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

Too Hot for Walks--But Not for Ice Cream!

Kees and his foster buddy are finding the dog days of summer too darned hot--sweltering, even!--for sidewalk strolling.  So when Mom and Dad ask if anybody is up for a trip to the ice cream parlor, guess who is bounding out to the horseless chariot to get a licky-lick of frozen custard?



Here's a note from Kees's foster mom, who took these photos on a recent outing:

"Kees' health has been quite stable for the last few weeks...knock on wood. He did have an allergy outbreak requiring 2 rounds of antibiotics, we are trying everything to keep his sores healing (no steroids for this guy).

 

We were out for our weekly trip to run errands and the DQ, it has been too hot for any walks so this is the kids' extracurricular activity....and a few licks of a vanilla cone. Kees has his spot on the console, on the job watching for my husband to come out of the store."

Our regular readers know that Frenchies cannot be outside in high temperature weather,  and none of our readers would dream of leaving a Frenchie in a car on a hot day, but it never hurts to remind folks that even 5 minutes is too long.  Better to leave your frog at home in the air-conditioning than risk an unwanted adventure like this one, advises

The Frog Princess

Everybody's Getting in the Act!

Our chip-in fundraiser is going much more slowly than we could wish.  However, we are so impressed with our volunteers' willingness to go above and beyond to raise funds for us!  Here, FBRN grads Ava and Manny snoopervise their people's lemonade stand fundraiser. 

Have you posted our chip-in widget to your blog or facebook page?  Please consider asking your friends to help support our efforts to get back to rescuing Frenchies!

We're not yet halfway to our goal, but we have only 9 days remaining. 



Thank you for helping promote this fundraiser!  Stay cool and hydrated with some refreshing lemonade, advises

The Frog Princess

Treats from China Still Suspect!

One of our volunteers mentioned that her vet had seen two dogs with Fanconi-type kidney failures this month.  Unfortunately, both young dogs died.  They had both been eating dried chicken-strip treats imported from China, recently purchased from the US's largest discount chainstores. 

You may remember that in 2007, there was a wave of dog deaths resulting from treats manufactured in China, involving melamine.  It appears that the problem with death and illness has been ongoing, though it hasn't been publicized, and in recent months, a rise in dog deaths in Canada resulted in this post:  http://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=19077. 

If you purchase your dog's treats from the supermarket or large discount chains, be sure to look very, very carefully at the packaging.  Though the bag may say in larger lettering, "Manufactured in the US," it may say elsewhere, "Made in China" in very small letters.

The vet in the article cited above suggested feeding your dog small quantities of fresh vegetables and fruit (excepting onion, raisins, grapes, etc.) or single cheerios-type cereals.  Don't be like the enthusiastic dog-owner who switched to carrots for treats and whose nauseated dog presented the vet with a one-pound pile of carrots in the exam room!  Let your Frenchies fill up on fruits and veggies between meals, but don't top them off!

Here's a photo of FBRN grad Norm (formerly Albee), anxiously awaiting his healthy, homemade dinner.  Poor guy looks about ready to keel over from the pangs!  He's weak, weak from the hunger! 


We could eat a little something ourselves, now that we mention it, considers

The Frog Princess

Walt Wizney is FAMOUS!

Lookit Walt Wizney on the news today, helping to teach people all about two kinds of mange. 

Here's poor Walt before, on his first day at FBRN.  See the lesions on his back and the elephant skin on his poor paws?

And here's a recent photo of Walt enjoying some sunshine and green grass after 6 weeks of treatment with FBRN.

We do good work, people!  Why not join the dozens of Frenchie-loving supporters who have donated to our special chip-in fundraiser?  It's one time when jumping on the bandwagon is a GOOD thing, reassures

The Frog Princess

Toulouse Helps FBRN Recover!

FBRN had a couple of tough months in May and June.  We spent deeply into our savings in order to treat some dogs who were in far worse condition than we thought when we committed to taking them in, and also to care for some of our current foster dogs who needed to be boarded at the vet's at great expense because they had very treatable conditions that were contagious or that required 24-hour observation at the vet's.  It never rains but it pours, right?  Couple these coincidentally expensive and kind of bizarre occurrences with a dip in donations and we find ourselves operating on a very narrow margin.  We must build back our reserves.

Fortunately, we have indefatigable and charming supporters and volunteers who are willing to put themselves out in the public eye and to work hard for the rescue and all our nutty, needy little foster frogs. 

This is the elegant raconteur and kiss-meister, Toulouse.  He volunteered to give ALLLL the laydeez a little licky-licky for a nickel.  Or a dollar.  Or ten.  STEP right up, and GITcher Frenchie kisses here!

We are currently accepting with humble gratitude any funds you can spare to bring our bottom line up to a healthier, greener, cooler place--a place less red and itchy and humid and too ding-dang hot for easy breathing.  Please help us!  Truly, any amount is appreciated. 

Toulouse and his friends at the recent Reliant Show in Houston send you virtual smooches!

With a few thrown in for good measure from

The Frog Princess

Patton is a Big Baby

Handsome and manly Patton has a secret. 


He likes to travel in a baby carrier. 

Here's a note from his adoptive mom:

"Just giving you an update on Patton. He's doing great! Having some allerigies and hates the heat of course, but he is a happy little clam. We took him to a party the other night and he got to play with all the other dogs.

"I have included some pictures of him! He has caught a couple toads this summer. He hasn't killed them, but he carries them around in his mouth.

"He has become quite a talkative fellow, it's hilarious when he barks!

"One of our friends gave us this baby carrier thing (I have enclosed a picture of  Patton enjoying it) Patton loves to hang out in it, which is kind of weird, I think. When you take him out of it he likes to sit on top of it on the floor."

Nothing wrong with a little snuggling in the snuggli, that's our view.  Of course, it might be a little warm for that in some parts of the country, but to each his own! 

If you live in Florida or south Texas, you may know all about the bufa marinus, or cane toad, but just in case you are traveling through Florida with your frogdog, remember that those bufas are poisonous.  You can read about them here.

And if you live in or near Arizona, you may know about another poisonous toad, bufa alvarius.  Here's a photo and instructions of what to do if your dog grabs a nasty toad.

Patton was one of the Gulf Coast 10, a group of dogs FBRN took in a couple of years ago.  He's obviously very happy in his new home, thanks to FBRN, our donors and supporters, and his foster mom.  If you haven't already done so, consider donating to our chip-in fundraiser.  You can click on the last post to go to our chip-in site. 

Ten years of do-goodery!  That is something to celebrate, boasts

The Frog Princess

Please contribute!

FBRN is celebrating its 10th anniversary!  We are going to raise 30,000 dollars in 30 days--and you can help!

Please pitch in and chip in by clicking on the button below. 



With many thanks from

The Frog Princess

Wrangler's Progress

From a scaly, scabby, itchy, mangy boy to handsome devil in no time flat.  See what your donations do?

Wrangler is a much happier and perkier boy today!  See those ears?  Those are happy perky frogears.

You can read more about Wrangler here, recommends


The Frog Princess

Why Porkchop Can't Have a Kitty

Porkchop is going to the available page this week.  Last week when she was at the vet getting a broken toenail fixed up, her foster dad snapped this photo as evidence that though Porkchop is a very good girl in many, many ways, she is not going to be a good match for a family that has any kitties in the house. 

Porkchop's dad says she was trembling with anticipation at the thought of a cat-snack.

This poor woman was prepared to fling herself in front of Porkchop to save her puddytat if need be.  That's a good catmom, approves

The Frog Princess

Freud

Happy 4th of July!  We received some pics of some pooped pups we thought we'd share.  Freud's foster mom is reviewing applications, so he's likely to be placed shortly.  But we loved these photos and this note.  Who says frogdogs are couch potatoes?  They are mighty, mighty hunters!

"Well Freud has been with us for almost 2 months now, and he seems pretty happy being part of our family! But, no, we are not going to adopt him! We love him so much, but feel he deserves to be the center of someone's universe. I have spoken to a lot of families over the past week, and just did a home visit. As much as we will hate to see him go, we know he will make another family very, very happy.

Other than that, I don't have much to report! As sweet as Freud is, I can tell you he is NOT PERFECT! On Saturday we were at the dog run, and he and a Jack Russell were chasing a bird that was on the other side of a fence. All was fun and games until the Jack Russell CAUGHT the bird and ran off with it in his mouth, with Freud chasing him! Freud then got the dead bird, and I had to pry it out of his mouth!! Poor little bird! :(

Here are two pics of Freud with my guys - I call them the Three Amigos! This is basically what they do for hours everyday."  Freud is the little guy in the middle.

Of course we are not happy that Freud participated in the untimely demise of a bird, and we hope he was ashamed of himself (though we rather doubt it, judging from our experience of dogs with dead things).  Still,  we are very happy that he is out and about and making new friends--even if they *are* a bad influence!

Enjoy the fireworks, but don't forget to keep the dogs indoors and safe when the neighbors start setting off the noisy firecrackers.  If you are having company, be sure to keep dogs crated or closed in a quiet room, so they can't escape during all the comings and goings.  Here's a list of suggestions in case your dog is a little nervous around the loud noises that can accompany celebrations on Independence Day.

Planning to keep the drapes closed and the fan on.  We'll be getting our nervous boy's Thundershirt wrapped and the Rescue Remedy mixed up and we'll be turning the radio a little louder than usual this evening, and since we wouldn't dream of leaving him alone to freak out, we'll all be enduring the pops, booms, cracks and sweeeEEEEEeeees! together,

The Frog Princess

Starsky

Canada is not a hotbed of Frenchie activity, so last week we were delighted to hear that one of our Alberta volunteers had been called on to foster a slim young frog.

His name is Starsky, and he was surrendered because he seemed resistant to house training, and he often wet his crate at night. 


His owner admitted that finding time to devote to Starsky was an issue, so it may well be that Starsky's house training will improve in foster care.  So far, he hasn't had an indoors accident, and he's gotten the hang of the doggy door very quickly. 

As you can see, Starsky has some great coloring--very unusual.  At just 22 pounds, he is a smallish Frenchie. 



Starsky is getting along wonderfully with the dogs in his foster home, but his foster mom is keeping a close eye on him when he's around the family cat.  Starsky seems a wee bit too interested in the kitty, but so far he hasn't made any attempts to chase her.




Starsky is a healthy boy, he has a good temperament, and he plays well with other dogs.  This is a great chance for some of our Canadian friends to apply for a dog in the western region--doesn't happen often.  Starsky should be on the available page soon.  Watch for him!

The Frog Princess

A Newcomer to the Parish: Maxfield

With more energy than a quarter pound of sugar and a jar of freeze-dried coffee, Maxfield came bounding into his foster family's lives!

Here's what his foster mom wrote about the healthy, robust beast:

" I picked up Maxfield tonight here in Arizona, and let me just tell you he is a BIG boy! At 1.5 years old he is already 31 + pounds, and none of that is fat. He is very very tall, and I am sure if he wanted to he could jump over the expen that he is now in, but so far he is just relaxing at taking it all in. He is a little nervous and thereforea little drooly, but he seems to be taking most of it in stride. Maxfield is a sweet, sweet boy  and just wants to be loved. His family is making a quick move  to Hawaii and are unable to take thier big boy with them. Their loss is our gain, and this big submissive guy will make a wonderful addition for the right family! He is all Frenchie smiles when ever I walk by him, and although he looks a little like a BT in the face he is a Frenchie! 

As a joke I think he may be part greyhound!  Maxfield  was picking up tons of speed doing zoomies around my back yard! He came from condo life, so now my back yard is his personal doggie park , and he seems pretty happy about that. I will keep you updated on our newest FBRN member in AZ but for now we are going to let him decompress for a little while!"

Well, lounging on that purple throw, we can see he's definitely getting the royal treatment, observes

The Frog Princess

Joli

Thirty seconds of happy Frenchie time, brought to you by the adorable Joli and

The Frog Princess

Pork Chop Is Feeling Great!

Pork Chop came to us with some serious skin problems.  Recently she was spayed, and she came through it with flying colors!  Herewith, a note and some photos from her foster dad:

"1.      She is doing great since her spay.  Like nothing happened.  We are now 100% focused on her coat.  We have her on a serious course of Interceptor and regular Pyoben baths. I’m hopeful that this combination will help to knock out the mange, fix her skin and help her to re-grow her coat for her furever home. 

2.      Porkchop has a prey drive.  I wish I had photos/videos of her last week at the dermatology vets office.  They had some kittens in a cat condo in waiting room…Porkchop was watching it INTENSELY. 

I renamed it “cat TV”.  Only problem became…she started throwing herself against the glass trying to get to them.  Everyone in the vets office thought it was hilarious, luckily.

3.      Regarding her prey drive, in some of these photos (staring up at the trees hunting squirrels / watching through the gate for any animal to pass by) it’s pretty obvious. 

"We hope that very soon Porkchop will be on the hunt for her furever home.  Based upon our time with her, we think the key aspects will be:  (i) cats - NO; (ii) dogs – maybe, submissive; (iii) yard – not necessary."

There you have it!  A tasty summer treat is making her way to FBRN's menu of tempting offerings.  Keep an eye peeled for this juicy Pork Chop, recommends your server

The Frog Princess

Photos from the Frenchie Social!

A good time was had by all, judging by the photographic evidence!
Thanks to all our volunteers for working to put on this very popular annual event.

Until next year, keep your Frenchies dry! admonishes

The Frog Princess

How to Help FBRN Win $2,500

Here are instructions for setting up an account for voting for Clyde with a Y for King of the Web.  He has just about lost his first place standing.  Please only set up one account.  Please vote every day through the end of the contest.

Here's where to start.

 And then:

 It's a little time-consuming, but hey!  $2,500!
 Then do this:

 

 Almost done!

There you go!  And you can get another 10 votes just for leaving an encouraging word on Clyde's page under "Say Something."

You don't have to do another thing with your "campaign," but you get a fresh new 10 votes every day for Clyde with a Y.  He's a former foster, living with gusto in the free world.  Help him win this one for us, pleads

The Frog Princess

What's it All About, Ralphie?

Apparently, it's all about schmoozing the crowds on a springtime morning stroll!

Here's what his foster mom said about a recent out and abouting with Ralphie, the wheeled wonder:

"Ralph continues on as King of the World. He's been getting a lot of attention, both positive (yay!!) and weird negative (I think people continue to be afraid of what they are unfamiliar with). Today, Mother's Day, he got gobs of attention on our am walk. People stopping us to discuss and show me pics of their Frenchies. He came home with his head smelling of hand lotions and perfumes. Big player.

He's eating like a champ (are there any Frenchies that don't?). Zipping around inside and keeping himself busy, busy, busy by nosing through the recycling and keeping a keen eye on what the cats are up to and where they're running off to. They've been napping closer to each other as well. Yesterday he got a new black Kong--his new bff-- and a Nylabone Gallileo which he has already made major tooth marks in!

That's pretty much it. Oh, I've been taking lots of pics (which he hates) because I'm determined to get him into the fbrn calendar (full page) this year!"

Oo la la, Ralphie Beefcake!  We can hardly wait to see the photos, leers

The Frog Princess

Obi-Wan Might See Again

We got this encouraging email from a volunteer whose mom had to step in to look after her dogs and FBRN foster when the vol had to undergo an appendectomy.  Like most appendectomies, it wasn't planned for or scheduled beforehand, so we owe her mom a big, "Thank you!" for being there for our foster boy, Obi.

This is a long update, but the news is really good!  We think you will enjoy reading about Obi-Wan's adventures in what we hope are the last days of his blindness:

"First of all, thanks for the well-wishes after my appendix fiasco. The Frenchies suffered the most because they had to go 10 FULL DAYS without a car ride!!! I swear they all moped, but they survived. 

Obi had his visit with the eye doctor yesterday, and she is pretty optimistic that he could regain at least some of his sight with cataract surgery. I loved her, and she charges half-price for rescues, which takes the cost for one eye from $1400 to around $700. She said that a lot of times people can only afford one eye so she chooses the best one after they've been anesthetized and she can really evaluate them in-depth. 

The good news is the ultrasound (they hold a little ultrasound wand directly on his eyeballs, and he was such a good boy!) showed that both of his retinas are still attached, which is not always the case in dogs that have had bad cataracts for years, and his cataracts are really bad. He has no sight at all, but his pupils did eventually constrict with very bright light, so that is another good sign. 

She said he may not get full sight in the eye after surgery because the retina is often damaged to some extent, but that he would most likely be able have significant enough sight to help him get around much better than he does now. 

It would be a huge help for him because the poor boy is REALLY bad at remembering where anything is! He manages to pretty much run into every single wall and piece of furniture every single time he walks anywhere, regardless of the fact that we follow the same routine every single day! His method is to just walk very slowly and use his face as a bumper. 

He also can't seem to follow the sound of a voice; it actually tends to confuse him more, but if you reach your hand down, walk backwards and snap continuously, he is much better at following that. It looks a little silly, but it saves his face a few bumps. Someone suggested that I put some perfume on the furniture at his face level to help him identify where things are. It didn't help, but the furniture and his face smell good. 

Aside from his sight, his health seems very good. I haven't seen any sign at all of seizures, and I actually forget that he was supposed to have had one or two. He is just a very good, sweet happy boy! He LOVES meeting people and gets all excited and wiggly when they pet him. He gets so worked up that when they stop petting him he starts spinning around and barking, trying to get them to keep petting him, he just can't understand why they would stop! 

He really would love to run around and play, it's only his blindness that makes him too hesitant. He hates being left alone and he has the world's most mournful howl to tell you all about it! Luckily he only howls for a short time, he doesn't seem to keep it up the whole time you're out of the room. I keep telling him crying like a little baby girl is not something that a big beefy middle aged man-frog should do, but he doesn't care!  

I haven't gotten any good pictures of him lately, so I included one from the first night he was here. This is the look he gave me after I told him there was no more room on the bed, it made me laugh because he looks positively demonic! This is part of the reason he sleeps on the bed now. (I don't think this particular picture should go on the website, it's not his most flattering look!) I'll take some more after he gets his bath, these white dogs are hard to keep clean in the country."

We included the demonic, "What? No room on the bed?!" photo because we can do as we please, and it pleases us to share that funny photo.  But we also wanted you to see some less outraged pics of this handsome boy.  A very big thank you to everyone who has sponsored Obi-Wan; we thought you'd be happy to learn that he is not going to be pinballing between the furniture and doorframes for much longer, and that's thanks to you!  You always come through for our needy beasts.  We love you for that, gushes

The Frog Princess