Feisty and Super Smart!

So, yes, the person who surrendered Stevie to a shelter claims Stevie bit a toddler who tried to steal his toy.  But, let's be honest--haven't we all wanted to bite a toddler from time to time?  (No? Really? OK--Perhaps we are alone in that.)

We're just suggesting that not all toddlers are angelic little cherubs.  There's a reason the trope of The Bad Seed keeps getting play in films and books and comic strips.  And, of course, even relatively good kids aren't born knowing that you can't steal a dog's toy.  That's not kosher.  And since kids don't know any better, parents have got to be, you know, parents and not let kids steal dogs' toys. 

And if parents won't be parents and teach kids not to steal dogs' toys, then the dogs themselves will do it--and some dogs are better at gauging how much discipline is required than others.  Stevie might have taken the correction of the insolent hairless puppy a little too far.

All we know is, apart from a nibble at his first foster mom's foot, Stevie has been a good boy in his second foster home.  It's true that before his foster mom taught him that the crate was a place where cookies rained and good things happened, he got a little irritable when he was made to go inside, but that's over now. 

We figured out what Stevie's problem is.  You know those videos of polar bears getting to play with pumpkins, and sea otters getting big blocks of ice with fish frozen inside?  Zookeepers do that stuff to keep the animals' brains engaged and to keep them from getting bored.  Stevie is smart.  The boy needs ENRICHMENT! He likes ACTION! 

Stevie is a bright boy and he needs to be engaged and active and he needs to have his brains exercised.  This is really a great kind of dog for a person who likes dogs, because it means that you both get to really enjoy each others' whole being.  Stevie gets to be the best he can be when he's learning and responding to his person, and his person gets to enjoy figuring out how to keep Stevie occupied and what turns his crank. 

Are you active?  Intelligent?  Interested in a dog that is as active and intelligent as you?  Check out Stevie's page.  

He's a great little guy, and he's looking for a family willing to spend some time and creative energy with him.

Not too much to ask, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess

Concerned about the Adoption Fees?

FROM TIME TO TIME, we hear detractors of rescue dismissing FBRN and our fellow rescue groups as being in it "for the money." They point to the high cost of adopting a dog from FBRN and make uninformed, cynical statements about how we must be raking in the dough. They may use the fees we charge as evidence that rescue is no better than backyard breeders, and they may ask why anyone would surrender a dog to us for free when they could sell their dog on Craigslist and get some money, just like FBRN does.

In truth, it is wise to do what our mothers would tell us to do in the face of these sorts of claims: Consider the source.

Still, criticism, however unfair and unfounded, can sting. So one of our volunteers has put together a graphic for us to look at from 2012. As you can see, the median amount FBRN spent on dogs in our care was $391 (median means half the bills we received were above $391 and half were below). Honestly, we don't know if that is an accurate number in terms of real veterinary costs, because many of our foster families pick up vet bills on their own and don't ask for reimbursement.

If you add up all the vet bills and divide by the number of dogs we fostered last year, the mean, or average, is $811. Our highest adoption fee is $700, and that is for a healthy puppy. We receive very few healthy puppies.
       Click on the graphics to enlarge.

FBRN is here for the dogs, and we do the best we can for every dog we take in.

When you look at the final graphic, you might be surprised. Though it might seem our adoption fees are so high because we are covering our expenditures with the fees, in fact, adoption fees account for just a little over 25% of our budget. Most of our budget comes from small donations made by our supporters who are moved to sponsor a foster dog. We raise a fair bit of money during our Facebook auctions and local fundraisers, and we are grateful for the occasional grant we receive, but the highest percentage of our budget comes from our supporters. (Did you know we are an all-volunteer organization? Our board of directors, foster parents and transporters are all in it for the love of the dogs, not a paycheck.)
Many visitors to our site like to dream of the day when they will own a Frenchie, maybe from FBRN or maybe from a dedicated, responsible breeder. We sincerely hope no one who visits this site will purchase a puppy sight unseen over the Internet or from a pet shop! But consider this: applying for a dog from FBRN is about looking to help a dog who needs help. Not all the dogs on these pages are perfect puppies. Mostly they are dogs with special needs, both behavioral and physical. Many are senior dogs. Some have been mistreated. Some have been neglected. Many come with baggage. Most will require extra effort in training, medical care, and attention.
Don't come to rescue to get an "inexpensive" French bulldog. Even though we vet our dogs thoroughly, and we don't place them until they are healthy or have a lifelong treatment plan in place, many adopters discover they will spend a great deal more on a rescue dog than they would on a full-priced, healthy dog from a reputable breeder when all is said and done.
Come to rescue to adopt your dog because you want to help a dog who has had a hard go of it. Apply for a rescue dog because you have something to offer and because you want to help a dog who needs it. Choose to support rescue because of the work rescue does.

The next time you hear someone say that rescue is in it for the money, come home, boot up your computer and read some of the stories on these pages. We--our supporters, our volunteers, our adopters--know we are in it for the dogs. If you don't believe it, just do the math.

Mr. Ages: Wise and Wonderful. And Waiting.

Cast your mind back to your youth and a little Don Bluth picture called The Secret of Nimh.*

You may recall that amongst the cast of characters there was an elderly, cantankerous, curmudgeonly medicine-mouse named Mr. Ages. 

A couple of months ago, a Good Samaritan acquired a dog for sale for $100 from a puppy mill breeder who intended selling him to another breeder.  This dog was nine years old at the time, well past the age when a responsible breeder will put a dog into retirement.  The dog had a mouthful of loose teeth and an enormous, swollen jaw and face from an untreated salivary gland infection.  It was all the same to the breeder, and a hunnert bucks is a hunnert bucks, amirite?

Our Good Samaritan wasn't going to let this nine-year-old dog get passed from one lousy breeder to an even worse one, so she acquired him and named him Mr. Ages, since he'd escaped the clutches of the lab
puppy mill people, and she was sure the old guy had some usefulness and life in him, yet.

And right she was.

After going to the dentist and losing ten of his rotting teeth (and the deadly breath that resulted), our hero still had some seriously infected ears and that scary-looking, swollen jaw.

But after a bit of surgery, during which he was neutered and his salivary gland drained, and some antibiotics for his infected ear, Mr. Ages has emerged a healthier, happier frogdog!

In fact, he's SO healthy and happy he has found himself on the available page!  Unlike his namesake, our Mr. Ages is not cantankerous, nor is he curmudgeonly (though we will say he prefers not to share his toys--but he's lived nine years without a single one, so can you blame him?), and it turns out he's a premier snuggle buggy.  Get a load of this guy, soaking up the snuggles on BOTH sides!  Is that some excellent snuggly form or what?

Sure, he may be a lowly puppy mill survivor with few of the airs and graces of a housepet, but he's got all the moves of a "to the manor born" Frenchie when it comes time to get his snuggles.  Might be instinctual.  Maybe he's a quick study.  Either way, he's a master.

Have you got a soft spot for older dogs who need a second chance to be loved for the first time?  You couldn't ask for a better candidate than Mr. Ages to lavish your affection and kindness on.

After nine years in a cage, he's waiting for a family to want him for himself alone, not because he can put money in their pocket.  He wants to spend the next few years cuddled between a couple of people on a couch or in a puppy pile of happy dogs on a comfy bed.  If you have a little room in your life and your home for an old man, check out his available page.


He's waited nine years.  That's long enough.

Too long, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess






*Based on the book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H. by Robert O'Brien.

Brindle Bitch with a Heart of Gold

She's got a bite history.  She doesn't like puppies.  She won't share her toys.

You know her kind.


She's a Frenchie bitch.

She's the Chanel suit of Frenchie girls, the classic that never goes out of style; she's the little bitch we love to love.

Lillebette wants you to love her and her alone.  She doesn't want to compete for your attention.  By God, she shouldn't have to.

It's her world, sir or madame, you are just living in it.  And while you are sitting there, living in her world, you could be rubbing her tummy or sharing your body heat with a little snoogle time. It's good to have a purpose.  Loving Lillebette could be your purpose.  Get on that, please.

Learn more about this classic number on her available page.

We'd never admit to resembling this stereotypical figure of Frenchie femininity, sniffs

The Frog Princess

Emmet's wish

FBRN grad, Emmet, has a Christmas wish. 

His wish is that all dogs will have homes and be loved.

That's a wish that is shared by everyone at FBRN and

The Frog Princess

Home for Christmas!

Miss Toots will be home for Christmas!

Bleu will be baking Christmas cookies for all his friends in his new home!

Ivanka gets to hang her stocking on the chimney this year!

Smoochie will join a family with kitties and bunnies!

Alexander will be up late listening for hoofbeats and drinking mulled cider on Christmas Eve.

Cassandra is predicting a Happy New Year for her family!

No matter where you are or who you are spending the holidays with, FBRN wishes you joy and peace on Christmas and every day.

The Frog Princess

Minkie Meets Some Weather!

Many of our fosters are being introduced to some pretty chilly weather this winter!  Minkie, a foster in Texas, got a case of the zoomies after stepping out into some refreshing and rare white stuff!

Minkie has a hitch in her giddyup as a consequence of spina bifida, but her neurologist says she's in no pain, she doesn't need a cart, and she doesn't need special treatment--he says, "Just let her LIVE!"  So that's what she's doing!

In November, we found that Minkie might have a liver shunt, and we are waiting on results to tell us what to do next, if anything.  Meanwhile, Minkie is preparing for her first Christmas and is definitely on the "NICE" list!

If you'd like to sponsor young Minkie, you can do that by going to our donation page.

Minkie is getting a great start, and it's all thanks to our donors and her wonderful foster mom!

The Frog Princess

December Fundraiser! Stuck for a gift idea for your favorite Frenchie fancier?

Ponder no more!

We're hosting a very special NAUGHTY OR NICE fundraiser featuring original artwork designed exclusively for FBRN by our friends at Diesel & Juice!

Order your very own limited edition "Naughty or Nice" print for $30. There were only 200 5x7 prints made, so hurry before they're gone!

Donate $30 thru this link to purchase: http://frenchbulldogrescue.org/help-fbrn/donate/

 

US & Canada Residents: Shipping is included.
Other Countries: Please donate an extra $10 to cover the additional cost of shipping.

***************
Forward your Paypal receipt with mailing address to letitia.wallace@fbrn.net. You MUST forward your receipt to Letitia so we know where to send your print!
***************

All of your donations will go into our foster Frenchies' piggie banks - our foster Frenchies are racking up over $30,000 a month in vet bills! Whether naughty or nice, we love all of our fosters and know they will have a very merry holiday season with your support.

(Please note, Diesel & Juice copyright will not appear on the actual art you receive.)

Any frog lover would love to have these frogs, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess

Lillebette Is on the Mend!

Lillebette did something to her neck and has spent the past 2 months or so on crate rest.  "Crate rest" sounds as sad and pitiful as it is for an affectionate and active girl like Lillebette.

But now she's feeling much better, and she has returned to her place as ruler of the roost!  Her family is working to rebuild her muscle tone with exercise, and she'll be available on the Dec 14 website update.

Here's the note her foster mom sent: 

"November's been good to Lillebette and she's headed back to the available page. After nearly 7 weeks of rest and treatments, Lillebette is recovered from her neck injury and is no longer on medication or crate rest. We are still monitoring her activity levels, but feeling very optimistic about her future.
Now that she's free to come out of her crate/pen and play she's really showing us her fun playful side. Thanksgiving day she was in her glory, showing off all her ball chasing and laser light pouncing skills for our son and his girlfriend.

Just this last week we discovered that she likes to chase the laser light, so this is a great way for her to get a little exercise in the dry comfort of our house.
She's also the sweetest, cuddle buddy. I can't sit down anywhere without her wanting to be right up beside me or lounging across my lap.
She's made serious progress on her people meeting skills, but not much has changed with her attitude toward unfamiliar dogs. She does play with our grand-dog, but it's very brief before she turns snarky. And she does not like to share her toys.
One on one with us in our home she's the best little dog. We've grown to love this sweet thing and it's going to be tough to let her go, but we recognize there's a perfect match out there for this special pup.
With a little extra holiday magic, she'll find her forever family by Christmas."
 
She's a very good girl and she's in the Pacific NW--FBRN doesn't get many dogs up thataway.  If a brindle girl with a good heart and a wish to be your only pet is on your Christmas list, you should be johnny on the spot after the next website update and fill out your application double quick, that's the excellent advice of

The Frog Princess