Happy Holidays to You, Too!

Remy, FBRN grad, is having a holiday adventure. 

We hope your holidays are less, how shall we say? Eye-popping.

Festive greetings from

The Frog Princess

Vino, Vidi, Vici!

Vino ate a rock.  It got stuck somewhere on the way out and a kindly vet removed it.  Sadly, the digestive tract Vino was trying to landscape didn't take too kindly to having a rock applied to it, and for a while he was having some problems. 

Problems of an embarrassing nature. 

And after he ate a rock, he got stones.  In his bladder.  What the hey! 

Possibly he loves rock and roll.  Maybe his daddy was a rollin' stone.

(We sincerely apologize for that.  We are a bit loopy with the tryptophan.)

But time heals a lot of wounds, and Vino's guts are doing pretty well.  He's got a special diet, and although he's got to be watched so he doesn't make any more mistakes (leave the landscaping to the professionals, Vino!), with regular check ups, the boy is bound to make somebody happy.

His foster mom sent an update and some photos recently.  Take a look at this mug.  How can he still be on the available page? 

Somebody isn't paying attention. 

"Vino continues to do well and moved to the available page; he has not had any GI or urinary issues so I'm hoping the worst is over for this great little guy. He loves his foster siblings and with 3 young adult Frenchies in the house it is quite a party sometimes! I caught them in a mellow moment and had a photo shoot."

Listen, if you want a handsome, happy, good boy to add to your collection, or you are in the market for a single frog to slather serious amounts of spoiling on, Vino is your guy.

Get over to his available page and check him out before the whole world gets an eyeful.

Full of helpful directions today, we remain

The Frog Princess

New York/New Jersey/Connecticut What Are You Doing Today?

Don't forget!  There's big fun at Bryant Park today:

This Saturday, celebrate the holidays with Carlos the French Bulldog and a few of our FBRN grads in NYC at the event of the season – Family Day with Christmas Feet!

2008 FBRN grad Chicklet will be giving *Frenchie Kisses Under the Mistletoe* and we’ll be selling treats generously donated to us by Bubba Rose Biscuit Company! 2008 grad Shelby (FBRN stage name Flower) will be strutting her stuff down the runway during Ada Nieves' very special "Noah's Ark meets the Nutcracker" holiday fashion show!

Family Day with Christmas Feet is from 12 – 4pm and the fashion show starts around 3:45. There is free ice skating, Broadway performances and, of course, a reading of Christmas Feet by Author Maureen Sullivan & Illustrator Alison Josephs.

This is a FREE event, it is VERY child & dog friendly. Bring the whole family, dress in festive array, SUPPORT RESCUE and HAVE FUN!

Citi Pond at Bryant Park – 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues – NYC

Alena in 3-D!

Poor Alena!  This girl has been having a series of skin infections since she arrived in FBRN.  The lastest one is the worst her foster mom has seen, and it is terribly frustrating because Alena's hair was just starting to come in on her face and feet after her bout with demodex. 
Here's a note from foster mom:

"Poor Alena ... she has been 2 steps forward, 1 step back all along. The positive is that her forward is greater than the back ... but still.

Currently she is having a REALLY nasty skin flare up. She had some itchies when she came to me, but this is by far the worst in her 10 months with me. She is bumpy, raw and has to wear long sleeves and a turtle neck to stop her ripping her skin apart. She is off to see the vet again today, as I am just not able to get it under control.

Other than the skin, she is still our happy girl. Loves to go to work, loves to eat EVERYTHING. We call her compost bin .. she happily snacks on veggie scraps that would otherwise go into the yard waste bin."


Some Frenchies have a thing for vegetables and fruit.  Most frogs love bananas.  After a visit with her vet, the foster mom wrote again to say,


"Good news from the vet ... she was given a strong anti-fungal shampoo, strong anti-itch pills and antibiotics ... and after just 2 days she is improving. I've never seen her skin so bad, so I'm hoping it's just circumstantial and we can get it under control quickly."


Since Alena is such a favorite among our friends and supporters, we thought you'd like to hear about her latest comeback!  Sure, her skin is a horror show, but Alena has all the tools to see it through, in the painfully worked metaphor of


The Frog Princess

Tomah of the WI 4 update

Here's a wonderful update on Tomah (now Raji) of the WI 4.  We are celebrating the anniversary of the day we brought them into FBRN last year, and you can see more photos on the home page of the website when it is updated this week.

This is what the French Bulldog Network said of my dog’s history when I made out my adoption application for him last December. Quickly, by the end of December, FBRN told me he was mine. In January and freezing cold weather, I met his foster mom in Northern Wisconsin and a 34-pound cream pie gentleman with the most expressive eyes I have ever seen was put in my arms. So polite he was, not making a peep and content to lie on a pile of blankets the 4 hours it took to get home. On a potty stop, I noticed he peed standing straight up and then I remembered he could not bend those crippled back legs of his.

The next day, I took him the pet store for the proper food and other necessities. We walked in together very slowly and headed for the dog food aisles. Less than half way into the store, he sat down and looked at me, showing me his weariness and that he wished to go no further. The rest of our shopping had to be done with him in a grocery cart, but he didn’t seem to mind. Again, a gentleman of the highest quality.

As the cold winter days and weeks rolled by, we got to know each other. He found out what it was like to sleep with his legs outstretched and how the world looked without a wire cage separating him from the world. He came to understand that when I left, I would come back to feed and water him, and so he stopped gulping most of his water down whenever he saw me get my coat. He learned the goodness of popcorn and tissue massage, and what it was like to be sung to, and he learned that he was Home.

To get him more active without taking him out in the cold, I began walking him down the long hallway in my apartment building. So together we took out the garbage every day. Soon he was looking forward to these little lunchtime trips, and as he got stronger, I asked him to step up the pace. This he gladly did, despite his clumsiness and discomfort. The days went by, and we gradually began running up and down the hallway together. Though it tired him, he insisted on continuing up and down as fast as his legs would allow. I was so proud of him, and told everyone I knew.
It wasn’t long before Spring came, and suddenly one day he ran up the hallway at such a fast pace I could not keep up. Again, I was bursting with pride and from his expression, so was he. Not long after, he jumped up a single step. No small feat for a dog with weak hips and stiff back legs. Soon after, he was jumping down that step too.
Time and love, I learned, heals all things. Now, he and I go to the pet store and he is either ahead of me on his leash, or veering off, trying to head down an aisle that is of more interest to him than to me. No grocery cart needed. He jumps up three steps like a dog without any physical limitations. He loves his acupuncture treatments, which have allowed him to function with lower doses of Rimadyl and Tramadol. Now when he goes outside, he runs, though slowly, to the long wild grass that grows at the edge of his yard. And best of all, he runs to me or to almost anyone he sees to get a touch and a kind word, to catch up on all the love he missed.

My Raji now knows what it’s like to be a dog. After being completely silent for 4 months, he warns me with sharp barks that a bicyclist or hiker is approaching on the road. Any canines trespassing in his yard, beware! You will be thoroughly checked out or loudly yodeled at if physical contact cannot be made. And though he still can’t lift his leg on a tree or a fire hydrant, he can actually squat a bit to let others know what belongs to him. How far my boy has come!

On a hot, breezy summer day at lunch time, I watch Raji walk into a shaded spot of grass. He stops and slowly sits and thinks for a bit, then suddenly flops over on his side. He rolls up on his back and falls back on his side. He rolls again and balances on his spine for a moment. A third time, he makes it all the way over! He rolls over and over again, snorting and stretching his little legs out as far as they will go. I think of him when his four legs were weak and splayed, and how tired he got after only a few steps. And as I watch him roll, I wonder if he will ever take this simple pleasure for granted.

Looking at his expression of satisfaction and contentment when he gets up, I believe he does not take anything for granted. He is a gentleman, grateful for anything I have to offer. He never lets me forget that I am important and appreciated.

He is a Rescue Dog, after all. I’m not sure whether rescue dogs forget their past, but I know they don’t dwell on it. They have the gift of enjoying the moment, instead of dwelling on bad experiences. Raji is a shining example of what love and rescue organizations like FBRN will do for a dog. They found him, they rehabilitated him, and they picked me to make his story a happy ending. I am thankful, I am honored, and most important, I am loved.

I wish you could have experienced all of this with us."

We don't know about you, but after reading this note, we feel we have experienced some of Raji's milestones.  He's a lucky Frenchie, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess

We Have 13 Dogs in Texas

And that's a scary number.  It's scary because all our foster homes are full, and there is no room at the inn for other needy frogs.

We are having to turn dogs away because we don't have enough volunteers to foster homeless dogs.  It's not just FBRN, either.  Other rescues have a lack of foster homes, too.  We need help.



Twilight is going to be available soon.  And that is a good thing because right now she is sucking all the cute out of Texas.  

 

This here handsome devil is Boudreaux.  He wants you to throw the ding-dang ball, already!

Our worst nightmare is that someone will sell their dog on Craigslist or sell it through a want ad and the dog will wind up in a puppy mill.  There's a dog we are hoping to bring in from a different part of the country and that is her story.  Once a pet, she was acquired by a miller, whose mill was recently raided. 

How could they tell she was a pet? 

Her original collar and tags were still on.

This is Loretta, a blind puppy mill girl in our hospice program. She's never gotten over her past.  We love her anyway.

If you have ever considered volunteering for FBRN, please email our volunteer coordinator today to become a foster home, transporter, or volunteer at events.  Our main need in Texas (or nearby states! We could use volunteers in AR, LA, OK, KS, NM) is fostering, but we will gladly accept any help that is offered. 

Email our volunteer coordinator at fbrnvolapps@gmail.com. 

These 13 are lucky.  They have a place with us.  If you can, please help us help a few more, pleads

The Frog Princess

This is the youthful and charming Bonaparte, waiting for the perfect kitty-free empire to rule.

A True Scary Story for Hallowe'en!

This is a true story that happened to one of our volunteers and her rescue frog, Louie.  Please read it, commit the lessons to memory, and if you live in an elevator building, take the advice to heart.

"I am writing this today, still shaken up and very much embarrassed by an event that could have turned tragic in an instant had we not had someone watching over us last night…

I want to share the experience with everyone here because in the same breath of guilt and shame, I also feel the old adage… If it could happen to me, It could happen to you too…

Louie and I went out on our walk with our roommates (one 2, one 4-legged), and met up with our neighbor and her dog for the usual evening constitutional. We finished walking and processed back to the elevators to go up to our respective floors talking and carrying on along the way. As the doors opened and the 5 of us went in, Louie of course, was lagging behind sniffing and looking for his last gecko of the evening. Now, this is his normal routine and I know to accommodate him for it; stand in the threshold of the elevator and coax him to “Come on” until he finally gives it up and grudgingly schleps into the lift with me, and we can proceed.

Last night however, the other two adults and dogs went in before me, and I was bringing up the rear with my back to the outside where Louie was still investigating – I stopped on the threshold of the elevator, knowing he was still out there and that I needed to hold the door, and about to turn around to call him on but still chatting away with the girls. Suddenly, I felt the doors graze my backside and in the milliseconds it took for me to throw my hand behind me to stop the door, the doors were closed!
Not necessarily a big deal, you say…unless one of the people has already pushed the buttons to select the floors! Well you guessed it…one of them had!

At this point (and remember, it’s only been maybe 10 seconds total from walking in, to door closing) the elevator is moving and I am flipping out, but quick to think: I immediately began pulling the slack from inside the retractable leash out to the end, stepping on it and yanking with all my might trying to break the mechanism inside so that it will break free from the plastic handle and can just be pulled through the doors and down the shaft to the first floor…thus eliminating the danger of my dog being hung or crushed/pinned by the force of the pull into the door jam/ceiling. This isn’t working – everyone is screaming – the other two are pushing every button on the elevator trying to get it to physically stop, but of course there isn’t one.

The elevator does end up stopping seconds later on the 2nd floor, where our neighbor lives. I fly out and down the stairs, around the corner to see Louie sitting in front of the elevator doors and looking confused as to why he was there by himself – approximately 1.5-2 feet of slack away from the line being pulled taught enough to begin to lift him off the ground…

I damn near fainted and threw up all at the same time. I of course unhook his harness from the leash and snatch him up and proceed up the stairs to the 2nd floor where the others are still freaking out, holding the elevator and waiting. We cut the cord with scissors, went back down to retrieve the part that was stuck in between the ground and second level and pretty much collapsed onto the stairs from the trauma. All the while, Louie is blissfully ignorant of the entire affair and still alertly keeping a watchful eye out for the geckos…

The moral of the story is: THANK GOD we were with my neighbor who lives on the 2nd floor and the elevator stopped that quickly instead of proceeding up to the 4th. If that had happened, I honestly don’t know what would have happened to Louie based on the laws of Physics…

He could have been crushed or had broken ribs, punctured lungs…God only knows due to the force of the pull and being pinned to the door jam/ceiling. Undoubtedly the line would have broken from tension and force at some point, but at how many feet it would have had to have gone up/how many seconds he would have been pinned, no one knows. Then, I’d only have been able to hope that he would have fallen the 8 feet and landed on his feet, but that isn’t guaranteed either, nor is the fact that just landing on his feet wouldn’t have still jarred his spine or caused him to hit his face, etc, etc, etc, down the long list of horrible things that could have happened…

The lessons learned from this miracle experience are that 1) we don’t get in the elevator without Louie being right there too and 2) you never push buttons for your destination until all parties are safely inside – had the buttons not been pushed and the door closed, the ‘Door Open’ button could have easily been pushed and the doors would have opened with no one worse for the wear since the machine hadn’t already been given the ‘Up’ command yet.

Like I said, it was scary as Hell to think that my negligence could have potentially had TRAGIC consequences for my favorite friend, Louie. It’s embarrassing and I’m ashamed to admit that I was so careless, but at the same time…I wanted to share it in hopes that those of you fellow dog owners who use elevators with your dogs on a daily basis will get a quick jolt of reminder for how dangerous the situation can become if you aren’t always, always on the ball." 

She's absolutely right--this scary and horrible story could happen to anyone.  Please take special care around elevators and even escalators;  be sure to pick up your dog before getting on an escalator so his toenails or dangling collar or tags don't get caught in the treads!  More buildings are allowing dogs to come inside, and dog owners must become aware of the hazards to dogs of buildings' automated parts. 

Hoping you learned a little something today, as did
The Frog Princess

Tonto!

Sometimes we just can't grasp why a Frenchie who is healthy and happy and loving just doesn't catch the eye of a potential adopter.

Tonto is one of those frogs.

He was dropped off at a shelter by his owner's family following his owner's death (Note to self: Be sure to put directions in will for care of our Frenchies should something happen to us!).  Apart from a desire to be the cock of the walk, Tonto is a great dog!




In his foster family there is an uneasy peace going on--occasionally there are dust ups between Tonto and the dominant girl--but thanks to very slow introductions and an experienced foster family, there have been no serious fights.  That's Little Miss Lemon-Sucker on the bottom step in the photo to the left, there.  If you have a submissive female and you are willing to do slow introductions, Tonto might be the boy for you.







Take a look at Tonto's bio.  He's on the lookout for his kemosabe.  It might be you, counsels

The Frog Princess

Here's a Beautiful Original Piece of Art You Can Own!

Look at this gorgeous painting offered as a fundraiser for FBRN!  Santino Nava has donated this 16x20 unframed piece featuring a black masked fawn.  This is not a print, it's an original!

Our thanks to Santino for the generous gift!

Clear Your Schedule!

It's time for the Second Annual Family Day with Christmas Feet at Citi Pond in New York's Bryant Park!

Saturday, November 12th from Noon to 4 pm!

Alison Josephs and Maureen Sullivan, author and illustrator of Christmas Feet, another wonderful book about life with Carlos the Frenchie, will be on hand to chat and so will representatives of FBRN and other great organizations.  Plus free ice-skating, and a chance to meet Broadway stars and canine celebrities!  See a doggie fashion show with your pooch--and you should dress up, too.    Click here to learn more!

Everyone had a blast last year--we hope you will take a day and come to the city for this event.  It's a great opening for the holiday season, proclaims

The Frog Princess

All around the world

it's all about a boy and his dog.  His frog dog.

This photo was taken on a train by one of our supporters when she was vacationing in Japan in August.  We don't know what it is advertising, but we think the ad designers picked a pretty effective model.

Pardon the bit of glare. 

Anyone read Japanese? asks

The Frog Princess

Have You Never Been Mellow?

Sorry about any inadvertent earworming the title of this post may have caused.  DeeDee, one of our favorite, most sparkling personalities, gets plenty of time to mellow out with her Bullmastiff foster sib Juliet and her lab sib Isaac.

In these photos, DeeDee sought out the company of these sleeping dogs to lie down with them.  Knowing their foster mom, she did *not* get up with fleas, no matter what the proverbial wisdom might claim.  DeeDee spent the last month or so recovering from palate surgery and she is doing just fine.  Here's a note we got about her recently:

"DeeDee continues to be her sweet, adorable self. In the weeks following her surgery she has become more playful, and frequently engages my husband and sons in her favorite game. It involves nibbling gently on their fingers, rolling on her back, waving her paws in the air, darting off, and then charging in for a repeat performance. She also enjoys playing a combination tug and fetch game. Her stuffies now cringe when they see her coming.

She seems to get a little saliva in her airway after assaulting her stuffies or chewing on a bone, but is able to clear it after a minute or so by coughing."

These retired breeders really pull out all the plugs in terms of charm and joie de vivre when they get to be part of a family.  From livestock to life of the party, that's what we say!  OK, we don't say that, we just made that up, but still, it's a pretty fair assessment of the shift in attitude many of our older girls experience once they are released from the workaday life of having and feeding puppies. 

And at the end of the day, once the performance has ended, there's nothing wrong with a little c*tnapping in and amongst the bullmastiffs. 

Mellow is as mellow does, sighs

The Frog Princess

De Soja Delights!

DeSoja is doing really well in her foster home.  Though she was unable to undergo spay surgery because she went into her heat cycle, she is continuing to learn about life in a family atmosphere.  Here is an update from her foster mom:

"Throughout the month we had many visitors in our midst and some extended time with family and friends at the beach house. DeSoja was definitely a little rattled by the necessary adjustments and revolving door of new faces. She is still a very tense and anxious little girl and I do my best to show her the patience, love and trust she so desperately needs. I notice she has come to seek out assurance and comfort with Onyx and Belle before anything else and that is a wonder and a joy to watch her interact more with them. They are both very accepting of her to the pack and seem to instinctively know she needs support.

They are very good therapists. She plays with them in a rather awkward way, and initiates their interaction occasionally. Onyx is such a pleaser; I think he knows it is a good thing and I praise him alot for giving little Soja the boost she needs. Belle just really likes to be in the middle of everything. George only seems to notice if she leaves a little kibble in her bowl and then he is right on it. Soja is pretty persistent about letting him know it is still hers, though, but not in a snarky way. She just pushes herself between him and the food dish.

She has come a long way in nearly two months, but I do worry about her “worries”. I so want her to be a happy and secure little frog. But maybe she is feeling a little more confidence in her life here because she actually showed some insistent barking and a rather uncompromising stance to a neighbor’s dog who visited the beach house last weekend. I had to put her behind a gate with Onyx and Belle to calm her down. I’m going to try to get her out away from home, just with me, now and then, to build her confidence and to see how she does especially when we encounter other dogs.

Her physical health is improving and after consult with the vet this week, we have agreed she is ready to be spayed. The surgery is scheduled for next Friday, 9.9.11 and my nerves are already on edge about it. I am a little concerned she could come into heat any time before then, though. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. My vet offered to pick her up on Thursday and take her into the clinic so I wouldn’t have to drive her in on Friday, but I declined. I know she lived in a cage so much of her puppy mill life that I want to avoid having to crate her if at all possible.

She is a delicate little soul, so timid and afraid of anything new to her. She still doesn’t want eye contact and doesn’t like to be held, but will stand for it a little bit more if I insist. She isn’t very treat driven so it makes reinforcement that it is good to be loved in that way a little difficult.

I am thrilled each time she comes to me for a little lickie on my hand. Sometimes when I am in the kitchen she tentatively comes up and steals a little lick on my leg, too.

I am beginning to think about what the future looks like for Soja…but one day at a time for this fragile mill girl."

One day at a time, one cookie at a time, one walk along the sandy shore at a time.  De Soja will be nestled in her adoptive family's arms before you know it, wagers

The Frog Princess

Kobee

Kobee has been in foster care almost a year.  He is well-loved by his foster family, but they would like to continue to open their arms to other needy fosters, so they are looking for a forever family that will love Kobee as much as they do.  Here's a note from Kobee's foster mom:

"Kobee is definitely a blessing.  This little guy came to us after being abandoned and not well cared for, but you'd never know anyone was ever mean to him, because from the first minute my daughters and I picked him up he showed us that all he wanted was a family to love him.  

"He shows his love in so many ways.  First when he sees you in the morning or when you come home from being out, he marches, yes marches, excitedly and happily to your feet for you to give him a hug and belly rub.  If it wasn't for his diligent patrolling of the back yard throughout the day in evening, who knows how many squirrels, crows, and frogs would have taken over and run us out of our own house. We thank him for that!

Kobee is a friend to all.  Not only does he love me, my husband, and our children but he has a Great Dane brother, Great Dane sister, Pitbull brother, American Bulldog sister, his cat, and his bird, and any other foster that comes to stay.

"Kobee came to us a young sprightly little guy full of life and love to give.  Kobee also came with a special need; he is totally incontinent.  He is on meds that he takes easily when stuffed in a piece of cheese to keep him "regular." Kobee wears a diaper with a very stylish diaper cover on to help keep it in place since he has no tail to help.  He knows his routine and stands proudly while getting dressed, he even lifts each leg to put in the hole!

If he's outside sunning or monitoring the backyard, he runs free of his diaper.  Incontinence is simply managed and doesn't take away one ounce of Kobee's big heart.  Though this condition may seem like it could be a lot to take on or hard work, it isn't in the least. 

"This little guy just wants love, plain and simple."

Well, that makes him 100% normal and just like any other Frenchie in the love department, in the expert assessment of

The Frog Princess 

Dilly, dilly

Lavender came to us all smelly and balding thanks to a nasty bacterial skin infection and legions and hordes of yeasty beasties all attacking her poor hair follicles.  She's feeling a little better, though she's not yet out of the woods, not out of the dark, not out of the night.

Here's a recent report we received from her ever-lovin' foster ma:

"Oh the Lavender! Well, unfortunately her skin is not continuing to improve as we had hoped.




When they first brought Lavender home, she was so odoriferous they nicknamed her Stinky.  That's a pretty good stink-eye she's throwing around there, don't you agree?  We feel sure we'd have perfected our own stink-eye if someone had applied so rude an appellation to our own personage.  Stinky, indeed!

Her yeast will just not learn to take a hike. With baths, meds and lots of lovin' she can't clear up enough for her spay. We are on a food trial, and it's a bit tricky to get her to eat that hypoallergenic food; today was the first day of 4 that she was okay eating without looking at me funny. She continues to itch on the white side of her face and three of her feet.

I had to pick up the throw rugs around the house because she thought they made useful belly rubbin' rugs. She had a MRSA culture done, but we haven't heard any results back yet. We're hopeful the derm vet can be avoided.


"Despite the itchies, her social skills have been wonderful. She came in from the shelter thinking she was going to be the alpha girl, and she is now a playful and social little girl. She shares her toys (loves her stuffies), shares nyla bones, plays without becoming rough and growly, and she is no longer rude when another dog approaches me.   Being protective was to much work with so many dogs in the house, I suppose.

"Her potty manners have improved and she's using the dog door; however occasional reminders are needed when exiting her crate and after naps. If the weather is inclement, forget it! She will sit outside the dog door and wait for you to walk away and sneak back inside instead of running out, doing her business, and coming back inside. Jeez!"

We are completely in synch with young Lavender's feelings about having to piddle whilst raindrops beat down into our vulnerable ear canals.  How would YOU like that?  The least you bipeds could do is offer the shelter of an umbrella for the few little minutes it takes a froglette to heed nature's call.  They are YOUR floors, after all, and you are the one who wants them kept so dry and clean, chides

The Frog Princess 

Benny the Frog's Ninth Natal Anniversary

Infamous tomato thief and 19th hole lounge lizard Benny the Frog made time in his busy schedule to allow his mom to prepare a home-grown celebration in his honor.


Benny is a 2003 FBRN graduate.

In his working life, he often serves as an adjunct to his mom's duties as a Humane Educator for an east coast animal control office.  He gets to accompany his mom to schools and other locations to teach children about the responsibilities of sharing one's life with a rotten, no-good, tomato-stealing, golf cart-riding frogdog.

His mom tells us that sometimes, when Benny the Frog is feeling ornery, he will refuse to charm the children, and instead turns his back on them and fantasizes about living on a desert island with his beloved Fiona, maybe paddling lazily through a lagoon full of cherry tomatoes, each more delicious than the last.

Happy birthday, Benny the Frog!  We love you and your glorious rottenness.

The Frog Princess

The Value of a Formal Education

Licorice's foster mom sent us a little essay about her experience with the formerly naughty boy. She had great success with him as they went through classes together. Licorice has found a family of his own now. Here's her essay:

"Licorice came into FBRN as Bullet, and he probably should have been renamed Fonzie. He was dressed in black, knew rules didn’t apply to him, tried to intimidate other dogs and left his mark anywhere he thought they might pick up the message. But he had a heart of gold, and just needed to learn some social skills so he could move on to his forever home.






He was an easy people dog, if you could get past the wild leaps across the room onto your head, or the
grooves the leash dug into your hands when walking him in public. It became apparent that if this boy
had any hope of being adopted he needed to get some formal education, he needed to learn to interact
with people and dogs in a polite way. So he was enrolled in a basic obedience class.

Licorice swaggered into class, jumping at all the dogs and grabbing the lead in his mouth and screaming
if pressed to do something he chose not to. It was a rough ride, but with the help of knowledgeable
instructors, patient classmates and increasingly tough collars, Licorice graduated. (Yes, we finally went
to a pinch collar, and found the tool that got his attention. After the first night wearing it, he wore it
inside out but showed appropriate respect.)

The beauty of this was discovering that he was a smart boy who wanted something to do, wanted to
learn, wanted to please his foster mom. He moved on to two sessions of advanced work, and was
very dependable with all of the basic commands. In addition to the usual cute pictures, his available
page showed a graduate sporting a snazzy mortarboard, a calm dog doing a group down-stay, and a handsome boy heeling beside his trainer on a loose lead.

At any given time, FBRN has dozens of very cute dogs vying for the perfect forever home. How does one choose? In Licorice’s case, the successful applicant was attracted to him because he had some obedience training. He was able to move into a home where he will be exercised on a leash, and handled by two very responsible young men of 7 and 11 years. His new owners are so impressed with his accomplishments that they are considering adding a CGC (AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification) to his
resume.

Dogs no longer wander in packs searching for their next meal, so they need some replacement activity
or they get bored. That boredom is often behind all sorts of destructive behavior and the reason so
many dogs find themselves in rescue, wondering what in the world they did to be abandoned. So whether your dog is the love of your life or a foster looking for a forever home, consider training. It might be just tricks, basic civility, or competing in dog-sports such as rally or agility, but working with your dog is the best way to solidify that all-important bond. Try it, you and your dog might really like it."

It's almost time for kids to go back to school.  Maybe it's about that time for you and your frog, too? suggests

The Frog Princess

Vela Goes Shopping!

Some of our dogs are more fashion-conscious than others.  Vela has an entire wardrobe and never tires of making trips to the boutique for another outfit. 




 Here she is with her best friend and fashion consultant, Spock.

When she's adopted, she'll need a small walk-in of her own.

  

 Let's face it, some girls just have more style-sense than others.

 

 

And some girls just have that oo la la!

Not everyone can pull off every look. 

But Vela has an advantage.



She's French!


Check out Velamint's page and see if she might be the girl you've been waiting for. 

Just be sure you are prepared to put some mileage on your Canine Couture credit card, advises

The Frog Princess