Frannie's Babies

Frannie is a breeder retiree who came to us when her breeding days, her owner thought, were over. She spent a week or two or three in foster care, learning to be a housedog and preparing to be adopted.

One day, her foster family noticed that she was very fat, though she wasn't being fed more than her body size required. They made an appointment to see what, if anything, might be wrong with her.

By the time the vet saw her, it was evident what the problem was. Looking at her tummy, the vet could plainly see a bunch of puppies squirming and wiggling and carrying on in there.

Apparently, Frannie wasn't done breeding.

We sent Frannie to a volunteer who is a breeder herself to wait for the puppies to be born. We know that there are many puppies in the world already, and there are plenty of grown dogs who need homes, but FBRN's Board of Directors could not bring themselves to put Frannie through a spay so late in her pregnancy. Because Frannie had not been given special food or vitamins during her pregnancy, there was a risk that some of the pups might not survive, and there was no guarantee that the pups would be French bulldogs. Still.

Frannie had five puppies. The first puppy was stillborn. Two other boys died in the weeks following. The two girls survived, but are still frail and very tiny. Their foster mom has lost a great deal of sleep caring for these girls, providing extra feedings, making sure they stayed warm, trying to put weight on them. Truly, her efforts to keep these girls alive were heroic. Many a breeder would have chosen to let nature take its course. Our volunteer was willing to fight just as long and as hard as Frannie's puppies were fighting.

Following their 8 week vaccinations, the girls had a setback, and we discovered they had giardia. They lost precious, hard-won weight, and we worried.

We think now, at 10 weeks, they may be out of the woods, but they are still very, very small, and they are quite frail. We haven't dared to name them, yet. Their foster mom called them Puppy and Baby.

Until this week.

Meet Cherub. Frannie's very littlest baby, who still weighs just 2 pounds, had a bath this week.

Her blonde sister's name is Cashmere. They are doing well this week.

Keep a good thought for these girls. They are fighters, and they are survivors, but everyone can use a little help. We know our friends will send good vibes and so does

The Frog Princess