Carmen Stays Warm!

The first of the Puppy Mill 6 Pack to hit the available page, Carmen has set some records for applications! In her first two weeks on the site, she generated well over 150 applications. Our review crew is matching applicants to Carmen's bio to see which would be the best match. That's a lot of work, but we don't mind. Having many applicants means we have a better chance of finding an excellent match for her.

Of course, it can be daunting to know that one's application is one of so many, but we often get lovely notes from people once the process is finished and the dog is placed, saying they are sorry their own application wasn't chosen, but they are happy that the Frenchie has found a family to love.

Here's a photo of Carmen, who once lived a life of constant stress and discomfort in abysmal conditions with hundreds of other dogs. She now wears a hand-knit sweater in colors chosen to complement her coloring and lounges on the living room furniture. Her foster mom sent this note with the photo:

"Little Miss Carmen is now on the available page and we have been told that her applications are just burning up the Internet. She seems to be quite the popular girl. The weather here has been snowy and cold for the last few days and Carmen is modeling one of her sweaters. Problem is,she loves wearing it inside but prefers not to step out into the cold , wet snow. She likes living the life of luxury...and who am I to question such a special girl?"

We would love to know what Carmen is thinking of all this. She must feel like Charlie Bucket finding the Golden Ticket every day! imagines

The Frog Princess

Wanna Save a Life?

You say you love the work FBRN does, but you haven't got the means to foster a dog yourself? You don't have time to transport or do home visits? Don't have much money to sponsor a dog?
We know time and money are hard to come by. But everyone can afford a stamp and an envelope and a piece of paper. And everyone can write a letter.

Sally Jane was taken from a puppy miller named Elvin High. He has a 2002 conviction for animal cruelty, but he was licensed to run a breeding operation by the state of Pennsylvania until last May when the license was revoked and the kennel closed. Sally Jane was one of the dogs the Humane League of Lancaster County took in.

High was convicted of several of the charges against him, but Sally Jane is now in danger of being returned to High, along with a number of other dogs.

Write the judge and ask him nicely to sentence High to the fullest extent he can. Ask him to prohibit High from owning dogs for 3 and a half years, which is the length of time the law allows. Most importantly, ask that the judge "issue forfeiture" of the dogs who were taken from High's puppy mill and are being held by the Humane League of Lancaster County.

For more information, go to Puppy Mill Awareness Day's website.

Here's the Judge's contact information:
Hon. Louis J. Farina
President Judge
Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas
50 North Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17603

Remember, please be polite and calm in your letter. We have heard that politicians are particularly persuaded by hand-written notes, because it takes more effort to write a note than write an email or make a phone call. We have heard that politicians figure if they get one handwritten letter, it should be seen as representing the views of 100 people who didn't write.

Grab a cup of coffee. Find a piece of paper and an envelope and a stamp and a pen or pencil. Siddown. Now, pick up your pen or pencil. Feel that? That's the power of 100 people surging through your veins! Pick up your pen, we say, take a sip from your coffee cup and in 100 words or so, you can do your bit to rescue a dog from a fate worse than death. Don't think you are very good with words? That's OK. Here's a sample letter.

Dear Judge Farina:

You will soon be sentencing Elvin High, a man recently convicted of 6 summary counts of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count. By now, your sentencing investigation will have revealed High's past convictions of animal cruelty, as well as the revocation of his kennel license.

Please sentence Elvin High to the fullest extent possible under Pennsylvania law. Fine him $1,000, and prohibit him from owning dogs for the next 3 and a half years. Most importantly, please issue forfeiture of the dogs taken from him and now housed by the Humane League of Lancaster County. Most of these animals have recovered their health and should not be returned to someone with multiple convictions of animal cruelty and a history of neglecting his animals.

Thank you for considering this request,
Sincerely,



See? In a little more than a 100 words, you can have the impact of 100 people! Who needs vitamins? Who needs weight training? Who needs spinach? Help yourself to some Haagen Daz and put your feet up.

Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes. We bet it doesn't even take that long.

Smeagol would want you to! shamelessly wheedles

The Frog Princess

PS When you have written your letter, swing back here and leave a comment encouraging others to do the same. Let's see if we can get 10 people to write--that would be something!

Because, That's Why

This "I Can Has Cheezeburger" moment brought to you by

The Frog Princess

The Forecast calls for FROGS!

My friends:

The weather in the land of the Frog Princess is positively torrential! We are in the midst of a veritable typhoon of frogs! Frogs are falling from the sky, they are rising up like snowdrops through the frosty earth, they are blowing like colorful leaves through our neighborhoods and fetching up in the corners of our porches. We find them snoring in our handbags, peering up out of the bottoms of our cereal bowls, struggling to pop in through the bathtub drains, and tumbling like scary walnuts out of closets. We found one waiting for us when the elevator doors opened the other day. Startled the living daylights out of the ol' FP, yes, it did!
We have owner surrenders, puppy mill survivors, abandoned dogs, found dogs, puppies, old timers, sick dogs, deaf dogs, mother and child dogs!
Allow us to introduce you to some of the 17 dogs we have acquired in the first 24 days of this month. Seventeen dogs in 24 days. That sounds like an average of about one frog every 36 hours, is that correct? We are reeling. Still, when they appear on the doorstep, who could say no?

Knock, knock! Who's there? Rosebud and Gabriel!

You've already met Gabriel. Technically he came in a little earlier than January, but we thought you'd like to know that his vomiting has abated and his blood pressure is under control now--but he's a trainwreck, and his vet bills are astronomical. Gabriel's being fostered in SoCal, and that accounts for some of the big numbers he's racked up, but he's also a whole constellation of ailments all in himself. He gained five pounds in the last month, then lost a pound. He's going to see the diagnostic specialist this week to see what on earth is going on in his tummy. Gabriel's foster mom says, "When he doesn't feel good, Murpheee goes and sits next to him butt-to-butt. Lillie and Murpheee and Rosebud and Gabriel are all working together to help each other get well and stay well. Community effort we humans could learn from."

And here is our beautiful Issy, who was surrendered because of her allergies and seizures. One of her ears was itchy and she had to go to the doctor and wear a collar, poor thing. She will be spayed in a week or two, and should be available once she has had a few more visits to the allergy doctor.

Archie was surrendered when he and a child had a disagreement about who was going to eat a morsel he felt was rightly his. He nipped. She yelped. Archie was shown the door. Here's a note from his foster mom about Archie's progress so far: "Archie has definitely come out of his shell and has found comfort within our home and neighborhood. He is a great student, learning the basics even though his attention is easily interrupted.

"He is somewhat food oriented, but not solely focused upon the treat, he loses concentration from time to time. He doesn't seem food aggressive when it comes to feeding time with humans, he has to sit and wait till the bowl is set on the floor before he gets to eat. He doesn't exhibit any aggression during those times, but I have not had my hand around his face during meal time. He is pretty good at taking treats, only when he's excited does he lunge and nip, but never hard."

The sweetly named Jelly Bean was one of a mother daughter pair whose owner had been forced by circumstance to live in a Frenchie-unfriendly home, and the dogs were suffering for it.

Jelly Bean's foster mom is thrilled to get to dress a girl Frenchie in girly colors!

Jelly Bean came to us in pretty good physical shape apart from her emaciation. She has a few circular marks that looked like burns or bb wounds, but the vet said they weren't likely to have been caused by that kind of deliberate abuse. She's living in a big city now and having fun going to work everyday! Here's what her mom says about JB: "She seems to be settling in nicely. She follows me from room to room and responds to anything I ask her. She loves people, loves the city.
She looks up at every stranger on street as if to be asking for attention. She has beautiful Frenchie eyes. She is not as high energy as my boy but she seems to really like him and plays well with him.
She has growled and snapped at him a few times, but it doesn't seem to be very aggressive. I think she is just unsocialized." We are hoping that time with her foster brother and other critters will fix her crankypants attitude with fellow canines.

See his poor worn-out paws? Herman's tired of walking those salty roads!

Herman was found starving and in danger of freezing to death on the streets. The shelter folks in the Jamestown, NY, shelter were very helpful and gracious in placing Herman with us so he can put some meat back on and find a fabulous Frenchie home. Every person who has encountered this boy has lost his heart. Herman is The Compleat Lovebug.

In contrast, meet Nigel, a young hooligan of 10 months who got a little too big for his precious wee britches and started challenging the other dogs in his home at mealtime. When he challenged his mamma, she regretfully decided he needed an attitude adjustment. We are seeing that he gets one!

This is Nigel way back in his salad days last May!

We know that dogs can start out in foster care presenting one personality, and then as time goes on they can exhibit more of the behaviors that got them surrendered. Here's an update from his foster mom:
"I have only had Nigel two weeks, but so far so good. He is very, very curious, playful and affectionate. He hasn't shown any food aggression but has shown some "jealous" behavior. He plays rough, but so do my two, so the three of them are very a happy. He has challenged each of my dogs once. My male Frenchie is very docile and just went submissive when Nigel snapped over a toy, however my big girl fought back when Nigel went after her over who got to get water first.

"Nigel was corrected after each instance and went very submissive to us and afterwards to my Newfie. He and the dogs SEEM to have their pack established now, but that is not to say we aren't watching him very carefully to see how his behavior changes as he gets more and more settled."

That face. We know he'd get away with murder at the FP's castle. Mm mmm.

And this is the supremely adorable 5 month old Chicklet. Because she wasn't housebroken, she had to live in the unheated shed. In winter. She's Jelly Bean's daughter. We are so glad their owner did the right thing and found us. Chicklet is busily gaining weight and emerging from the shell she had developed. On her trip to a foster home on the Underdog Railroad, she and Jelly Bean spent a few hours with one of our volunteers who described their interactions with her good-natured dog, Tex: "As far as their personalities go--not a day in their past has altered how sweet and loving these two are! Chicklet is a bit timid when you go to play with her, but its funny because she initiates play with you. It's almost like she wants to play so bad, but then thinks that maybe it wasn't such a good idea!
I took a few pictures of them playing with Tex too. Jellybean really took to him and they played almost non-stop. It was just too cute too, when both girls would try to gang up on Tex at once.
"Both dogs are extremely submissive and during play were completely comfortable with being on their backs and surrendering themselves to both my mom and me, and Tex. Both handled the bath well, but Jellybean wasn't as fond of it as Chicklet. Jellybean tried getting out the whole time, and after we had Chicklet out, she kept trying to get back in."
That's right! Chicklet wanted to be cleaner than clean after all that time in the shed! We think she liked the bubbles.

This is only a handful of the dogs in our care, and more are being delivered into our grateful, ready arms every day. With the exceptions of Gabriel and Herman, not one of the dogs in this post has a sponsor. If any of them strikes a chord in you or touches your heart, please take a moment to visit their foster page and click on the photo to send a PayPal donation. We'll post again soon about some of the other dogs we are catching in our butterfrog nets as they fly by.

Oops! there goes another one, cries
The Frog Princess

FBRN in the News!

A newspaper in Ohio recently printed a story about Lucien (now Tucker) and his adoption.

A follow up story appeared the next week. Thanks to Steve Plottner for the story and follow up!

We got some photos of Tucker's first days in his new home. Wanna see?

This is Tucker with Meika, his new sister and an FBRN grad herself. And that's his mom with them.





Even though Seattle in December is far less chilly than life on the Great Lakes of Ohio, coats are still required for winter day trips to the water! Here we see three Frenchie gadabouts in their groovy getups for nippy weather: Meika, M'ack and Tucker.





Here's the big secret of Seattle that Seattlites don't want folks to know: It does not rain all winter long.
Some days are gorgeous and sunny and are just perfect for enjoying a stroll along the Sound and partaking of a lovely picnic with a jug of wine, a loaf of bread and frogs.





And when the walk is over and the post-prandial nappage is the order of the hour, what better, more comfortable way to dream away an afternoon than in the company of a warm-blooded pal on a people-scented pillow?







Of course, no holiday season is complete without the ritual humiliation of the family dog. And how can a family better impress upon an adoptee that he is home at last than to commemorate his arrival with a photo of him in a silly hat? Tucker, it seems to us, is subtly conveying through the baring of those sharp teefs, that his patience for this foolishness may be limited.




But maybe that's just a projection of our own aversion to silly hats. That darn crown is bad enough!







Let me quickly point out to those of you who read too many murder mysteries that the following photo does not depict a scene of carnage. And for the teatotallers amongst our readers who disapprove of those who make merry over the holidays, this is not a scare 'em straight public service ad for responsible drinking, either! This is a photo of Tucker and his two-legged cousin who lie where they fell following an exhausting game of fetch, a hilarious tummy tickling, and a deeply relaxing ear rub. (No violence or alcoholic excess involved in any way. We suggest you people get your minds out of the gutter.)

Tuck's new life is shaping up quite nicely, we'd say.

All except the antlers, insists
The Frog Princess

Cora is Three!

In 2005, FBRN asked to help with 10 puppy mill survivors from the kind of operation you think of when you think puppy mill. Packed three or more into rabbit hutches with wire floors, the only relief from the cutting metal was offered by inches deep accumulations of fecal matter where the dogs stood, slept and ate. Some dogs' eyes were injured and blinded by protruding wires or from fighting, they were all emaciated; most were sick.

This is Cora on her birthday last year




Rescuers found one Frenchie, Smeagol, almost accidentally when they took a last look around the back of the property and found the 11 year-old stud dog in a filthy pen, his nails curled deep into his paw pads, sick with heartworm and malnourished.






Smeagol puts up with a lot, now that he's a real dog.









The case is still dragging through the courts, as the man who was convicted of the charges against him continues to draw out the appeals process. The NC10 are, meanwhile, in foster-to-adopt homes living as adopted dogs by families who know they may yet lose their Frenchies, should the puppy miller prevail. We think that's courage: to take and love and give your home to a dog who may be returned to a life of suffering and neglect.

Here is Cora's third birthday portrait



Cora is celebrating her third birthday, though we don't know what her true birthday is. She's the most emotionally and mentally disturbed of the NC10. She won't allow anyone to touch her with two hands, for fear they will pick her up. It's almost as if she is a half-domesticated animal. She gets along well with the dogs in her home, and she has come a long way toward trusting her family, but she will probably always be a little "off."

Here's a note from her mom about what life with Cora is like:

"Cora is still in her own little world, but she is safe here with us and she knows that. Although at 3 a.m. today I was giving her a goodnight "pat" and noticed a scrape on her inner rear leg so I decided that she needed ointment on it . . . bear in mind that Cora HATES to be picked up . . . so I held her collar so she couldn't bolt on me and picked her up and off we went into the kitchen in search of the ointment . . . here come the rest of the dogs all wanting to know what is going on . . . Cora is doing her best impression of a greased pig the whole time, trying to get away from me . . . and I am digging for the ointment that I just *know* is on the shelf . . . and Curran is now dancing up my legs to see what Cora is getting that he isn't . . . and Cora is "swimming" in my arms . . . I am sure that if my neighbors could have seen me they'd have had me committed for sure!! I had ointment everywhere, it was on me, my pjs, my robe, the table, the chair, my glasses, my hair and then I finally managed to get some on her boo-boo!!!

"When I put her down, you'd have thought I had just freed her from a sure death--so all the dogs had to run around like maniacs, and we all went outside in the backyard. Around 3:30 a.m. we came back in and headed off to bed!!

Just another typical evening..."

Her family loves her. Can't imagine life without her. Please join us in wishing Cora a life of continued peace and in hoping for justice for the man who caused the NC10, and all the other dogs confiscated during the raid on his property, so much suffering.

Peace and justice. Those are good things to think about on such a day as this, believes

The Frog Princess

Herc Shines Through

Hercule was discovered wandering all starved, hairless from a serious case of mange, and very sick. He was found on the side of a road in the way back prairie lands of the nation's middle West. Very likely a victim of a dumping. We suspect he has hydrocephaly, which would account for the dome-shaped head and very wide set eyes and persistently wobbling, weaving gait. When winter fell in his neighborhood, we learned that poor Herc is sensitive to cold--he feels it in his bones and joints, and it causes him real pain, poor baby.
And yet he is the happiest frog on the face of the earth! His attitude is upbeat, his energy unflagging, and his enthusiasm for his family and for playtime is unbounded. Here's the latest note from his foster mom.

"You may recall Herc was in pain and lost some ground a month or two back, but he responded well to pain meds and has been feeling better since the weather warmed up a bit.

"He's doubled his weight (20.4 from 10.3) and is now where he should be. He has hair everywhere but on his belly, the inside of his legs and the folds of his face. His equilibrium has not improved, nor do we expect it will. Herc today may be as good as Herc is going to get, but that seems to be just fine with him--he's not a whiner or complainer.

"He's reached a plateau with the demodex, but hasn't lost his boyish sense of humor and love of life. He wobbles around surveying his kingdom and pestering his subjects until they get off their pretty little butts and play with him. There are two things you seldom see him without these days ... his snug as a bug little red coat sent to him by a female friend, and girls, girls, girls! (See attached pictures.)"

Hercule's red coat and his offbeat good looks will ensure him the attention and admiration of lots of girls, and the envy of many boys!

We feel so grateful that Herc was found and brought to us. Every time we see his ridiculous face, we feel better. Our grandmother might say, "He's just a tonic!"

The Frog Princess

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown: Then and Now

When Leroy Brown came to us, he was in dreadful pain from a disc injury high on his spine in his neck. One of our volunteers drove down from Wisconsin to Missouri one sunny day in September to fetch him to a foster home with veterinary tech experience and not far from the University of Wisconsin's vet school in Madison.
Here are a series of photos of Leroy Brown from his first days with her through his recent adoption, and the text is made up of a number of his foster mom's emails to us, keeping the other volunteers up to date on his progress. His progress and surgery were made possible by your donations and by our volunteers' dedication and love.

"...I do think that he may have some slight dog aggression but I am hoping that when he feels better and with some reassurance he can get past that. When I am not able to monitor what goes on I put him in his x-pen. Tonight for instance though he laid in the kitchen with my husband and I while we ate dinner. I gated it off so that he was not bothered by the other dogs. After that he laid on the couch with me while I watched dancing with the stars and now he is with me in the computer room. He is really a sweet dog and it is neat to start noticing him recognizing me. He really wags that little tail! These are just some pictures of him in the x-pen in the living room. All of the dogs of course surround him and in the pen he shows no aggression. Which I thought was a good sign so it does n't seem to be cage aggression. I really hope that this little guy makes a full recovery and gets the chance at a life that was taken away from him his first 3 years!"

A few days later we got another note:

"I took Leroy Brown (cutest frog in the whole darn town) to work with me today and he was a perfect gentleman. We did some x rays and are waiting on some blood tests to come back. The x-rays unfortunately didn't reveal a definite problem. As I know with many cases sometimes it is hard to see a disc problem on a plain x-ray. The doctor said that not having full use of his front legs at all times is an indication that it would be in the neck. In his case, when you knuckle his feet the only one that he corrects or knows that it is being done to, is his left front. All of the others we had to correct for him. He said that his right side is worse than the left. As of right now we don't have any definite answers. The way that he is currently being treated should show some improvement throughout the weekend. We did change his steroid(anti-inflammatory) from Prednisone to Dexamethazone. He said that he has seen better results with this type of condition. If he doesn't seem to improve over the weekend then he might require seeing a neurologist and have some more extensive testing. So let's keep our fingers crossed and say a prayer for this poor sweet boy.

"On a better note he has good times too. He is eating very well for me and taking his meds orally. He thinks that Canidae canned food is pretty yummy! I also spoiled him with baby food today at work and I couldn't get it out of the jar fast enough. He is drinking water, not as much as I would expect being on steroids but he is not dehydrated. I do have to hold him up and hand feed him because it is very apparent that leaning over to eat is painful. I did sleep on the floor with him last night because he seemed much more comfortable there. We took potty breaks ever 4-5 hours and then went happily back to sleep. This morning we did move back to the bed and I was covered in dogs. He seems to get along well with others. He will let out a growl if someone invades his space or licks his face, but I think in his case he is in pain and just wants to be left alone. Amazingly, all of my dogs seem to sense that and pretty much leave him alone.

"Overall, he is wonderful and really loves to be with you at all times. Hence the carrying from room to room. I might suffer from a bad back myself when this is all over."

When Leroy's condition didn't improve as much as we hoped it would, we made an appointment to see the neurologist at the University of Wisconsin vet school.

"After some consideration it has been decided that Leroy should see a neurologist. So I am taking him to the University of Madison, Wisc. tomorrow. We have an appt. at 830am which means I will be on the road bright and early. Madison is only about an hour and fifteen minutes away from me and a rather nice drive. We will see what the doc has to say and go from there. I truly hope and pray that there is something that can be done to take his pain away. I can only imagine being in the amount of pain that he is and still have a zest for life, food and a good snuggle. I will give him many kisses from all of you and will keep you posted with the results of our trip. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer."

After his surgery we received this update:

"All of those thoughts and prayers must be working their magic because Leroy is doing even better today. They said that he is up and walking around which I think is pretty good considering what he has just been through. He ate like a champ this morning and they were able to take him off of one of the heavy pain meds. His muscle spasms have also subsided completely! Yeah! I am so glad to hear all of these wonderful things and of course he is winning the hearts of many at UW. I guess he has also had quite a few inquires. I knew from the moment I met Leroy that he was a fighter. The Neuro doc said that she was amazed at how sweet he was being in his extremely painful condition. Keep those prayers coming for healing of course!"

And when he returned from the University of Wisconsin, the change was remarkable!

"Well I went and picked Leroy up Sunday morning from the university and it is a night and day difference. He seemingly feels fantastic. His spasms are gone and I have a feeling that I will be having to keep him quiet. I was surprised to see that they went into the front part of his neck to do the surgery. I took some pictures that I will send with this but the best picture is of him looking up at me because he couldn't lift his head before. We will continue to take it easy but it is really cute to see his true personality coming out. He even wanted to play with a leaf today. So cute!"

Two weeks later, Leroy Brown celebrated Hallowe'en for the first time! Costumes and dress up aren't any part of the puppy mill experience, you know.


"Leroy wanted to make sure that everyone had a great Halloween! He had a lot of fun. He told me that he wanted to be something that would truly show his personality and well since dinosaurs are so big and strong we thought that was fitting. He greeted all of the trick or treaters with big tail wags and they showed off each others' costumes. He really is truly a sweet and endearing dog. It still amazes me that he has such a positive outlook after all he has been through.

"As far as things going with my other dogs each day he shows great improvement. He loves my boston terrier now and they play while just the 2 of them are gated off in the kitchen. They crouch down and chase each other. Leroy even backs down when Endo has had enough. He really seems to like to play as I knew that he would when he discovered how much fun it was. He even showed interest in playing with Capone last night. I still do not allow him to be off leash around the other dogs even if he drags it around I like to have a handle on the situation but I am pleased with his improvement.

"He goes back for a 4 week check up next Thursday November 8th up to Madison. He is showing nothing but improvement. ' He is wonderful with all people big and small. He was fantastic with my moms cats. I truly don't think that there is anything holding him back. His mobility is amazing almost like nothing ever happened to him. I took him to my father in law's and he has 6 acres. We went for a little walk and he just trotted behind me exploring the new smells and sights. He never once looked funny at any of the trick or treaters in some of their very strange or scary costumes. He couldn't be fooled by those silly humans."

In mid-November, we posted Leroy on our available page. He continued to learn how to play with toys and he made very good friends of Endo and Capone, a Boston and a Frenchie in his foster home. What a great deal of progress from the hurting, fearful boy he'd been only 6 weeks before.




And this past month, Leroy Brown's time with FBRN ended, and his new life as a member of a forever family began.

"It is with a heavy but very happy heart that I would like to report Leroy is off to be king of the castle at his new home with [his new family]. You will see in the pictures that [his new mom] is absolutely smitten with him. What I found even more histerical is that the minute they walked in the door his dad was already snapping pictures. Leroy took to them immediately and snuggled up with them on the couch.

He was getting his kisses in and rolled over for a tummy rub right away. As hard as it was for me to watch him leave, he didn't even look back. It was as if he knew.

"Some times I think that they truly can understand you. I was sure to tell him all week that he was going to his new home today. He jumped right in their car which was conveniently close to the ground. His new mom was laughing because Leroy wouldn't share the passenger seat. I know that he will be spoiled rotten and I really think as much as he ended up loving my dogs he will truly love being the center of attention. So here are some pictures of him. Enjoy because they sure are cute!

P.S. my dogs are thrilled right now because they are allowed now to have some of the toys that Leroy left behind. I sent him with his stuffy but [his family] had already gotten him many of his own.

S.(the sad but proud foster mom)"


See the smiles? Your support and our volunteers make those smiles possible. We think we do good work, don't you? Thank you!

The Frog Princess

Domino's New Year's Resolution

Be a better Sox fan!






What?
You gotta problem wit' dat?




Hey. You gotta problem wit' Domino's allegiance to the indefatigable and glorious Red Sox, whyncha just drop a note in the comment box?

Yah. Drop a note in the comment box and express yourself. Go ahead. See what happens.


(The Frog Princess would like to take this opportunity to say that she has no strong feelings toward any sports franchise, and would like to be considered Switzerland where any railery, baiting or bashing is concerned.)

Though if we could be permitted to step across the Swiss border for just a moment, we do think Domino looks very dashing in that bandana, asserts

The Frog Princess

2007 Stats for FBRN

In 2006, FBRN placed 98 Frenchies in homes.
In 2007, FBRN placed 119 Frenchies in homes. We believe that that is an increase of twenty per cent!

Here are some interesting stats for those of us for whom stats are interesting:

Top States for Surrenders:
CA 16
PA 15
TX 13
FL 10
AZ 9


Top Reasons for Surrender:
44 - Owner's reasons - Lack of time by far #1, Failed Relationships, Moving
36 - Medical issues & costs with the Frenchie -- Skin/Allergy by far #1, Paralysis, Seizures
32 - Behavior--problems with other animals or children, normal puppy behavior.
8 of the behavior surrenders included a bite history

Top States Adopted to
10 - CA
6 - FL, MA and PA
5 - CO and TX

Ages
32 - Less than One year
75 - 1 to 3 years
29 - 4 to 6 years
13 - 7 to 9 years
4 - 10 years and over
(Youngest were 9 wks and oldest was 14 years old) (This is Tasha, our 14 year-old sweetheart)

Sexes
79 - Females
75 - Males

For those of us who like bullet lists, here are the major points to ponder:
* We need active volunteers in the hot spots, and we need active volunteers in areas in between to serve as transporters, home-visitors, boosters for rescue, and overflow fostering for when our busiest areas are full up. We have need of foster homes experienced in basic veterinary care for allergic, disabled or recovering dogs and for behaviorally difficult dogs. We also need more foster homes who'll care for healthy, happy frogdogs, so the specialized foster homes can be free to take the special needs dogs.
* If you are a Frenchie owner, PLEASE make time for your dog. If you are considering a Frenchie, before you get a dog, be sure your schedule has room for a walk, playtime, and quiet time together.
* Frenchie medical expenses are HIGH. Before you buy or adopt your Frenchie, be realistic about your ability to care for this breed in the event of an accident or injury. We need donations to care for the influx of seriously medically challenged dogs.....and we need a cure for allergies. If you have a cure for allergies lying around, please share it!

Here's to another successful year of bringing families and Frenchies together!
The Frog Princess

Celebrations!

Gia turned a year old on Christmas Day! Here is her pretty cake, and a note from her foster mom:
"I'm happy to report that Gia has an excellent birthday, with lots of hugs and kisses. With 3 young children around, she is never short on love.

Gia's birthday cake is the "Pleasing Peanut Cake" from Just Dogs Gourmet (the World's Tastiest Gourmet Dog Treats, so they say). They did the writing and pawprint on it as well (not very inspired, but I guess it doesn't have to extravagant when it's going to be gobbled up in an instant!) This particular dog bakery has 2 shops nearby, in Durham and Raleigh, NC. They also sell delectable cookies and muffins. Although I didn't give the cake a taste test, it looked very delicious -- I could see carrots -- and is apparently 100% healthy. I have 7 dogs here, 3 of my own and 4 fosters, and they are of varying degrees of food pickiness, and all 7 gobbled it down -- I was shocked. The first thing I've found that all 7 dogs agree on!"






And Remi, brother to FBRN grad Rudi, and foster brother to our foster Jac, also had a party!
The whole fam damily was there! The people enjoyed a gorgeous cake, while the boys all got delicious frozen yoghund treats.













And if that weren't enough to celebrate, The Frog Princess would like to announce

that this morning marks this blog's 200,000th hit! Don't believe it? Check out the counter at the bottom of the page!

400 posts and counting! boasts
The Frog Princess

Good News! Smeagol is on the mend!

Here's what his mom had to say:
"Thank y'all for the warm wishes! Our vet said Smeags has a "Rip Roaring UTI!" He's started Baytril and we'll do another urinalysis at the end of next week and possibly extend the medication beyond the original prescribed 10 days. If Smeags isn't feeling any better by Monday or Tuesday, then we'll bring him in for an ultrasound and make sure he's not suffering from stones. Although none were detected today, with all the mucus and blood in his urine our vet said it's very difficult to tell for sure at this point.

In typical Smeags fashion, he was thrilled he was going for a R-I-D-E! Since he's such a good guy, he enjoyed a Burger King Cheeseburger w/ Baytril for lunch. He seems much perkier than earlier this morning ... thank goodness!!!"

Thank goodness, indeed! Sighs
The Frog Princess

Breaking News! Good Thoughts Needed for Smeagol!

Smeagol must go to the vet today!This is a photo of Smeagol at the vet's the day he came to FBRN two years ago. He is a member of the NC10 puppymill raid dogs we took in and have placed in loving foster-to-adopt homes.

Over the last two years, Smeagol has become the de facto mascot for FBRN, as he continues to learn about life as a pet after 12 years in a filthy rabbit hutch and later, abandoned in a pen at the far back of the property where he was found almost by accident by his rescuers. He is living with heartworm, luxuriating in his new life, and this morning, he is suffering.

His mom sys he has bloody urine, and an urgent, frequent need to urinate. She is waiting impatiently for her vet to open while our darling Smeagol is shivering and withdrawn.

We know you will keep a good thought and those who are so inclined will send prayers for a quick and easy diagnosis and cure! We will keep the blog posted about his condition.

A worried
Frog Princess