Dinkie

We recently took in three dogs from Colorado who'd been living outdoors for some time. Pogo and Pepper are on the foster page and we recently got some photos and an update on the third Frenchie. Here's her foster mom's note about her newest foster girl:
"Her name is Dinkie and she is a brindle with white markings. Although I can't find a stripe on her, the caste to her coat is a chestnut color. She is so sleek and shiny, she looks like a baby seal.


She is absolutely gorgeous! She is two years old, and lived outside that whole time. She has a some conjunctivitis in her left eye that is getting treated and her little nose is a bit dry. Other than that, her vet tests came back very good. She came to us already spayed. She weighs about 25lbs. I swear she could jump in my arms if I let her. She is that athletic! I'm always so afraid they'll injure their backs, so I try to deter that kind of high flying activity.

"She's something else! We all fell in love with her immediately. She is great with kids, dogs, and probably cats. I'll introduce her to some friends' cats to see how she does. She met the neighbors' screaming papillions and she just kept looking through the fence at them wondering what the heck all the noise was about. I called her name and she trotted right on up to me. She is the happiest little girl I have ever seen. I can't say enough good things about her.

"...She has never lived in a house, but is quickly learning what she needs to know. She's very excitable at first, has a lot of energy, but calms down quickly and is content to cuddle like a baby.....my favorite thing in a foster dog. :o) She will need a family that will give her a TON of time. After living outdoors for two years, she will not be content to ever do so again!

"I go out with her to do her potty, because she will not do it on her own, even with another dog outside with her. She is desperate to be with humans and she certainly deserves a home that will give her as much time as possible.


"I have not had time to "capture" the beauty of this girl, but I will include a few photos that I have hurriedly snapped. I promise to get her outside and show her in all her glory. She will not be around for long, because she is as sweet as she is adorable."

Oh, boy. Batten down the hatches! Here comes the deluge for Dinkie! warns
The Frog Princess

Time Out for Toys!

Taser, our adorable abandoned puppy from Florida, had to undergo eye surgery after he was found and turned in to animal control. He'd been hit by a car, and though we tried hard to save the eye, it ruptured one night and had to be removed. Now that he has healed and he's up on his feet and his days inside the horrible Elizabethan collar are over, he has decided that it is time to play. It is always time to play. There are no times when play is not to be. His partner in crime is always up for a game of tug of war or my toy is better than yours or chasemechasemechaseme! through the house.




Yes, the boy is always up for a good wrasslin' match, or a stuffy destuffying, or a bit of mischief of one kind or another. Even in his sleep, he dreams of toys, of games, of chasing lizards on the beach and chasing children in the yard. He's a busy boy.

Lizards? What kinds of lizards? wonders
The Frog Princess

Tuffy and Wilbur

FBRN grads Tuffy ('06) and Wilbur (formerly Monty of the PA8,'07) are busily appropriating the furniture and otherwise making themselves comfortable in the middle of the country, Missouri. Here's an update on them:
"These are a bit blurry, but I just had to send them. Sometime over the weekend, we noticed that they started to pile on top of each other for their naps in my chair (I will never get to sit in that chair again, it appears). Wilbur is apparently willing to stay in what looks like a very uncomfortable upright sleeping position for hours at a time, and Tuffy seems perfectly fine with supporting that bowling ball of a head of his...

"Also, in other breaking news, Wilbur is showing potential of becoming a model citizen some day. At least 3 times now, he has gone to the back door and waited for us to let him out. Of course, he hasn't learned to bark or whine at it yet, so we have to pretty much follow him whenever we see him go into the kitchen, but it's definite progress!"

Housebreaking is a slow process for some puppymill survivors, but as families and frogs get to know each other and learn to watch for signs and portents, even the slowest Frenchie can be persuaded to use the proper patch for piddling, proclaims

The Frog Princess

FBRN Grads Send Easter Greetings!

The beautiful and stylish Hilda wishes you a Happy Easter from beneath the loveliest bonnet we've seen in many a year!












What celebration would be complete without a visit from our beloved Smeags? He's reminding his people that if they don't stop fooling around and go to sleep, the Easter Bunny will not leave his basket!









And from top left clockwise, Connecticut Frenchies Baxter, Allie, Diego and Trixie (grad, not grad, foster and grad)are gathered together with their ears on, listening hard for the thump of wee paws on the porch.

All our volunteers and Frenchies send you joyful wishes for a happy Spring, a beautiful return to life of all green and leafy things, and the promise of a lovely season of growth and warmth and light.

And Smeagol adds that if you have any leftover eggs or hamentaschen cookies, you can send them his way.

The Frog Princess

When is Supper?

Tobias wants some toonafeesh!

This grand old man has plans for the sandwich his foster mom is putting together. He will be sad to learn that it is not for him! His foster mom says:

"Even though it isn't a gourmet treat from McDonalds, these two would love a nibble from a tuna sandwich....only problem it's not ready yet..It's a lot easier moving without pooches underfoot but not as much fun."

Poor Tobias. No toonafeesh for you. Well, maybe just a taste, concedes
The Frog Princess

Doxie's TV Spot!

Our gorgeous girl, Doxie, represented FBRN beautifully in a Toronto television program last week. Here she is in the green room, ready for her moment in the spotlight: Here's what her foster dad had to say about Doxie's 15 minutes of fame:
"Well, Doxie threw on the charm for her portion of the show and was showering me and the emcee of the show with kisses and looking absolutely stunning. Everyone who met her loved her. Everyone who met her loved her.

They kept FBRN's URL up for most of our segment and we even got to plug the Easter basket raffle. We also let them know that there were a lot of other dogs besides Doxie available on the site. Hopefully it will bring some applications for Doxie and others!"

And here she is during her segment. Get a load of the expression on her face. She's wondering when the cameraman is going to push in! She is ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille!
Doxie is a fabulous deaf girl, and we recently received some wonderful pics of her in a new wardrobe of outer wear! We'll post those photos soon.

Meanwhile, if you are a Frenchie savvy or deaf dog savvy person looking for a marvelous companion who will make friends and influence people whereever she goes, check out Doxie's available page.

We love her freckly spots! coos
The Frog Princess

Smeagie O'Smeagol Wishes YOU a Happy St. Patrick's Day

Please be smart and leave the frogmobile at home if you are going to be lifting a few green beers at your local publican's establishment or alehouse. Your Frenchie wants you in one piece tomorrow morning when breakfast time rolls around.
Porridge is wondering who said the word, "Breakfast"?

Éirinn go Brách! shouts
The Frog Princess

A Little More Wasabi!

Here is a video on YouTube featuring the piddly boy Wasabi. As you can see, he's in wonderful physical condition, but he's crazy about water. He climbs into the toilet bowl and stands in the ice cooler if he gets a chance. It's possible he is a true amphibian Frenchie. A real frog, if you will!

Thank you to all our readers for offering suggestions and help. We have received a number of emails from folks who've given us additional avenues to explore, and we are very grateful!

For those of you who would like to know more about how to get some of the wonderful diaper covers so many of our foster dogs wear, please get in touch with Eilene at horsesace at yahoo dot com. She's one of our volunteers and she makes them herself. She'll tell you what measurements she needs and the price, and you can decide whether you'd like to order a pair or two.

At the moment, Wasabi's vets are looking into a few possibilities regarding his insane thirst and constant peeing. Foremost among the possibilites is something called reflex dyssynergia. Keep those good thoughts coming for our flavorful boy! He can use all the good wishes he can get!

The Frog Princess

Waiting for the bus

Seven Apples has a very busy schedule! See the impatience on her face as she waits with one of the children in her foster family for the bus to show up?

Her foster mom says Seven Apples' daily agenda includes treats snarfling, cat-chasing, nap-taking and amping up the neighborhood cute quotient, in addition to sending the children off in the morning, meeting the bus every afternoon and helping with homework. All the while being treated for Addison's disease! Check out Seven Apples' foster page, here.


So much to do, so little time, sympathizes
The Frog Princess

One year ago, today!

The PA8 were freed from a puppymiller in beautiful Lancaster County, PA. Here they are on the day of their release from hell.
The puppymiller cretin who sold them to FBRN's representative waited until the pups were out of the barn and had been paraded before us in the arms of his grandchildren before informing us that the price had increased. Did he see us coming? Yes. Fortunately, our volunteer had the means in his checking account to bring every one of them to a safe place. They were vetted, inoculated, treated for their various ailments and, ultimately, adopted by loving families.
If you were one of the families to adopt one of the PA8, we'd love an update! Write to fp-fbrn at comcast dot net and include a photo and some news.
We miss our babies, and it would be fun to do a "then and now" update, thinks
The Frog Princess

A Veterinary Mystery--Wasabi

Wasabi has been in foster care for some months, now, and though we have taken him to a number of specialists, we remain completely stumped about the cause of his urinary incontinence, desperate and constant thirst and frequent bowel movements.
His foster mom is a vet tech and explains below the range and clinical findings on Wasabi. If any vet or reader can make suggestions of areas we have failed to explore, we would be truly grateful for the help. Here's Wasabi's foster mom, updating the volunteers on Wasabi's condition last month:

"Wasabi is a sweetie that just loves everyone and everything, he is an extremely easy foster that just seamlessly fits into the groove of things around here. That is other than he does a lot of odd little quirky things! Those things do not bother us, but we definitely need to pinpoint what is going on so that we are able to correct it and get him placed!

He has been in foster care for a couple of months now and we are really no further than we were when he came in. For those of you who do not remember, Wasabi was surrendered due to the fact the owner did not have the monetary means to take care of him and her vet thought that he had diabetes insipidus.

I will tell you what is strange about him and what we have done:

He urinates on average once every 30 minutes or so, has 4-5 bowel movements a day, drinks a TON of water like there will never be any more on earth. Then, a month after getting him, his toenails started to get white stripes down them. Also, he does this funny thing with his eyes when he is focused on a bone, looks almost like nystagmus.

Suddenly, the week of Christmas, he had a hematoma on his left ear and needed to have surgery to repair it. It started as a bruise on the ear about two days prior and then gradually filled with fluid. He was not bitten, and he didn't, get into anything, so I was stumped. He bled too much during surgery so we ran a blood clotting panel and he was normal.

Then while he was living in complete confinement in the other half of the house (where my own dogs are not allowed) because he still had sutures, I noticed a similar looking bruise on the right ear and within days it, too, filled and he needed it repaired. Now we have a double scarred Wasabi :( But hey the ears still stand...lol.
With all that being said, now onto what testing has been done.

We have run every blood test known to canine and nothing!!!!

Wasabi has been tested for Cushings and Addisons, ruled out diabetes, he has had a urinalysis, urine culture and specific gravity all within normal limits, brucellosis test negative, heartworm negative, all platelet, white and red blood cells normal. ALL NORMAL?

He has been seen by a general practice, and internal specialist and last week a neurologist. The internist did radiographs and they seemed to see some issues with his spine, so they referred me to neuro. The neurologist does indeed see the same thing. He has some bone lysing or lesions along the L-7 and S1 areas. They are calling it diskospondylitis (http://www.rottweilerhealth.org/pdfs/sept_disko_betbeze_02.pdf) basically a bacteria is eating away at the bone and it can sometimes be caused by brucellosis which is why he was tested for it. His body is not strong enough for them to go in and find out exactly which bacteria is causing it so we are using a broad spectrum antibiotic.

The neurologist says his neuro exam itself was completely normal. All reflexes normal and no pain noted. She does not think that the diskospondylitis is all of his problems and thinks that the urination could possibly be behavioral.

So with all that said, it does not seem that Wasabi will be finding a forever home in time for Valentine's day, but keep him in your thoughts and if anyone else has any ideas I am up for anything at this point."

He's a frog of mystery! He's Wasabi! If you can help, please drop us a note in the comments section. Wasabi is being fostered in Texas.

We do enjoy a mystery, but this is getting ridiculous! frets
The Frog Princess

Skeeter!

Skeeter is available for adoption. After many months of rehabilitation and re-education, he is fit to live with a family of people who are willing to let him get away with nothing!
He's a fine boy, and he's a good boy, but he's a boy who has a bit of the Huckleberry Finn in him. He has a tendency to check and see if you are really on your game in terms of being the boss--he gets very anxious if he feels there is a possibility that the world could come sneaking around the edges of his safe home. If your family can keep Skeetie Mo on the straight and narrow, if you have experience being a strong and capable leader, and you are in the market for a fine figure of a frog, check out Skeeter's bio.

What our frogs need now is love, sweet love

No, not just for some, but for every one!





Smeagol sends his love to all our friends on St. Valentine's Day!

You can check out all our new foster babies on the foster roster. Maybe you can find one who hasn't been sponsored yet and send him or her some love, sweet love and a little green support? suggests
The Frog Princess

PNWTraining Seminar for Difficult Dogs

We are very proud to present the first of a series of regional training seminars for FBRN foster families, other rescue organizations, shelter workers and the public. For some time, FBRN has seen a rise in the numbers of dogs surrendered to us for behavioral problems. These range from anxiety disorder to resource guarding to OCD to dog aggression and even people aggression. Many of our foster homes don't feel competent or equipped to handle special cases.

Does your darling dog sometimes seem possessed by demons neither of you can control?

Rather than turn these dogs away, as many rescue organizations have been forced to do, FBRN is taking proactive measures to provide training to our foster families to increase the numbers of available homes with some familiarity and confidence in the cause and training of difficult dogs. Moreover, we'd be delighted to prevent a dog from coming into rescue in the first place by providing information, education and training for the dog's family.

If you are in or near the Portland, OR, area, please consider joining us for a two-part seminar presented Sat and Sun, Feb 16 and 17 at the Portland Airport La Quinta hotel from 11-3.

Our presenter is the wonderful Kim Barnett of Follow My Lead UK, a trainer with many years of experience working with Boxer rescue and others in the US Northeast region. She has been invaluable to us in working with some of our most difficult cases, including Pippin, Queenie, Zoe and Junior. She offers training advice to our foster families via the French Bulldog Rescue Network's closed email list, and now she is bringing her expertise and advice to the public and to rescue volunteers in person! Kim is an energetic presenter with a lovely British accent and a devilish British sense of humor. She recommends that participants attend both days in order to benefit fully from her seminar.

Is your dog running with an unruly pack of friends?

Day One: "Alpha to Omega: Where Do We All Fit in?" A seminar based on understanding pack dynamics and how this can help our dogs feel truly at home in a human family.

Day Two: "Following in Our Footsteps: Walking the Walk" A practical seminar demonstrating simple techniques and applying theory learned on Day One to address common issues.

The La Quinta is pet friendly, so if you'd like to stay with your pets, feel free to bring them. Please don't bring them to the seminar, however. We'll provide coffee and nibbles.

There will be plenty of time for questions and we'll have a get-together after Saturday's seminar to socialize among participants, ask questions informally, and to make friends and network across other rescues.


Does your dog have a few little dominance issues?

We have kept the cost low so as to be affordable to both the public and especially to rescue volunteers and shelter workers. Cost is $20/day to members of the public and $10/day to rescue volunteers and shelter workers. To register, go the FBRN homepage and click on the bone to donate. Select the "One time donation" button, fill in the blank with the amount, and leave a note in the comments box that you are registering for the seminar, with your name. You will receive confirmation shortly after completing the transaction. If you have any questions about the seminar or about non Paypal registration, please email us at: pdxseminar @ yahoo.com

If you are interested in volunteering for FBRN, if you are a past adopter from us, if you have a dog you'd like to figure out and work with or you do rescue or shelter work, we'd love to see you (and photos of your dogs!) at the seminar.

Does your puppy pick on other puppies? Don't put up with it!



Sat and Sun, Feb 16 and 17, PDX airport La Quinta, 11-3. Questions? Write: pdxseminar at yahoo dot com. (Spelling it that way to fool the evil spammers, but you should write it as a normal email address).

We can hardly wait! enthuses
The Frog Princess

Keep a Good Thought for Teddy

Our handsome and dashing and silly Teddy has gone to the vet to see about an injury he appears to have sustained to one of his rear legs.













Always willing to assist, Teddy supervises the wrapping of a gift!


Teddy has limited sensation in his back end, so he is not in pain, but something is not right.







Keep a good thought for Teddy, the kind of Frenchie who makes your heart melt with his soulful, sweet gaze.



Our soulful Teddy!








Soulful, certainly, but he's not above some clowning around if he can get a cookie out of the deal!


We'll let you know what the doctor says, promises
The Frog Princess

The Usual Suspects

Rounded up and out of trouble:

Skip, Lhasa Apso (sorta)
Butch, Boston Terrier
Lucien (now Tucker, FBRN grad)
Kerry, English Springer
Bijou (FBRN grad)

The kingdom is safe and quiet, once again. Maybe...too quiet? frets
The Frog Princess

Yogi Goes Home

Yogi found a new home before Christmastime, and his mom sent us his story. Here are some photos and a tale of a frog:

"Once upon a time there was the sweetest Pied Prince born in Virginia who came into FBRN's fold and was named 'Yogi.'

Yogi gets clean for his new family

His coat was sparse and rough, his collar a bit too tight, he was rather underweight, was clearly under a lot of stress and was crated 20 hours a day. However, in spite of it all, he continued to demonstrate his sweet demeanor. He loves to play, just absolutely loves to play, after all he is a puppy.

"While under FBRN's wing, he flourished and thrived. He learned some manners but most of all, he learned the meaning of love. He relished his time on the sofa, rolled over on his back for belly rubs, sat patiently for his treats and waited for his turn to get his teeth brushed.
Playtime was encouraged; zoomies were allowed; playmates were plentiful and long walks became a fun part of his day. One day he even got to go to work and soaked in all the attention given him.

Yogi with his bags all packed, watching for his people.

"All the while, he dreamed of finding his forever home. He checked out many, many applications. Some were "not quite right," some were "maybe's," some were even, "almost right." Then one day, he found the "just right" application. He was so excited! He found a brother, Hudson (an English bulldog) who is just about his age and who he can play with all day long; a Dad who works from home and a Mom who will be home during the summers.
Yogi and Hudson meet

When he finally got to meet them, he knew it was right. Hudson also had his dew claws, just like him. Yogi is now called LOUIE. Louie and Hudson played in the car all the way home and fell asleep on the couch when they arrived home.



His proud parents are so happy to have him as part of their family. Just check out the photos. Louie now knows that without FBRN his dream would not have been fulfilled. He promised to write, keep in touch and let us all know how he is doing."

Now that's the kind of fairy tale we like! approves
The Frog Princess

Monte

We got some funny photos of foster dog Monte recently and wanted to share them with you.

His family got a Wii for Christmas. Monte closes his eyes and really emotes when they do "High School Musical" karaoke!


And Monte has also grown from a young dog while in our care to a middle-aged frog. Check out the way he hogs the remote, even while he's sleeping!


Monte wanted to be sure to let you all know that your letters for Sarah Jane and your enthusiasm are appreciated! See how happy you've made him?Pretty sure if he grinned any wider, the whole top of his head would fall right off!

We are mighty thrilled our own dang self, exclaims
The Frog Princess

Carmen Stays Warm!

The first of the Puppy Mill 6 Pack to hit the available page, Carmen has set some records for applications! In her first two weeks on the site, she generated well over 150 applications. Our review crew is matching applicants to Carmen's bio to see which would be the best match. That's a lot of work, but we don't mind. Having many applicants means we have a better chance of finding an excellent match for her.

Of course, it can be daunting to know that one's application is one of so many, but we often get lovely notes from people once the process is finished and the dog is placed, saying they are sorry their own application wasn't chosen, but they are happy that the Frenchie has found a family to love.

Here's a photo of Carmen, who once lived a life of constant stress and discomfort in abysmal conditions with hundreds of other dogs. She now wears a hand-knit sweater in colors chosen to complement her coloring and lounges on the living room furniture. Her foster mom sent this note with the photo:

"Little Miss Carmen is now on the available page and we have been told that her applications are just burning up the Internet. She seems to be quite the popular girl. The weather here has been snowy and cold for the last few days and Carmen is modeling one of her sweaters. Problem is,she loves wearing it inside but prefers not to step out into the cold , wet snow. She likes living the life of luxury...and who am I to question such a special girl?"

We would love to know what Carmen is thinking of all this. She must feel like Charlie Bucket finding the Golden Ticket every day! imagines

The Frog Princess

Wanna Save a Life?

You say you love the work FBRN does, but you haven't got the means to foster a dog yourself? You don't have time to transport or do home visits? Don't have much money to sponsor a dog?
We know time and money are hard to come by. But everyone can afford a stamp and an envelope and a piece of paper. And everyone can write a letter.

Sally Jane was taken from a puppy miller named Elvin High. He has a 2002 conviction for animal cruelty, but he was licensed to run a breeding operation by the state of Pennsylvania until last May when the license was revoked and the kennel closed. Sally Jane was one of the dogs the Humane League of Lancaster County took in.

High was convicted of several of the charges against him, but Sally Jane is now in danger of being returned to High, along with a number of other dogs.

Write the judge and ask him nicely to sentence High to the fullest extent he can. Ask him to prohibit High from owning dogs for 3 and a half years, which is the length of time the law allows. Most importantly, ask that the judge "issue forfeiture" of the dogs who were taken from High's puppy mill and are being held by the Humane League of Lancaster County.

For more information, go to Puppy Mill Awareness Day's website.

Here's the Judge's contact information:
Hon. Louis J. Farina
President Judge
Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas
50 North Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17603

Remember, please be polite and calm in your letter. We have heard that politicians are particularly persuaded by hand-written notes, because it takes more effort to write a note than write an email or make a phone call. We have heard that politicians figure if they get one handwritten letter, it should be seen as representing the views of 100 people who didn't write.

Grab a cup of coffee. Find a piece of paper and an envelope and a stamp and a pen or pencil. Siddown. Now, pick up your pen or pencil. Feel that? That's the power of 100 people surging through your veins! Pick up your pen, we say, take a sip from your coffee cup and in 100 words or so, you can do your bit to rescue a dog from a fate worse than death. Don't think you are very good with words? That's OK. Here's a sample letter.

Dear Judge Farina:

You will soon be sentencing Elvin High, a man recently convicted of 6 summary counts of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count. By now, your sentencing investigation will have revealed High's past convictions of animal cruelty, as well as the revocation of his kennel license.

Please sentence Elvin High to the fullest extent possible under Pennsylvania law. Fine him $1,000, and prohibit him from owning dogs for the next 3 and a half years. Most importantly, please issue forfeiture of the dogs taken from him and now housed by the Humane League of Lancaster County. Most of these animals have recovered their health and should not be returned to someone with multiple convictions of animal cruelty and a history of neglecting his animals.

Thank you for considering this request,
Sincerely,



See? In a little more than a 100 words, you can have the impact of 100 people! Who needs vitamins? Who needs weight training? Who needs spinach? Help yourself to some Haagen Daz and put your feet up.

Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes. We bet it doesn't even take that long.

Smeagol would want you to! shamelessly wheedles

The Frog Princess

PS When you have written your letter, swing back here and leave a comment encouraging others to do the same. Let's see if we can get 10 people to write--that would be something!