This was fun! Wordle takes all the words from a blog or bit of text and represents the most often repeated words as large words and less repeated text as smaller words.

www.wordle.net!

Here's one made from Mookie's adoption page.

If you have a favorite foster dog, you can copy his bio into the box and it will make a wordle for you! You can play with the colors, font and direction of the words.

Another great way to practice work-avoidance! cheers
The Frog Princess

Bubbles

Bubbles has the most expressive face and really wonderful coloring. We lots the freckles on her ears, and they do look like bubbles rising from her brain! Not to say she is a bubble brain, of course, that would be unkind and untrue. She's a very clever, as well as a very appealing, two year-old frog!

We'll be quiet, now, and let her foster mom tell you a little about this little handful:

"Bubbles is doing well living amongst 4 other dogs; there is no longer any serious aggression issue. She sometimes gets worked up when she is in her crate and someone is getting attention. She used to show off to others that she was getting special lap time attention, now she is learning to share.

When you are as cute as this, do you really need manners? asks Bubbles LaQute.



Her allergies still cause a bacterial yeast to cause her to have red rashes and itchiness. She is being maintained with baths and prescription spray. She still has a constant runny nose from allergies. She has not been on prednisone since we got her, so at least she is coping without steroids. To have an allergy panel, one can’t be on any meds, so she has been getting along ok. We are still awaiting the results of the panel and continue to wonder what is causing all her itchiness. The test is not for food but for the environment, so we will have to start a food trial as well.


Bubbles will let you know when she's unhappy. Look at that face!

She loves people and when I have visitors she relishes in all the attention.


We are still working on her bathroom habits, she is not good at alerting, but has succeeded in going out in the rain while we stand inside to go off the porch and do what she needs to do. It is a matter of us keeping track of time, and soon she will sit by the door I am sure, as this is what our other foster, Arizona, does. Bubbles would be happiest in a home where she could be spoiled as the only child, of course."


Bubbles checking it out.

Bubbles is a recovering control freak, and she'll need a family who can impress upon her the fact that she doesn't have to be in charge because somebody else will be running the world. She'll soon be up for adoption, and if you think you fit the bill, you should check out her bio and maybe apply.

The Frog Princess

Bedburglar!

Young Fergus, a deaf foster dog, loves to snuggle with his foster siblings. He is a stealth snuggler!

Here he is, burgling FBRN grad Lulu's bed:

His foster mom says, "McDonald's has the Hamburgler, we have ourselves a BedBurgler. As evidenced in the photo, there is a perfectly empty bed between Wookie and Lulu, but that is just not going to do for the required snuggle factor. Lulu really loves it, though she acts as if she doesn't notice. Lulu only shares with the special-est of dogs."

Mmmm, looks like a very cozy set-up to

The Frog Princess

Sidney Sits and Waits

Sidney, apres-bain!

One of our long-term fosters is ready for adoption--truth be told, she's BEEN ready! But so far, no one has felt the urge to apply for her, poor thing.



Sidney suffered a great deal of hair loss and had to endure quite a bit of treatment for her allergies.

We are looking for a great home for Sidney with someone who will take pleasure in making sure that this babydoll is properly cared for with a special diet and medications for her allergies. If you think you would like the challenge of continuing the rehabilitation of a needy, formerly neglected frog, check out Sidney's bio.

Sidney representing FBRN at a rescue function in SoCal!

Sidney's foster mom says she was a big hit at the booth!

The Frog Princess

FBRNETWORK NEWS IS 3!

Celebrate our third blogiversary with us! Maybe you'd consider sponsoring Bob or Quinn, or one of our new faces who have no sponsors, yet?

Adorable Batboy, one of our hospice dogs.

Or maybe you'd like to sponsor one of our hospice dogs (scroll to bottom of page)?

You could make a donation in memory or in honor of a friend or family member.

Take a moment to think kind thoughts about all the FBRN volunteers who foster, transport, write, organize, phone, educate, and work behind the scenes to make FBRN work so well; we need them all to make rescuing these frogdogs possible!

The Frog Princess

How Far Would You Go? Ask The Frog Princess

Nugget's Gotcha Day! What a happy boy!


We got a question on last month's Ask the Frog Princess post about how far people travel to pick up their new family member:

"I know the FBRN policy is to never, ever ship a Frenchie. Have you noticed whether people tend to adopt frenchies from their area, or do a lot of people travel a long distance to pick up the Frenchie of their dreams? Of course, a French Bulldog is worth traveling around the world for, but I just wondered how many people do!"


Bonnar gets a bedtime story
Following an unscientific survey, we found that the majority of our Frenchies go to homes at least 200 miles from their foster families. 40 per cent or so of our adopters live 500 miles or more from their foster families, and a smaller number travel more than 1000 miles to pick up their Frenchies.

Most of our adopters who live in another time zone choose to fly to pick up their dog, but we also have families who make a road trip of it, driving from Missouri to North Carolina, from Boston to Oklahoma, or from Wisconsin to Virginia.

Jada didn't travel far to find her forever family--her foster home adopted her, rather than move this elderly, infirm girl again.

We were surprised to learn how many of our Frenchies' adopters are willing to travel long distances and incur airfare and lodging expenses to pick up their new family members! It says a lot about how committed our applicants are to finding a Frenchie to fit their family.

The Frog Princess

Popeye!

We've got a new sailor man in FBRN! Such a cutie-pie, but is having some health issues. Here's the first note and photo we got on Popeye:

"As you can see from the picture, Popeye is a young, handsome brindle boy. He is intact at 3 yrs and other than arriving with horrible inflamed and oozing ears ( which may be the reason he is deaf) he has no known medical issues other than loss of hearing.
It is reported that the infection is under control, but there is a thickening of the ear canal.

Several weeks ago, his current owner ( Sophie) was driving in a neighborhood when she came upon a women with several dogs. She pulled over to inquire about the frenchie ( the dog literally stops traffic) and the woman told her she was trying to sell him on Craigslist. So Sophie made an impulse buy and purchased Popeye on the spot. Unfortunately, the timing is not right, she has a 4 month old baby, 2 dogs/female/male, a cat, a cockatoo, horses, works a home healthcare job and it's all too much.

Popeye is said to be a love, gets along and plays with the resident animals and snuggles with the human baby. He loves his people and his cuddles. His one flaw, he does mark, but is accustomed to wearing a belly band."

Unfortunately, the early reports of no known health issues were premature. Poor Popeye spent some time in the ER with a bout of vomiting, and was diagnosed with brachycephalic airway syndrome, diarrhea, worms, and an ear infection--prednisone and antibiotics were prescribed, and we are hoping to see some big improvements shortly!

Keep a good thought for this very sweet boy, asks

The Frog Princess

Little Lewie!

Little Lewie is getting a little littler. He was neutered last week, and he'll be up on the website as an available dog next week. Here's what his foster mom says about him:

"Wednesday's neuter was a smashing success (he's already back to his normal self). Also, he has reduced his weight to 34.3 lbs. His silhouette is becoming more shapely. Whoever adopts him is going to hit the jackpot. He is a phenomenal dog! -- so well trained, 100% housebroken, doesn't jump on furniture, LOVES his crate, is the BEST
companion, loves to watch Animal Planet, loves belly rubs, he ADORES people, and the best part--he is a natural comedian! He is so funny....I love watching him interact with my cat. They touch noses and then he'll pounce with excitement and the cat scurries and he gets a sad look on his face saying "why don't you wanna play with me?" He makes everyone laugh with his facial expressions, his yodeling, his little tough guy strut, etc."

Lewie is a great little guy and he's waiting for someone who appreciates a good laugh to send in their application! Keep your eye peeled: Lewie is coming to the website's available page soon!

Great. Now the drunken, endless chorus of "Louie, Louie" is rolling around the cavernous space between the ears of

The Frog Princess

Hospice: Miss Betty BoomBoom...aka "white lightning" and sometimes called "good time Betty"

Two or three years ago, FBRN recognized that we had taken in a dog that was not going to be eligible for adoption, because she had a chronic condition. Her name is Pixie, and much to our surprise, she is still going strong.

Betty cuddles up to her sister Lilly.

Pixie was the first of the fosters we called "hospice" dogs, and since her arrival, we have taken in several more. We didn't know that these dogs were going to be so sick when they were surrendered to us, but it would not have made a difference, really. We are here for French bulldogs who need us, and one of our remarkable foster families will always step forward to love and care for these dogs with grim prognoses.

Here is a note from one of our foster moms. She and her husband care for Betty, an elderly girl who was surrendered last summer by her owner. She is beginning to show signs of canine dementia, and we are looking into a drug to treat that condition called Anipryl.

"Betty came to our house 8/10/08, she is blind, deaf and 13 years old with a true go getter attitude! At first she would just stand there, and look in each direction, take a few steps forward then stand again, but in a few days she was walking all over the place. This prompted the barricade, a low fence across our whole back yard so she could not get under the cars. This lasted a few days, then she was over that no problem.


Here she is before her self given wart removal surgery! This little growth on her eyelid just popped right off when she rubbed it.

Again,we were amazed that the blind dog is "hopping the barricade". I feel that it took about 3 months for her to get really comfortable living here. She is not house trained, so we can go a week no accidents, then we can have accidents everyday. I have to say I have never done this much laundry in my life!

She loves to eat, and also like the peanut butter kong in the evening. We try to be very consistent, everyday the same routine. She has always done the circling, but in the last few days she has started really tight circles, then sit/falls down and can't
seem to get her self up, then she will just get up and go straight. She is very determined... and when she runs into something she thinks she can push it out of the way. This has led to the small sore on the top of her head. We clean it all the time with peroxide and then put a little panalog ointment on it. She likes to have her face washed and her eyes cleaned. She does not like to have a bath at all!

A peanut butter Kong before her nap is part of Betty's daily routine

She is also a little more disoriented as of late, corners have become issue and can't get herself out of them. She also doesn't stand to eat any more, she likes to lay down. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that within these last few days she has slowed down a lot. We feel she is doing what a dog of her age should be doing. We are keeping her loved, full, and comfortable. Until there are significant changes in her health, we are happy to have her as part of our family!

Resting after a tasty (but messy) peanut butter Kong

Our sponsors, donors, supporters and folks who buy products from our shopping mall make it possible for us to provide veterinary care for our hospice dogs. We are proud to be able to do this for our dogs and very grateful to the loving and compassionate foster families who volunteer to take these Frenchies.

We believe that a dog with a good quality of life, no pain, and a loving family should live out her days in comfort and peace. We hope you agree.

The Frog Princess

Hubba Bubba

Many people were touchedby the story of the Good Samaritan who rescued Hubba Bubba after a *(@W motorist tried to kill him. Here's an update on his condition from Hubba Bubba's foster mom:.




"Bubba is all Frenchie.He gives frenchie kisses, he snores, snorts and grunts like a frenchie, plays like a frenchie, over heats like a frenchie, and has an amazing frenchie appetite--just with out the ears. We call him bug eyed Bubba, his eyes are big and when he sees food his eyes look like they are going to pop out of his head! He is happy, super sweet and loving. The most important thing for Bubba, is to live in a cooler climate so he can breathe easier and have less issues with his allergies. Also, Bubba is eating the Honest Kitchen food and needs to stay on it; his dry skin cleared up and his activity level has increased to the point that he now outplays my dogs that are younger than him. Only a one year old puppy can keep up with Bubba. Bubba is also on an immunity support powder which has cleared up his little allergy bumps. Bubba would love to cuddle up and sleep with his people.



Bubba’s lucky day was the when the vet tech rescued him off the street, and now to complete Bubba’s good luck he needs a wonderful family of his very own."

When we look at Bubba's face, all we can see are those pouty, keess-able lips! Mwah! to you, too, buster, from

The Frog Princess

5th Annual New England Frenchie Social Pix!

We hear this year's event was wonderful! 80 people and an uncertain number of French Bulldogs attended and we raised over $2,500 dollars for our organization! Organizers maintained their high standards and an excellent time was had by all. Here are a few photos of our well-behaved and good looking attendees. You won't mind that the faces are mostly frogs, will you? We thought not.

Polka

Animal Control found this poor girl wandering the streets and we picked her up from a shelter within a few hours of learning she was there. She's going to need a great deal of time and support to recover from her condition.

Here's a note from her foster mom:

"here’s a new girl that I picked up at a shelter yesterday. She is a sweetheart, but has some issues. This is a bad pic as I took it at the vet’s office this morning with my phone. The vet’s office started calling her Polka – for the Polka Dot on her back – and it stuck. So, she is Polka.


She has an obvious skin infection, which they are culturing for fungus. It was negative for demodex, but she said it could in all likelihood be just a terrible bacterial infection. Her whole tummy and vulva area is very red and irritated and you can see where she is missing patches of hair all over.

She is HW-, so that is a good thing. She is deaf, has a really nasty ear infection and has an old pelvic fracture that was never treated, so her whole backend is weak and she limps on that leg. The bad part is, that is the hip that has a better formed socket – the other hip is so dysplastic, that on the x-ray, I could see that it is barely in the socket. So, surgery may be down the road for this angel.

She is an angel – she eats and drinks like she will never see food and water again – she is 21 pounds and probably should be more like 30 – she has a big girl frame, but is just very thin. She is so sweet and LOVES my husband. She hadn’t made a sound all afternoon and last night when he went out to play with her, as he walked away, she started crying and hopping in the ex-pen.

Sweet baby girl – anyway, she does have to be kept quarantined from my dogs for 7 -10 days until we see what the fungal culture shows. She is on all kinds of shampoo and meds for her infections, but takes her pills like a champ. She will be here with me for the time being and may transfer if and when we find a foster home in the area."

This is the heart of rescue. Taking a poor dog who has been rode hard and put away wet, and turning her into a family member. She's already lovable and loving--we just have to put in the medicine, food and socialization. You can help us by sending a sponsorship
donation to Polka.

As of this writing, poor Polka has no sponsors at all!

Meanwhile, Polka sure seems to be enjoying some fresh air and green grass and maybe even some bluebonnets

The Frog Princess

Minneapolis/St. Paul!

Don't forget! It's not too late to register for the weekend training for difficult dogs with Kim Barnett of Follow My Lead! The event in Atlanta was well-received, and we are repeating it this weekend.

Email rrmerica at comcast dot net for more info.

Public and adopters or applicants are welcome!

The Frog Princess

Ask Frog Princess: Are You Ready for Another Frenchie?

Batman (formerly Buddha) meets his cousin.

Here's a question we received last month in our "Ask the Frog Princess" post:

"I am a lucky Frenchie puppymill cast off now living in a great forever home. I am lonely and would love to have a brother or sister Frenchie. My mother is afraid that I would be jealous of a new addition to our home. How can I convince her that I would get along with a new brother or sister? I think she is afraid that I would not love her anymore. What should my mother do to prepare me for a new addition to our home?"

This is a fine question, and every pet owner should consider it before bringing a pet home willy-nilly.

Consider first the temperament of your Frenchie. Laid-back? Assertive? Consider your own abilities as leader of the group. Are you a sucker, or do you make sure the dogs know who is the boss?

Consider the personality of the dog you are thinking of adopting. If you can, arrange a meeting with the new dog on neutral territory.

Also consider expenses. Frenchies are expensive to maintain. If something goes wrong with a Frenchie's back, or your Frenchie develops allergies, you could be facing some
steep expenses. Can you afford it, or would you be willing to go into debt to afford it?

Astrid claims a comfy spot in her new home.

It's a good idea to test drive your dog with other dogs--maybe you can borrow a friend's dog for a sleepover to see how your dog reacts to another dog in the home. Introduce the dogs on neutral territory, maybe on a walk at a nearby park, then bring the dogs to your house together on their leads. Be sure to let both dogs keep their leads on while at your home so you can more safely break up any argument or fight that might occur.

Frenchies are really people dogs, but many Frenchies get along very well with another dog or two in the house. Most people we know have more than one dog, so it absolutely can be done. Because Frenchies are so people centered, another dog does not take the place of spending time and interacting with your frog, let us be clear about that. But most dogs seem to enjoy--or at least tolerate--the company of canine companions.

Astrid co-piloting the trip home.
We encourage people interested in adopting a second dog to go through obedience training with their first dog, in order to establish a good working relationship before introducing a second dog.

The Frog Princess

Violet on Vacation

Some dogs have all the luck. Here's a note from Violet's new mom with a photo of Violet in front of the houseboat they stayed on:




"I just wanted to send you a photo of Violet.
We took her on her first houseboat trip...she was a riot.
This is her without her life vest. She does not mind it though, which is great.
She chased Jackrabbits, and explored like crazy. She even went swimming with
Bebe, (lifeJacket only)
She is a great dog.
Thanks so much!"

Beautiful photo! Have you been thinking about taking some photos of your FBRN grad for the calendar? It's not a moment too soon, believes

The Frog Princess

Pupper Upper!

Here's a photo of FBRN grad Pupper, now called Raisin.



And a note from her adoptive mom:
"Just wanted to give you an update--we are all doing GREAT! Still gets a little chaotic when my grandson is around, but they pretty much just play--loudly! I love, love, love this dog. I have attached a picture of her running in the backyard yesterday. Doesn't she look happy?"

She looks wonderful!

The Frog Princess

Clifford and More Answers from The FP

Our little cleft palate pup, Clifford, is no longer just a wee brindle smudge. He's starting to look like a real dog. Enjoy these photos of our bumptious little hellion.

The Frog Princess received some questions in our last "Ask Frog Princess" posting last month:

Q: "Where is your scepter? And how lovely is your throne? Does your person curtsy whenever you pass by?"

A: It does not surprise us that people should wonder whether or not we carry a scepter, as so many of our counterparts in other lands do. However, soon after we were born and learned of our future position, we discovered that without opposable thumbs, scepters would have to be toted around in our mouth, and we found that lacking in a certain dignity. Before absolutely abandoning the idea of a scepter, we did once try duct taping a soup ladle to our right front limb, but that is a story best left to the mists of time. Our attendant was responsible for correcting this little error in judgment. Witnessing our resulting disagreeable, sticky and partially hairless condition may partly explain why our attendant fails to curtsy when we pass. No Frenchie, I have heard it said, is a hero to his valet. Or lady's maid, as the case may be.

Q: "Why are Frenchies so addictive? Once you have one, it's just not enough. You want one more, then perhaps one more. Then you start looking for their image on all sorts of things, like your coffee cup, tote bag, etc. Then you spend your free time browsing the internet looking at them. Is it a sickness??"

A: A sickness? Au contraire! It is the most natural thing in the world. Once beguiled by beauty, who can blame one for seeking it again and again, always and everywhere? We would warn those who seek out little bibelots and doodads, however, to be careful. Some undiscerning or unscrupulous salespeople may attempt to fool you with items that are clearly meant for the Boston Terrier crowd.

Soon enough there will be more answers to questions posed to

The Frog Princess

Ritzy Seeking Home

Our mind reels at the recent news that Ritzy, a Frenchie of a certain age, has been overlooked by the Frenchie adopting public. When we asked for a little update from her foster mom, we received this response:

"[Ritzy] is just a super dog!! Loves to lay on the couch at night...She is great with the kids and especially the older kids. She loves riding in the car and loves to play with her stuffed bear. She would be so perfect for someone that wanted an already trained dog, she is housebroken and not hyper and just wants a warm spot to sleep. I do think that her ideal home is as an only pet, that would make her happiest. She loves to run around in our big backyard, and would love that in her new home as well."

What's not to like? Check out her bio and see if you and she were meant to be.

The Frog Princess