A Special Delivery

FBRN's whole purpose for existing is to serve the needs of French Bulldogs in trouble. Some dogs' situations are so perilous that immediate action is required. FBRN is very fortunate to have many, many volunteers willing to literally drop everything to respond to a call. In the following post, Southern California state contact Lesley Sailor describes the events of this past Friday, when she had to act quickly to prevent a terrible situation from worsening to a fatal one: On Friday, May 26th at around 11:30am I received a call from a man wanting to relinquish his 3 yr old, 30# import frenchie who was 60 days from mating with the next door neighbor's chocolate Lab. He was preparing to take her to the local bulldog vet but didn't believe he had the funds or the means to care for her and her puppies any longer. He told me he had fallen on hard times financially and that he had 3 children. He said that she was being kept as an outdoor dog and wanted to give her over to FBRN so that she could get the care and attention that she deserved. He also said that Mama was not getting along with their female Boxer and the two would fight frequently over food. In the photos, the wounds on her head were probably a result of these fights.

I met her former owner on my lunch hour for him to sign the surrender form. I visited with Mama through the open car door and it appeared that she was already in labor. Unfortunately, Mama arrived with no collar, leash, bed or toys; it was clear that she had not been treated as a beloved house pet in a while. Her former owner admitted to this and said he felt bad about it. I asked her former owner to please drop her off with my vet since we had been unsuccessful in reaching the local bully specialist.When I spoke with my vet a few hours later, she had already performed the c-section and spay and delivered 3 healthy French Bulldog/Labrador crosses. There are 2 girls and one chubby little boy. The vet said that Mama had severe ear infections in both ears, which were likely caused by allergies. Unfortunately, she could not treat the infection immediately due to the nursing puppies.

Since this was my first experience with puppies, I recruited my friend, Wendy, to help. Mama and the babies spent the night at Wendy's house because Wendy doesn't have any dogs, and I was concerned about how my dogs might react to Mama and the pups. Wendy took excellent care of the little family throughout the night and Saturday, sleeping little and marvelling at Mama's good parenting skills. Mama turned out to be an amazing mom and took to her role right away. Saturday evening, Wendy & I drove Mama and the puppies up to meet their new foster mom half way. We're all relieved that she's in a stable, safe, loving foster home now and will be able to settle in and raise her puppies in peace.

UPDATE: Mama had to be taken to the Emergency Vet tonight, Sunday, because she had a high temperature. Apparently it was due to the pain. My vet could not give Mama any meds for the pain because of the nursing puppies. The E-Vet found a medication that is safe for use with nursing puppies, thank goodness. We hope she'll be feeling better soon!

Lesley's post details just the first 30 hours or so of Mama's time with FBRN. Remarkable to think that a man with a dog in labor requiring surgery, could call a stranger, meet her, and deliver the dog into FBRN's care in less than an hour. And that FBRN could find an experienced puppy home willing to take in a litter of pups in 24 hours? We amaze ourselves. We are so proud of our volunteers. And we are very grateful to our donors, who made this rescue possible.

FBRN isn't yet sure how we will place the puppies. This is unknown territory for us, and the Board will have to decide how best to handle this situation. Meanwhile, Mama is warm and dry, eating well and watching over the pups' tiny adventures as they explore the world beyond the fuzzy bed. If you can help with the costs associated with Mama's c-section, spay, and ongoing treatment for her ear infections and other costs, please visit our website (the link is on the sidebar). When you get there, click on the bone, and tell us your donation is for our sweet Mama. Special thanks to Lesley, Wendy, Mama and the puppies' new foster mom, and our foster placement coordinators, who burned up the Internet and phone lines facilitating this joyful event!

Oh, my. Just thinking about all this activity has simply exhausted your
Frog Princess