Ya Ya

Here's a note from YaYa's foster mom, detailing YaYa's first days in FBRN's care. "We made a road trip to D.C. to the Washington Animal Rescue League
(WARL) on Friday to pick up a puppy mill survivor named Snorkel, now
known as Ya Ya, which is the Greek term for Grandmother. She is a wonderful
old gal that has lived through hell and still has the capacity to love human
beings.

She was on her way to a local flea market in Georgia to be auctioned along with many other retired breeders from the same mill, when a good citizen with ShARE was able to convince the women to turn the dogs over to her. Some were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized.

Ya Ya was one of the lucky ones, she was able to survive. The shelter had put her
age at 7, but my vet and I think she is more like 10-12. She does have a slight breathing issue that is probably a palate issue.






She had about 6 teeth removed, some just hanging by a thread. Her ears were so packed with what can only be described as black tar, that my vet could not see her ear canal. She also has a mammary tumor. Other than that, she is a Grande ole
Dame, full of love and appreciation, and still has a enough zip in her to take a few laps around the den with my 9 month old puppy. I have never seen a dog sleep so deep, as if she hasn't slept in years. She can finally curl up in a warm donut bed next to her new foster siblings and feel safe, and warm, and loved."

A dog's ability to love people, even after the worst kinds of neglect and abuse, never ceases to amaze us, sighs
The Frog Princess

PS: Ya Ya's foster mom wanted us to know that Ya Ya's mammary tumor was removed last week. Good news! The tumor was encapsulated, and all the margins are clear! Here's Ya Ya, 3 days post-surgery, looking just as fine as frog's hair!

Sleepytime Boy

Rollo, formerly sweet baby Piglet, in a quiet moment.

Sleep tight, sweetpea! whispers
The Frog Princess

PS The Frog Princess extends her royal gratitude to Lyle for his help with this photo.

Cora Cuddles Up

Remember Cora? Yesterday she celebrated her second birthday.
She's the pied girl looking at you. She was the most emotionally damaged of the NC10 we took in in October 2005. She's still not quite...right, but she's miles and miles above where she started.

Cora gets along much better with dogs than with people. In fact, she really depends on the dogs in her home to give her comfort, security and peace of mind. She can almost always be found snuggled right up against one or the other of the dogs in her house, and sometimes she cuddles so tightly, she'll squish somebody clean out of the bed!

"There were 10 in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over! Roll over!' And they all rolled over, and one fell out. There were 9 in the bed and the little one said..." sings
The Frog Princess

Lucy Lou, Olympian?

Let us take a moment to remind you of the immense distance our daring Lucy Lou has travelled since she joined us a few short months ago.




Surrendered to us after a surgery to repair an injured spine, her busy family had not had the time and experience required to really focus on her recovery. As a result, though the surgery was a success, Lucy Lou's recovery was limited.
When she came to us, the front part of her body was very strong, while her back end was shriveled and atrophied. As you can see, her back legs were almost fused together, and Lucy used them as a sort of peg leg to hop from.






Lucy has been undergoing consistent rehabilitation. She gets water therapy, and it really seems to help!

















After a few months in foster care with a vet tech and with expert advice from some wonderful specialist vets, Lucy Lou is now able to use her legs independently, to bend her legs and even to jump up on the couch! She negotiates stairs, she runs with the big dogs, and she seems not to be aware of any disability.




Here she is, ready to play!



Isn't it heartwarming to see what commitment and expert care can do for a wee toad, gushes
The Frog Princess

Trixie Takes On!

One of our foster moms had fun with her foster girl, Trixie, a couple of weeks ago. She sent the photos and the very apt captions.

It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.
-Anonymous













She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.
--Byron





What makes you different makes you beautiful.
-Unknown




By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.
- Edwin Elliot




Thou hast the sweetest face I ever looked on.
Sir, as I have a soul, she is an angel.
-William Shakespeare

A Boy and His Tuggie!

A few months ago, we didn't know if Tuggie, then Dottie, would ever find a home. She was hard of hearing and kind of funny looking, following two ear ablation surgeries. Plus, she was out in the boondocks of the Southwest US, and a far piece from the bulk of our applicants. She had a radiant personality and a unique beauty, but all she had to offer went unclaimed for a long, long time.



Then, one day, we got an application from a veterinary technician. She knew all about special needs dogs, she or her vet could see to Dottie's every little medical adventure, and a member of the family was going to be in the neighborhood and could transport Dottie to her new family! All was rejoicing and happiness!



And here is Tuggie with her best pal. At night, Tuggie goes into his room until he falls asleep, then climbs into bed with mom and dad. And first thing in the morning, when this guy gets up, she's zooming down stairs. He lets Tuggie and her brother Bandit out for some exercise, and watches them while they exhaust each other. Then they come inside for some less rambunctious playtime.

It's a great life for Tuggie these days. Sometimes the perfect home just takes a little while to show up. But we truly believe that there's a great home for every Frenchie.

A lid for every pot! exclaims
The Frog Princess

How Many Frogs Can One Bed Hold?

Two of these are foster frogs, and the rest are their foster siblings. What better way to stave off cold and ice than to share a little Froggy bodyheat? Sadly, there was no room for the foster mom. She slept on the couch.

Frogdog bedhogs! calls
The Frog Princess

Summer in Winter

In the dead of winter, a foster home in South Dakota is enjoying a little Summer--a puppy mill refugee with a disputed history and a sweet and beautiful face.





Reportedly, Summer's last litter of puppies was stillborn, and she was taken to the vet for euthanizing. A vet tech asked if he could have her for his sister, and it was the sister who surrendered her to FBRN. Summer has some serious skin problems, which are being addressed right now with medicated baths, but we hope to get her to a vet and find out the cause of the sores this week.



Here is part of a note from her foster mom, detailing Summer's first night in her new home:


"Before I gave her a medicated shampoo, I snapped some pictures.
At first I couldn't figure out why the scabs were so yellow and unusual looking. Once some of them soaked off it became obvious it was straw.

Anyway, once I started massaging in the shampoo and then rinsing with warm water she was practically purring. She did very well during the whole grooming session.

I cleaned a bunch of yuck out of her ears and you can see a lot more pink now, but they are inflamed. She really pushed into me and closed her eyes while I was cleaning her ears. It must have felt good to get all of that out of there.

I trimmed her toenails too and she was just fine with it. There wasn't a thing I did that caused her to do anything but to just do it. No fighting me, nothing.

During the bath I could see how widespread the skin problem is. I'm hoping the medicated baths will help and that's it's nothing too serious. She's so playful and such a clown. She's coming out of her shell very fast.She's no taller than my little five month old pup, but she is definitely heavier. She's not a big girl, but she's solid, with a little pixie face. Just adorable. She's in heaven running around outside with Boo. Without Boo, she stands and stares at you with terror and won't go into the yard. With Boo, she'll run around, explore and even potty.

Anyway, here is little miss Summer. She is ALL sweetness."

We are so happy to be able to bring Summer into FBRN! We know there is a family with the patience and the love to bring this frightened, funny girl around to realize that she is safe and loved. If you'd like to sponsor her, you can go to her foster page and click on the bone.

Helping Summer will make you feel all warm and sunny inside! says
The Frog Princess

Zoe

Though these photos are quite small, we hope you can see the subjects well enough to recognize a happy family!

Zoe, formerly known as Gretta, has been enjoying her new life with her new Mom and her new Dad and her new sister, Bella.




She spent her first Christmas as a member of the family. As you see, she is well-beloved. Her first months are being scrupulously documented.




Though these two obviously don't want for human affection and attention, here, Bella demonstrates that if there are no people around to sleep on, a fellow Frenchie makes a very nice pillow!

Sleep tight, little bedbugs!
The Frog Princess

Pache Finds a Seat

Pied Pache, an FBRN grad, and his sister Dulcie are best friends. He's always got to be near her.

Pache, you better watch yourself, advises
The Frog Princess

Uno!

Uno was an FBRN Outpost placement a few years ago. Now, family circumstances have conspired to bring him back to rescue.

He's a goofy boy, all floppy ear and grin, and he seems to have very few temperamental twitches.




Uno's name was Bruno, but since we have had a Bruno or two come through FBRN, and record keeping gets hairy when we have to try to keep track of two or more dogs with the same name, we abbreviated his moniker to Uno. At 32 or more pounds, he's not just "the One" he is "The Big One!"







He crossed the nation's border to go and live in the Canadian urban scene of Toronto, where we hope he will learn to wear a toque and speak a second language while he is being fostered. Maybe just learn to read the street signs.



His housetraining is coming along apace, and his earnest good-nature has won him fans in two countries. He's very energetic and eager to please, he loves to hear you call his name and he gets along very well with other dogs, especially ze ladies, hong, hong, hong! (Maurice Chevalier laugh and eyebrow wiggles, there)



He's a boy who can turn a rainy afternoon into an opportunity for pleasant gnawing on a nylabone in the company of a friend. He's a very charming, companionable sort of fellow, and one who could be happy in any milieu: quiet or chaotic, single person or family, apartment or palace.

He should be ready to be posted as available any day now--if you think you can offer this happy boy a happy home, submit an application and see what happens.



Good luck! exclaims
The Frog Princess

Doc and Jacques

Meet these two little littermate refugees from misfortune, Doc (brindle) and Jacques (cream). Their owner is having personal problems and can't care for them, and no one in his family was able to give these two the consistent care and attention they needed, so we are happy to step in and help. Jacques is a funny boy, but he's had a few problems since coming into our care. He and Doc started having fights in their new home, so they were placed in separate foster homes. Jacques is a shy guy, and we are keeping an eye on him to see if his disposition changes, now that he is not competing with the more boisterous Doc. Both dogs came to us with staph infections, and each dog had an infected ear. Both seem to be suffering from food allergies, and are doing well on a special, high-quality diet. The dogs weren't reliably house-trained when they came to us, but are doing better now.
Doc has epilepsy, but hasn't had a seizure since last March, thanks to medications.
He and Jacques both came to us with elongated palates, but Doc's seems especially bad. We won't do surgery to correct the condition until we are sure that the anti-seizure meds are up to full potency in his bloodstream.
Our vet noted that his seizure in March followed a surgery and that the medication levels in his blood at the time were not up where they should be, so we must be careful not to rush the surgery, if it's determined to be necessary.
These two boys are good dogs, but they are poster kids for what can go wrong with Frenchies. Allergies, epilepsy, resistance to house-training and elongated palates are just the beginning! From there, some Frenchies go on to include in their resumes a lousy temperament, damaged spine, tender tummy, eye ulcers, ear infections, UTI's and a host of other medical and emotional points of interest. If you think you are interested in a French Bulldog, think hard about whether you are ready to take on the potential problems that come with these adorable critters. And the potential vet bills.

We don't mean to frighten anyone, or to misrepresent the Frenchie as being unhealthy generally. We only want to ensure that anyone who feels a Frenchie tugging at their heartstrings has a clear-eyed view of the rewards and risks of loving these silly nutbars.

In tolerable good health ourself, we remain your devoted
Frog Princess

Shoeless Joe Sitting Pretty

Why are Frenchies so beloved? We don't know. We have some ideas, though.

Could it be the utter, ineffable and ineluctable preciousness of da feet? And the sitting with the feet so arranged all adorably and in such a way that is...not possibly anything but Frenchie? That crazy, darling way of sitting and then, of course, that face.


Yes. The feet and the face. They drive the people wild.

The Frog Princess

Pippin Pauses

Here's Pippin, a new foster who came in with several other dogs this past December. She was surrendered following an unpleasant incident with a child visitor. Naughty Pippin.
She's spending some time in a child-free home, being fostered with a Frenchie sibling in Oregon. At just about a year old, Pippin has some growing up to do, and we believe that she can learn to play nicely with others and to reinvent herself as a very good girl who is very good all the time, rather than her current incarnation as the infamous little girl "who had a little curl." If she can't bring herself to Pollyanna-tivity, perhaps we can find her a home where her beautiful wickedness will be appreciated.

This photo was taken while Pippin was just wrapping up a yawn. It's completely unfair to capture her in a vulnerable moment like this, looking not-so-sweet, but if she were a big celebrity, the paparazzi who snapped this shot would be raking in the dough! It amused us, and we thought we'd share it with you. Power does tend to corrupt, you know. The Frog Princess is not above amusing herself at the expense of others. This is an ugly truth about ourselves.

If you'd like to sponsor young Pippin while she undergoes some therapy and training, you can click on the bone on her foster roster page.

(She's not nearly as naughty as she looks!) whispers
The Frog Princess

Why Hank Was Cranky

Hank is being fostered in Georgia. You may remember this guy, the one a Good Samaritan found playing catch-me-if-you-can in the busy streets of Knoxville? He's under review at the moment, soon to be placed with a family if all goes well.He's a goooood-lookin' hunk of animal, and he's got a wonderful disposition, to boot.

So when his foster mom noticed over the weekend that Hank's ordinarily cheery and upbeat personality had taken a downward turn, and he'd become a little crabby, a bit taciturn, somewhat standoffish and altogether unlike himself, she didn't just assume he was having a bad day. She took him to the vet.And it's a good thing she did, too! Poor Hank had a couple of infected ears, and the infection was there without any visible signs: no redness or fluid or temperature. All his excellent foster mom had to go on was a shift in Hank's behavior and personality.

So there's a tip for you. If your Mr. Hyde starts behaving like Dr. Jekyll, zippy yourself and your best pal right off to the nearest veterinarian for a little visit. Could be that bad mood is caused by inflammation, swelling, pain or infection!

Learning something new each and every day,
The Frog Princess

Miss Mouse Has a Spa Day

When a Frenchie comes into FBRN, she comes into a network of built-in aunties and uncles, interested friends she's never met and family members who may not be blood, but are nonetheless related by a kinship of love and concern

Such is the case with Miss Mouse, a fortunate and tiny FBRN grad who occasionally spends the weekend with one of our volunteers while her mum and dad are away. On this particular visit, Miss Mouse enjoyed a spa day, including the use of the resident Frenchie's lovely terrycloth robe!





When this photo appeared on the FBRN volunteers' listserv, a chorus, a tide, a cacophony of voices swelled up to ask where on earth the robe pictured here came from! Where could we find one just like it? How could such an item of fabulous fashion and fundamental function have evaded our purchase? Itchy fingers longed to fling charge card numbers at the screen and to ensure the immediate FedEx'ing of a similar accoutrement. Where? Who? How?





We had no answers, alas. Those who would like to find a robe like this for their own wee sybarite must launch a websearch and hope for the goodwill of a Google god. Or break out the sewing machine and hope the home economics class lectures of 30 years ago are retrievable from the dim recesses of memory! Meanwhile, Miss Mouse lounged in her yummy warm robe, enjoyed a pedicure and a massage and an ear-cleaning and rested with little cucumber circles on her eyelids while the cozy fragrance of aroma-therapy candles and the creamy strains of Madeleine Peyroux's latest album filled the air.

Mmmm, in our imagination we can just catch a whiff of eucalyptus and tangerine and lavender and grapefruit and gardenia and sandalwood, sniffs
The Frog Princess

Therapy Murpheee!

We got a photo of FBRN grad, Murpheee, all dressed up with some of his therapy friends. Murpheee goes to visit folks in the hospital and the hospice and retirement homes. He's a hard-workin' dog, is Murpheee, between his volunteer work and his duties as foster sibling! He might be the hardest-workin' Frenchie in California! Murph, you make us proud.
Sincerely,
The Frog Princess

Lillie's Love

At FBRN, we have wonderful, dedicated, drop-everything-when-you-call-'em volunteers. Our foster parents are second-to-none, and our whole organization is the envy of many rescue groups. And you know who else makes what we do possible?

Our rescue-friendly vets.

Here's Lillie, who has undergone a c-section, spay, two ear ablations, and a number of treatments relating to her existing problems stemming from her neglected condition upon surrender. She is looking deeply into the eyes of her favorite man: her vet. Dr. Dalo has seen her through many of her procedures, and it is a testament that Lillie is always thrilled to get to go see him.


We are very lucky to have many generous, talented veterinarians on our team. We have a partial list posted of vets who have donated time, products, medicines, talent and care to our foster dogs. We hope you'll visit there and when it's time to see a vet for your Frenchie, consider taking your friend to a vet with experience in the special needs of French bulldogs, and with a track record of supporting our work in rescuing Frenchies in need.

We wish all our vets a Happy New Year, and we extend to each of them a grateful kiss.

Sincerely,
The Frog Princess