Bugsy Siegel

The Bugsy Siegel of mob legend may not have spent much time in Florida, though his partner and pal Meyer Lansky certainly did. Still, we expect if Bugsy had visited Eff Ell Ay, he'd have spent his days much as his namesake does--lounging by the pool, passing time with pretty girls and soaking up some sunshine. Here's a note from Bugsy's foster mom on Bugsy's progress from skinny little street urchin to healthy, husky frogdog:

"Bugsy Siegel went back to visit all his old friends at the vet today. He was a very popular guy with everyone he met. The staff was so thrilled to see him looking so well. Since his last visit he has put on 2.6 lbs and now weighs 27.7 lbs! He is
still thin, but we're definitely making progress. I have been putting in some ointment for his dry eye and it has stimulated his tear production in both eyes and they were very, very pleased with how his eyes were looking. Because he was so emaciated when he first arrived, had such an awful infection and was so anemic from all his bloody diarrhea they want him to stay on the ZD and ID dog food for another couple of weeks. His housebreaking is going well thanks to my dogs and the doggy door. Each day more of his personality emerges and he shows more interest in the nylabones and playing with my dogs. He loves the car and is an excellent passenger and walks like a dream on a leash. He is a velcro dog unlike any I have ever known. He is always under foot and sleeps so close to me at night in bed that I feel as if I'm getting hot flashes!

He has come a very long way in only 3 weeks and will be a great dog for someone."

He's definitely got an air of mystery and he shares Bugsy Siegel's good looks as well as his name. We think it's even money that Bugsy will be on the available page shortly, wagers

The Frog Princess

Your Frenchie, A Joy Forever

Here's a note from our auction and eBay organizing maven:

"Donated to the French Bulldog Rescue Network (FBRN) to help raise funds for our rescue dogs is a custom artistic rendering of a photo of your frenchie! This poster size print will be based on the highest bidder's submission to the artist who will create a memorable keepsake of your beloved! See examples of previous work on this post. Your own dog's portrait will be unique.

Place your bid now because the auction will end on Monday, August 31st. Please send your minimum bid of $75.00 to: bestna61@aol.com

All proceeds benefit the rescue frenchies of FBRN! Thank you."

Ask any Frenchie if he thinks his silly mug should be commemorated in an original piece of artwork and what do you think his answer will be?

Go to the head of the class! praises

The Frog Princess

Mabel Cleans Up

What are you having, kid?


Mabel, formerly known as Bristol, is enjoying her summer with her new mom's young relations. We received a note from Mabel's mom Melanie:



"The boy'll have a root beer. Make mine a Shirley Temple."


"Thought I would share some pics from this past weekend--she took a bath with my nephew! She is doing much better on potty training--still have to watch her when we
get back from the dog park--she drinks so much water and it takes hours for her to let it all back out! She absolutely loves kids! she would rather have play dates with
kids than other dogs! She still misses [foster sibling] Vinnie! I hear there are two other Frenchies that go to our dog park--but we haven't met them --Hope you are doing well--Melanie and Mabel"


"OK. He's cut off."


It's very hard to know when to say when when the fun is going strong. We are advocates of moderation in root beer consumption. Unless there is a scoop of ice cream involved. Where root beer floats are concerned, moderation goes out the window, confesses

The Frog Princess

Ask Frog Princess: Do You Ever Set Up Meet and Greets before Adoption?

Sherlock watches tv with FBRN grad, Reggie
Here's another question from the Frog Princess' mailbag:

"Does FBRN ever set up meet and greets between potential adopters' pets and the future adoptee before the adoption proceeds? If there are several applications, might be a way to further screen."

Hello! Yes, the foster parent can choose to take the foster dog to a home visit if the applicant is within reasonable distance. If the foster dog has any tendencies to be reactive to new situations or other dogs, it's a very good idea to introduce the potential housemates to each other on neutral ground--a park, perhaps--and then walk the dogs back to the applicant's home.


New kid Max-o-million grinning ear to ear!

In many cases, the applicant is applying from a distant region, and in those cases our home visits are conducted by volunteers in the area. The volunteer may bring a dog along with her to the home visit and see how the resident canine takes to a newcomer.

Thank you for the question!

The Frog Princess

Fergus Alerts Us!

Deaf and uptight young Fergus, the guy we like to call the Bed Burglar on account of his sneaky way of easing backward into an already occupied dogbed, has revealed yet another aspect of his personality: Mighty Hunter!

In the following email, his foster mom describes some of the training she's doing with Fergus to desensitize him to new stimula.

"My routine with Fergus is 2 training sessions a day 10-30 mins each, less on busier workdays, more on days off. We continue to work on his fear/anxiety of anything outside of our house/yard. So our walks started with just around the yard and patio, then to the front and around the garage. Next came on the sidewalk in front of the house, eventually progressing down the street and back home, then up the street and back.

Each of these areas continue until he starts to lessen in the anxiety and tense body language. We are sticking with our street for now, as soon as we get to the busy intersection, more people, dogs, etc, he is not able to focus or take treats as well. The licking increases, he looks like he's gripping the sidewalk, etc. When we get to an area like that, I back it up to where he's relaxed again, then we stay near that section for a bit, before heading back home. Next time we extend a few steps, a block, or whatever is working. He's getting really good at catching cheese bits, will do a drop butt sit when I stop. He's also learning "watch me" instead of the treat hand. I've been holding the treat to a right or left side, and he gets the reward when he looks away from that and at me, once he gets that we make it tougher by extending the time, or I'll hold a treat in each hand, when he locks eyes - jackpot.
He's learned gimme five, and working on stay, he'll army crawl under my legs, but getting him in a down - still working on it.

Tenacious RODENT detector at your service: A few weeks ago, Fergus started to act a bit nutty. This is not all that unusual, he has told off the "other white deaf frenchie" in the mirror, reflected in the fireplace, and also the one in the glass doors when it's dark. So when he started to do this at the bathroom door, then barking at my closet door, sniffing like crazy, we said "what is it boy - is timmy in the well?" We opened the bathroom door and let him inspect, he kept going to the heat vent and in my closet is the door to the crawl space, he went bonkers sniffing and barking there. Then he did it at the kitchen heat vent, and some of the vents to the crawl space outside. TJ opened the crawl space door, inspected and saw no evidence of anything. This continued off and on, somewhat randomly. Then Wookie started to sniff 2 of the 5 areas that Fergus was at. Rat traps were put down and TJ really looked around but didn't see anything, and the heat vents are closed off so he couldn't understand what that was about.

WELL - yesterday TJ was finally able to get down and dirty and crawl under there, he still saw no prints, nothing - crazy dog. UNTIL he reached almost the front section of our house, which is furthest from where he went cuckoo, and low and behold.....a carcass, and evidence of nesting. YUCK. We had been checking all our pantry stuff, dog food is up on shelf in the garage, nothing has been tampered with. Fergus got some goooood treats, good boy, good dog, ferocious hunter triumphs at last. Victory is sweet, but chicken is best."

He sleeps the sleep of the righteous and the just, approves
The Frog Princess

Diving Miss Maisy

Little Miss Maisy was surrendered because she has a skin condition that is quite likely to resolve over time, but which put off some members of her family. They opted to surrender her to rescue, and we are so glad to have her with us! The growths on her face are diminished and she is proving to be a wonderful source of exercise and amusement for the resident Frenchies in her foster home. Here's a recent note from her foster mom:

"Well our Little Miss Maisy is a HOOT!

We took her for a walk in the woods by my house where there is a very shallow stream. She was so intrigued by the running water she had the most AMAZING puppy fit I've ever seen!
Granted, both of my dogs were over 3 when I adopted them, so she is my first frenchie puppy experience ... but it was hysterical! She nibbled at the water and zoomed around in circles like a rocket. I love it when they run so fast, it seems like their back end might actually pass up their front end :)

After her outback adventure, I decided it was time to try Maisy with a bath and pedicure. She was good as gold ... even when I trimmed her nails! Maisy ... who holds still for nothing! She sat calmly in the tub while I scrubbed and trimmed. She is so beautiful and sweet and smart and playful. Honestly, people. :)

Here are a couple of pics of our little cutie-pied. One of her "feed me, I'm cute" face, one of her passed out on D's feet and one of her "crazy face" - look at those pearly whites! She's adorable!"

Adorable is the very word for her, concurs
The Frog Princess

By Pupular Demand!

Puppies! At their first week anniversary!

First, some sad news. Despite our best efforts and a week of near sleepless nights with help from friends and the best veterinary intervention, one of the brindle girls passed away.



Fading is something that happens sometimes and there is little understanding why. Some pups fade and can be brought back, and some fade and die. Breeding puppies is a heartbreaking thing, and it is not for the faint of heart or the uneducated. Want to teach the kids about the miracle of birth? OK. But you should also be prepared to teach them about the very sad reality of death.

Would the outcome have been different had we known earlier that the mom was pregnant? We can't think about that. There's no point in thinking about that.



The good news is, the little girl with the umbilical problem is thriving, and with a couple surgeries down the line, she should be happy and healthy!

We want to say thank you so much to our friends for their sleepless nights, their worry, their loving care and their tears for the loss of the pup. Another friend is flying in to spell our foster mom some nights so she and her family can get some rest--that's friendship.

Considering how much we love our own 8 hours uninterrupted slumber, that is TRUE friendship, declares

The Frog Princess

FBRN on eBay!

Currently on eBay are 4 items that have been donated to FBRN to help raise funds for our foster dogs. Please visit the links below. All proceeds benefit the rescue dogs of FBRN so bid high. Thank you.

Shelton Brooks sheet music


dog collar with silver frogs


French Bulldog print


Ruehl French Bulldog pajama bottoms

Puppies Are Here!

Wanna see a picture? No?

Just teasing! Here they are. Adorable, no?


3 girls: 2 brindle girls and a cream or fawn girl; 1 black masked fawn boy. From left to right in the photo: girl, boy, girl, girl.

One of the puppies has a hernia (not a serious problem) or a malformed urethra (very serious problem). Please keep a good thought for all the puppies.

Daizy Mae has milk, all the puppies have latched on, and Daizy Mae is a relaxed, easygoing mom.



Adorable, YES! votes

The Frog Princess

Daizy is on her way into surgery! There will be puppies!

Keep a good thought for her and the babies.

The Frog Princess

French Fry UPDATE

Here's the newest post about our French Fry:

"Little Miss French Fry is doing wonderful. She is able to push herself up but can't get her back legs set completely under her. If we help her she is able to hold herself up for a very short period before sinking back down. We continue to do the massage and range of motion with her and she enjoys it very much. She will just rest her head on you and fall asleep. She goes for a recheck and to have her staples removed on Monday. Once the staples are out we can do hydrotherapy with her. She is off all her meds now and sometimes still shows a little discomfort but never whines or cries. She bounces like a ball in happiness when she sees you. She is the sweetest thing and gives happy little snorts and grunts when being held. She is fast stealing our hearts the way all little frenchies should."

That's the way to show them how it's done, French Fry!

The Frog Princess

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

I hear there's babies comin'--twos and twos!


One of a pair of Frenchies we accepted recently is great with froglettes! Looks like 4 of 'em! Looks like any day now. Maybe even tomorrow. Yikes!

Daizy Mae isn't even on the website yet, but if you'd like to buy her a layette for her puppies, you can do that here. In the comments section of the paypal screen, just tell us it's for the puppies.

Oh, my, what a story there is to tell. Daizy Mae and her littermate Bear were accidentally allowed to consort while Daizy was in season. Her mom had to give them both up and surrendered them to us to a first time foster mom. We didn't know the girl was enciente, and when we found out we had to scramble to find a family with the knowledge and access to a vet who could handle a delivery of pups who'd had no prenatal care until the final two weeks or so of her pregnancy.

A friend of FBRN, not even a volunteer, but a supporter and a friend, came to our rescue by finding someone who could take Daizy through her final days of pregnancy, delivery and the very important first weeks of the puppies' life. She isn't a volunteer, either. Why do we have to rely on the kindness of friends and strangers? Because we don't have enough volunteers in Southern California to take the dogs we receive. We don't understand this, since Frenchies are in the top ten most popular dogs in both NoCal and SoCal. But there it is. Puzzling but true. (Say, if you live in California and you would like to help us with our flood of Frenchies, check out this page and get in touch with Kathi Luljak, our volunteer coordinator. We really need foster homes in California.)

So our wonderful friend, who is a breeder, and his wonderful friend are doing FBRN a big, BIG favor and caring for Daizy's newly whelped puppies and their mom. Our friend has asked his very experienced reproduction-specialist vet to take care of the puppies, so Daizy will have top-drawer care from a bulldog knowledgeable vet. Here's what we learned today about Daizy Mae's condition:


"The summary of today's visit is:

There still appear to be four puppies and four heartbeats.

Because she saw defined heads and spines on the x-ray taken 7/14, her educated guess was the pups were 7-10 days from birth on 7/14. Yes your math is right, she is due at any moment.

A progesterone test was done today and today is NOT the day. Another test will be run tomorrow morning with results in hours. Things can change fast so it could be tomorrow.

Daisy did eat and drink today so she also thinks today is not the day.

Daisy has swollen front paws that appear due to allergies and secondary yeast. I've seen much worse. She has a yeast issue in one ear. They will flush at time of surgery. No mites. Again, not terrible.

I found Daisy to be a VERY sweet, happy, and calm girl. She was calmer at the vet than any of my girls ever are. She is going to make someone a wonderful pet when adopted. She appears to love kids, dogs, vets, everything. She wags her tail a lot and tries to get in her foster mom's and her daughter's laps as if she has known them forever. She weighed 24 1/2 pounds today and I would guess her natural weight is around 20.


Further update / pupdate tomorrow late morning / early afternoon unless something changes.

Go Daisy!"

Ooh, Little Daizy Mae! We are all going to be thinking good thoughts for you and hoping for the best! We hope our supporters will send you some moola and we can't wait to see your puppies!

We are as excited as anyone to hear the story of Daizy Mae's delivery, and we will come back and report as soon as we hear anything. That's a promise from

The Frog Princess

PS We are very envious of that delightful bag in the lowermost photo. Perhaps four puppies could fit in there one day?

Friday: Hormone levels haven't risen, and Daizy had some breakfast. Maybe tonight or tomorrow, but not today!

Saturday update: Hormone levels are holding steady! Probably not going to be today.

Contest for Young Frogdog Fans!

Fergus, FBRN foster and sneaky snuggler.



The deadline for our JV Photo & Video Contest, August 19, will be here before you know it. Please do send any interested young person (ages 4-18) to our website for contest details.

Official JV membership is not required to participate. Nor must the Frenchie be an FBRN frog, with the exception of the Super Fantastic Extra Special Bonus Contest.

FBRN foster Gui and Lily


Don't have any kids in your immediate family? I will bet that your frenchie has a fanclub that may include a small person. FBRN graduate, Reggie, is a regular celebrity in his neighborhood. Often heard when out walking is "Reggie!" followed by the galloping of a gaggle of kids running out to say hello. Certainly Reggie and his pal, Brook, are not the only frogs who stop traffic when they're out about town.

Polka Dot and a Pal!


It's as easy as pie to direct folks to our website. Make mention the JV Contest. Our secret panel of judges would love big numbers to view and choose from. Another terrific place for spreading the word is at your local frenchie meetup group.

FBRN grad Waffle and his brother, Rambler


An official or unofficial JV'er could make their Frenchie famous!

Don't delay. Frenchie photo and video opportunity is now!
Future FBRN volunteers may well start right here.

Thanks to Lesley Jensen for organizing the contest!

Carmen Goes to Work

We tried very hard to make some kind of pun out of Carmen Goes and Karmann Ghia, but we just couldn't make it happen. Probably the cook has been substituting decaf for our regular high-octane coffee again. She's only got the two heads remaining, one would think the silly thing would get a clue after we lopped off the first 3.


She's always forgetting that though a less twitchy and accelerated monarch may seem more appealing, caffeine withdrawal makes for a cranky monarch. And an armed and irritable monarch is a dangerous thing.

Here is a photo and a story for you about Carmy, our foster girl with the 100 watt smile who goes to work sometimes in an unnamed county in an unnamed state in an unnamed country. We don't want anyone to get fussed at, so we'll leave it that way.

"Today Carmy decided she needed a job and is helping out in animal control dispatch for the day. My work has shots clinics and she got all her shots updated and a county tag for $10...an easy donation. She was an instant hit and will continue her volunteer time in dispatch until I'm off work!

Now if only I could find a small child to see if she is child friendly....humm."

Perhaps that foolish cook has an extra child we could experiment with, sleepily but vengefully schemes

The Frog Princess

A French Fry that is GOOD for YOU!

Meet one of our newest Frenchies, French Fry. She was taken to a shelter to be euthanized when her owners discovered that she was down in the back. The shelter gave them a phone number for one of our volunteers, the owners then met with a volunteer and French Fry was transported to a different volunteer with lots of experience with paralyzed dogs.

The first vet the owners saw thought Frenchie'd never walk again, and we were fine with that; we thought we'd get her a cart and let her zip around.
Our volunteer, however, noticed that on the first morning she was at her foster home, French Fry was up and trying to walk. She also noticed that the injury must be recent, because there was no muscle wasting in her back or legs. Our volunteer got her in to see her wonderful vet for a consult that day, and by the evening, French Fry was set up for an MRI and surgery, if needed. The vet deeply discounted his fee, so the greatest cost to us was the MRI.

Turns out, French Fry's chances of a full recovery are quite good. She had a slipped disk, which was repaired, and she is doing very well. She's in good spirits, is eating well and has recovered from the pretty severe case of dehydration she had upon arrival. Give this girl 4 to 8 weeks of recovery, and we are hoping she'll be as good as new.

If you haven't checked out our website cover this week, we hope you will skitter on over and take a peek. We are all especially proud of it. Our volunteer Julie Farrell did the artwork. If you can spare a dime or a dollar, we could really use the funds. French Fry might be the last spinal-injured dog we'll be able to try to surgically fix until our reserves are replenished. Given the choice, we love to see an injured dog walk again--a cart is a distant second choice for a dog with a good chance of a full recovery.


Keep an eye out for French Fry on the available page. We'll update you as she goes through her recovery process, promises

The Frog Princess

Sat morning update from French Fry's foster mom: "French Fry is doing very well. She was trying to stand last evening and has a little more movement in her left leg. The Dr. says that because of the slipped disk putting the pressure on the right side it will be a little slower in coming back. She is eating well. They are checking her badder and expressing it if need be until she has full control over it again."

Sun morning update:

"Well, the little girl is home and doing very well. She is trying to push herself up in the rear. She seems to be very comfortable and wants to be with her foster brother as bad as he wants to be with her. She is strict crate rest for 10 days, then is allowed room rest but no outside time, other than potty breaks. She goes for a follow up with the neurologist in 7 to 10 days. He is very nice and met with us today to go over everything. He went over the MRI and showed the slides explaining everything about it. Reviewed her lab which was normal. He is a very personable man just like her surgeon is. He speaks with a British accent. I believe another one of our frenchies have turned another doctor to the dark side. He is so smitten with her and even went so far as to ask about when she would go up for adoption and how our process works. He acted like he didn't want to give her back. That will be great to have a neurologist on our frenchies' side. Here are some pictures of our yummy French Fry with staples on top. HeHe!! I know--making fun of the invalids is not nice."

We agree with that assessment of that joke, French Fry! It earns a raspberry from you as well as

The Frog Princess

"Boogie nights duh dunh dunh BOOGie nights..."

We just love our old boys and girls. People give up their old dogs for a variety of reasons.

We got Nite from a vet clinic when they were able to talk his owners out of putting him to sleep.

The owners claimed he was leaking urine. We aren't calling them liars, but we've seen no evidence of that problem in the weeks that we've had him. We did see evidence of a kind-hearted vet and clinic staff, though. The vet tech intern even came in on her day off to make sure that Nite had a shampoo, and his ears were clean, and he had a toenail clip before he left. Nite was looking his best and feeling clean and shiny when our volunteer came by to pick him up. We were very touched by that gesture of kindness.


Such a handsome elderly Frenchie. His foster mom and dad are just smitten with him. We laid out some serious scratch for this old school dancing fool, and it was worth it to see him feeling so much better. Here's what his foster mom said:


"Nite, or Boogie Nite, as my husband affectionately calls him, had surgery on Tuesday to clean up his poor mouth and teeth and remove two (which turned out to be 3) growths. He ended up having 9 teeth removed, the remaining ones cleaned, a benign growth in his mouth removed (it was growing over a back molar and down into his trachea), a growth on his lower lip removed and a suspicious growth in his groin area removed. My vet just called with the biopsy results on the last two growths. The one on the lip was a benign squamous papilloma. The one on the groin was a stage 1 mast cell with clean margins, so no further treatment is necessary - yay!

Nite is doing very well. He has recovered from his UTI, and enjoys lounging around. All my dogs love him, but my young boys play a little too rough for the oldster with pretty major orthopedic issues (very dysplastic in both hips and severe spinal arthritis). So they enjoy each other through an ex-pen... Nite gets plenty of cuddle time with us and is real joy to have here.
He will be going available soon. I was just waiting for the biopsy results."

Look at this boy's noble face! Imagine wanting to put him down for the crime of growing old! A sad day for all of us when someone can do something so inhumane. And what a reason to celebrate when those foul plans are foiled!

Meanwhile, in common with approximately 100 per cent of our volunteers, we ourselves admit to feelings of profound smittency as we regard this elderly animal's animal vitality, and also to experiencing an inexplicable urge to stand up and Do the Hustle! And believe us when we tell you that that urge is a sensation which is quite unnerving to one with as many candles on her cake as

The Frog Princess

PS Today happens to be Nite's birthday! Join us in lifting a glass of something cool and refreshing in his honor!

Can We Get a Trumpet Flourish, Please?

Prince has arrived.



Prince's ability to escape his family's yard no matter what measures they took to contain him led the family to fear for his safety.



They found FBRN and we promised to find a family that would be a great fit for Prince.



So far, Prince has shown no escapist tendencies in his foster home, but foster dogs have fooled us in the past; they can sometimes take a few weeks to exhibit the behaviors that got them surrendered in the first place.




Meanwhile, Prince's foster family is keeping him occupied, providing lots of stimulation, and never letting him out in the yard alone.

Prince is a young dog, and he'll need exercise in his new home, whether it's fetch in a well-secured yard or a walk or two a day. He's not a set it and forget it kind of frog.





If you are looking for a Frenchie to have a catch with or to walk around the park with, keep an eye out for this beautiful boy and when he becomes available,
pounce on Prince!



He's a callow youth but comely withal, approves

The Frog Princess