was alright. After 3 hours it was time for them to make the 12 hour trek back to MS. As I finished packing Carlin’s things I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. I called Ryan up to say good bye and to give Carlin a kiss. He did, while holding back the tears (later telling me he did not want to upset Carlin) and promptly went back down to his room. As I put Carlin in the back seat of the car, kissing and telling him how much I love him the entire time, I had no choice but to be happy for him. He is going to a great home with a wonderful brother and Mom. I gave the 2 humans a hug good bye and gave Carlin one last kiss good bye and high tailed it to my front door so that he did not see me cry. Having to compose myself, I opened the door to the family room to see Ryan looking out the window crying. He really liked Amanda and Hutch, but said was going to miss Carlin very much. I told him me too and gave him a hug. Things are a little strange around the house today, but we are getting ourselves ready for the next chapter and welcome it with open arms."

Our foster families are dedicated to providing the best possible homes for the dogs they are nurturing and protecting and helping to heal. Knowing Frenchies as we do, it's no surprise that foster families lose their hearts to each of their charges. Our readers will be glad to know that this family has recently adopted two more Frenchies as permanent family members, and their home still has a welcome mat out for a needy foster, should one need a home.

Oh, have a wonderful, long and happy life, dear Carlin! We'll miss your funny eyebrow around here. But soft! what is that thrumming that we feel? A vibration, a sort of humming...we do believe we sense a unified and worldwide wish for Carlin's long and happy life swelling at this very moment, rising from every kingdom, country, corner of the globe to join and to amplify, to gather in and to magnify the sincere and heartfelt wishes of
The Frog Princess

Pippin

We had a chance to spend some time with young Pippin over the weekend, and to see first-hand her strangely split personality with newcomers. She is, indeed, a bit of an angel and a bit of a devil.
With her foster mom, she is gentle, loving, sweet and every bit an angel. She approaches visitors in much the same way, until something inside her funny old brain goes *ping* and then she begins barking and lunging and biting at visitors' shoes.

We don't know what is wrong with Pippin, but she is undergoing tests to make sure her thyroid levels are where they should be, and there are no other obvious explanations of her odd behavior. We've also made an appointment to take Pippin to a veterinary behaviorist, a board certified vet with a specialty in behavior. We are hoping and hoping that between the tests for an organic cause and the behavioral specialist, this sweet little Pippin will have a chance to live an ordinary dog's life.

Asking that you keep a good thought for Pippin,
The Frog Princess

Roger Dodger You Old Codger!

An FBRN volunteer swooped into a Louisiana shelter and scooped Dodger out from under the needle's arc recently.
His owner had surrendered him, and, as is the custom at that shelter, that meant he was to be euthanized that very day. Coincidentally, a neophyte volunteer had left her name in case any Frenchies were ever surrendered, and when the compassionate shelter worker called, our volunteer called a substitute for work, hopped in the car, snatched up young Dodger from the shelter and got him in to see the vet and was back at work again inside of two hours! Can our volunteers get things done? Mmmm....Yah!
Today, Dodger's foster mom drove him from beautiful Louisiane to Houston, TX, where Dodger will be getting to know a specialist. Dodger's breathing is very bad, and it takes so much energy to move the air in and out that he's quite thin. He's got skin problems, too, possibly mange, and we want to know from our specialist what issues we should tackle first. Here's a note from his new foster mom, describing Dodger's condition and accompanied by these photos.

Dodger's foster mom "brought him to me today because he has an appointment at the Specialist tomorrow afternoon. I took some pictures and gave him a bath. We will see what Doc says. He is in pretty rough shape, he clearly looks as if he lived in a kennel or something very small as his feet are elf like :( He sounds as if he is drowning he can hardly breathe. He hunches over and is oh so tiny. He is in the race with Pixie on size. I am attaching pics and will let everyone know what I find out tomorrow. I will get some better photos as time goes by, but I do not want to make him any more nervous than he already is."
If you'd like to, you can sponsor Dodger's treatments or even send the old boy a St. Valentine's day card!
This pitiful fellow could really use some love. The old ones really wring the heart of
The Frog Princess

Reba Gets Great News!

Here's Reba. She spent a couple of weeks up on the website's front page as our neediest Frenchie.
Thanks to our donors' generous gifts, we got her in to see a specialist at the University of MN vet school. She had some tests, including an MRI and a myelogram of her spinal fluid.
Here's the note her foster mom sent following Reba's series of tests. We are so excited and happy to hear this news. We know you will be, too!


"Presently, the best theory for why Reba has such limited use of her legs is that she has meningitis probably caused by a protozoan (Toxoplasma gondii). She is taking clindamyacin, a broad spectrum antibiotic that is also used for protozoal infections and we are waiting on lab results to see if she indeed has antibodies to Toxoplasma in her CFS. They also tested her for antibodies to a couple other pathogens known to cause meningitis in dogs.

Reba seems to be improving on the clindamycin. She is much more alert and engaging than she was last week. She is standing more (to eat and drink) and regularly shakes her head and scratches her ears like a normal dog. Her movement is still ungainly but her speed has improved dramatically.

Today she did a 360 (and landed on her feet) racing to meet me at the door. When she first arrived almost 4 weeks ago she was very stiff and could only lay in one position on her left side. Holding her was like holding a frozen dog. Now I can hold her like a baby (facing forward) on my lap. She relaxes completely and lets me rub her tummy (and hums). She takes the clindamycin for another week and then we'll see about physical theraphy. Her muscles, especially in her shoulders are all screwed up from being in this condition since July. I am optimistic that she will walk in her forever home."

This is a wonderful outcome for Reba. As you can see in one of the photos, she is up and around. Her foster mom says she took 7 steps in a row just a few days after the start of antibiotics. The yoga mats are down to make it easier for Reba to walk on. Sometimes a little gap appears between the mats and Reba will stop and bark until one of the children comes and fixes her walkway! She has her foster family well trained.

One of our volunteers made the adorable jammies Reba has on. We believe that the love and warmth those jammies wrap her in will help her heal more quickly!

Our deep gratitude and appreciation to those who sent donations, prayers and good wishes to Reba.
Sincerely,
The Frog Princess