Bruin Bops Along

Last week we caught you up on our beloved Magnolia, who got great news from her doctor.  Today we'll catch you up another of our hospice pups, the natty and everlastingly besweatered  Bruin.

Bruin has a strange case of constant lung infection.  He can't kick it, so he's living on antibiotics, and gets meds 4 times a day, including the antibiotics, a broncho-dilator, health and immunity supplements, and cough medicine.  The poor guy!

But at least his foster parents bury the meds in yummy satin balls (a concoction designed to put/keep weight on dogs) and she feeds him by hand!  He's so spoiled that he won't eat unless she gives him food tidbit by tidbit.  (Note to royal self:  Get a handmaiden to feed us by hand.  Because we're worth it!)

And his lung condition does not affect his Frenchie weirdness even a little. 

It might even amplify it.  Bruin is a guy who likes his things to be his.  He's really particular about his toys, though.  He verges on the huffy.  He's that guy at work who puts his name on his jar of coffee creamer and then puts the coffee creamer in a lockbox with his name on it. 

Bruin's toys are Bruin's toys.  If you look at his toys, he will gather them up and move them to where you cannot look at them.  If you are tidying up and you put his toys into the toybox, he will climb into the box and lie on top of them, giving you the indignant stink-eye all the while.  Did he ask you to move his toys?  No, he did not.  What's the matter with you?



  If he's really worried about somebody sneaking in and stealing his toy, he will fall asleep with the toy in his mouth. 

He also doesn't like it when laundry day comes around and the dirty beds get washed and clean ones take their place.  If he wanted clean beds, he'd wash them himself!  It took him and his foster siblings days to get the beds smelling just right, and now they have to start all over again! 

People are so thoughtless. 

Dogs like Bruin who are in our hospice program aren't ready or suitable for adoption because of ongoing health issues.  Sometimes we make dogs hospice because they are elderly and we think a move to another home would be too disruptive or confusing. 







Hospice dogs will stay in their foster families for the remainder of their natural lives, or until their conditions resolve to the point that they might be adoptable.  We are very proud of our hospice program, and it's only possible because our friends and supporters send us donations to help.  So from all of FBRN's hospice foster families, and from Bruin and his hospice friends, thank you!

You make it possible for Bruin to keep bopping along in his ridiculous, grumpy way, with one eye on his toy box and one eye--ok, well, who knows where.  Somewhere else.

With no intention of manifesting or laying claim to any of Bruin's toys, we remain

The Frog Princess

Cancer? Fuhgeddabowdit. Gimme a Donut.

Magnolia, our irrepressible and (don't tell the others) favorite FBRN foster has some good news to share.  At her 3 month visit with Dr. Wen, she was found to have no signs or symptoms of cancer.  Period.  The end.


That's right.  Magnolia's hospice status may well be up for review!  She has another visit scheduled in six months, but she's not worried.











At the doctor we found out that she's gained a wee bit of weight during the winter.  As who hasn't?  What with the holidays and the Polar Eclipse or whatever it's called, Magnolia and 90% of the American public might have a reason.

But Magnolia has an additional reason.  Donuts.

Mags had a morning routine in place for a long time.  Get up.  Go out.  Get in the car and keep foster mom company on a ride to the northeast's favorite fried food emporium, Dunkin Donuts.  Recently, the owner of her local Dunkin Donuts banned Magnolia from the premises!

What the hey?!  Banned?  Our Mags?  Shocking.

Never again to taste the delicious proprietary blend of flour, fat, and sugar that puts weight on a girl, and, apparently, cures cancer?  Never again to meet and greet the locals and enjoy the attention and affectionate ribbing of the hoi polloi?

This state of affairs could not stand.  And when the guys at the Dunkin Donuts, a group of veterans who meet there for breakfast and raillery every morning, heard that Magnolia had been made Frenchie non grata, they did what vets do.  They stood up for what's right.  They approached the store owner and argued that with her background and her prior tough life, she was suffering from the canine equivalent of combat-related PTSD, and they wanted her privileges reinstated.  Well, what was a donut-maker to do?

Mags is back in her morning groove.  And now when she visits, she gets a free munchkin donut hole.

On account of because munchkins fight cancer.  And because her friends made a fuss.

That extra pound Dr. Wen discovered?  That's just a little side-effect of the successful, if unconventional, treatment.

That's our story, and it's the one being stuck to by Mags and

The Frog Princess

Nee-co-las!

Nee-ko-las!

Nine-year-old Nikolas is good for what ails you.  He'll keep you company and give you something to do when you are at a loose end.

He's very willing to encourage you in meeting your fitness goals.

He'll happily go with you to exhibits when no one else has the time or inclination.  He is interested in sculpture and the arts. 

And if you have to get some work done or fix dinner, he can occupy himself with harmless diversions.  Unlike a puppy, Nikolas doesn't have to be supervised or kept out of trouble.

He's a great dog for first-time Frenchie owners who'd like to get acquainted with the breed! 

If you'd like to get to know him a little better, stop by Nikolas's page at the FBRN website.  He's a great dog who got a lousy deal.  We're trying to find him a happily ever after. 

His home is out there somewhere.  We never fail! boasts

The Frog Princess

Mylie

Mylie is one of our special dogs.  She'll be waiting as long as it takes for the right family to come along.  She is a girl who likes the world to run on her rules, but that makes life hard because it means that her world becomes smaller and smaller as she tries to control who comes into her life.

Mylie's adopters must be experienced with reactive dogs, and they must be willing to be consistent, firm, and committed to helping Mylie adjust her perception of herself as the sun around which the planets spin.  She'll be happier when she doesn't have to take on the role of Empress of All She Surveys, and we are going to wait until someone with the chops to help her learn a lesser role comes along.  We understand.  We ourselves are guilty of a bit of an Empress complex. 

Meanwhile, Mylie is staying warm and cozy in her comfy bed while the Minnesota winter rages fearsomely outside, completely oblivious to Mylie's wishes that there be green grass and warm breezes. 

We agree that it's a cold, cruel world, Mylie, and we believe it would be a better place if only people would subject themselves to the wishes of

The Frog Princess

Feisty and Super Smart!

So, yes, the person who surrendered Stevie to a shelter claims Stevie bit a toddler who tried to steal his toy.  But, let's be honest--haven't we all wanted to bite a toddler from time to time?  (No? Really? OK--Perhaps we are alone in that.)

We're just suggesting that not all toddlers are angelic little cherubs.  There's a reason the trope of The Bad Seed keeps getting play in films and books and comic strips.  And, of course, even relatively good kids aren't born knowing that you can't steal a dog's toy.  That's not kosher.  And since kids don't know any better, parents have got to be, you know, parents and not let kids steal dogs' toys. 

And if parents won't be parents and teach kids not to steal dogs' toys, then the dogs themselves will do it--and some dogs are better at gauging how much discipline is required than others.  Stevie might have taken the correction of the insolent hairless puppy a little too far.

All we know is, apart from a nibble at his first foster mom's foot, Stevie has been a good boy in his second foster home.  It's true that before his foster mom taught him that the crate was a place where cookies rained and good things happened, he got a little irritable when he was made to go inside, but that's over now. 

We figured out what Stevie's problem is.  You know those videos of polar bears getting to play with pumpkins, and sea otters getting big blocks of ice with fish frozen inside?  Zookeepers do that stuff to keep the animals' brains engaged and to keep them from getting bored.  Stevie is smart.  The boy needs ENRICHMENT! He likes ACTION! 

Stevie is a bright boy and he needs to be engaged and active and he needs to have his brains exercised.  This is really a great kind of dog for a person who likes dogs, because it means that you both get to really enjoy each others' whole being.  Stevie gets to be the best he can be when he's learning and responding to his person, and his person gets to enjoy figuring out how to keep Stevie occupied and what turns his crank. 

Are you active?  Intelligent?  Interested in a dog that is as active and intelligent as you?  Check out Stevie's page.  

He's a great little guy, and he's looking for a family willing to spend some time and creative energy with him.

Not too much to ask, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess

Concerned about the Adoption Fees?

FROM TIME TO TIME, we hear detractors of rescue dismissing FBRN and our fellow rescue groups as being in it "for the money." They point to the high cost of adopting a dog from FBRN and make uninformed, cynical statements about how we must be raking in the dough. They may use the fees we charge as evidence that rescue is no better than backyard breeders, and they may ask why anyone would surrender a dog to us for free when they could sell their dog on Craigslist and get some money, just like FBRN does.

In truth, it is wise to do what our mothers would tell us to do in the face of these sorts of claims: Consider the source.

Still, criticism, however unfair and unfounded, can sting. So one of our volunteers has put together a graphic for us to look at from 2012. As you can see, the median amount FBRN spent on dogs in our care was $391 (median means half the bills we received were above $391 and half were below). Honestly, we don't know if that is an accurate number in terms of real veterinary costs, because many of our foster families pick up vet bills on their own and don't ask for reimbursement.

If you add up all the vet bills and divide by the number of dogs we fostered last year, the mean, or average, is $811. Our highest adoption fee is $700, and that is for a healthy puppy. We receive very few healthy puppies.
       Click on the graphics to enlarge.

FBRN is here for the dogs, and we do the best we can for every dog we take in.

When you look at the final graphic, you might be surprised. Though it might seem our adoption fees are so high because we are covering our expenditures with the fees, in fact, adoption fees account for just a little over 25% of our budget. Most of our budget comes from small donations made by our supporters who are moved to sponsor a foster dog. We raise a fair bit of money during our Facebook auctions and local fundraisers, and we are grateful for the occasional grant we receive, but the highest percentage of our budget comes from our supporters. (Did you know we are an all-volunteer organization? Our board of directors, foster parents and transporters are all in it for the love of the dogs, not a paycheck.)
Many visitors to our site like to dream of the day when they will own a Frenchie, maybe from FBRN or maybe from a dedicated, responsible breeder. We sincerely hope no one who visits this site will purchase a puppy sight unseen over the Internet or from a pet shop! But consider this: applying for a dog from FBRN is about looking to help a dog who needs help. Not all the dogs on these pages are perfect puppies. Mostly they are dogs with special needs, both behavioral and physical. Many are senior dogs. Some have been mistreated. Some have been neglected. Many come with baggage. Most will require extra effort in training, medical care, and attention.
Don't come to rescue to get an "inexpensive" French bulldog. Even though we vet our dogs thoroughly, and we don't place them until they are healthy or have a lifelong treatment plan in place, many adopters discover they will spend a great deal more on a rescue dog than they would on a full-priced, healthy dog from a reputable breeder when all is said and done.
Come to rescue to adopt your dog because you want to help a dog who has had a hard go of it. Apply for a rescue dog because you have something to offer and because you want to help a dog who needs it. Choose to support rescue because of the work rescue does.

The next time you hear someone say that rescue is in it for the money, come home, boot up your computer and read some of the stories on these pages. We--our supporters, our volunteers, our adopters--know we are in it for the dogs. If you don't believe it, just do the math.

Mr. Ages: Wise and Wonderful. And Waiting.

Cast your mind back to your youth and a little Don Bluth picture called The Secret of Nimh.*

You may recall that amongst the cast of characters there was an elderly, cantankerous, curmudgeonly medicine-mouse named Mr. Ages. 

A couple of months ago, a Good Samaritan acquired a dog for sale for $100 from a puppy mill breeder who intended selling him to another breeder.  This dog was nine years old at the time, well past the age when a responsible breeder will put a dog into retirement.  The dog had a mouthful of loose teeth and an enormous, swollen jaw and face from an untreated salivary gland infection.  It was all the same to the breeder, and a hunnert bucks is a hunnert bucks, amirite?

Our Good Samaritan wasn't going to let this nine-year-old dog get passed from one lousy breeder to an even worse one, so she acquired him and named him Mr. Ages, since he'd escaped the clutches of the lab
puppy mill people, and she was sure the old guy had some usefulness and life in him, yet.

And right she was.

After going to the dentist and losing ten of his rotting teeth (and the deadly breath that resulted), our hero still had some seriously infected ears and that scary-looking, swollen jaw.

But after a bit of surgery, during which he was neutered and his salivary gland drained, and some antibiotics for his infected ear, Mr. Ages has emerged a healthier, happier frogdog!

In fact, he's SO healthy and happy he has found himself on the available page!  Unlike his namesake, our Mr. Ages is not cantankerous, nor is he curmudgeonly (though we will say he prefers not to share his toys--but he's lived nine years without a single one, so can you blame him?), and it turns out he's a premier snuggle buggy.  Get a load of this guy, soaking up the snuggles on BOTH sides!  Is that some excellent snuggly form or what?

Sure, he may be a lowly puppy mill survivor with few of the airs and graces of a housepet, but he's got all the moves of a "to the manor born" Frenchie when it comes time to get his snuggles.  Might be instinctual.  Maybe he's a quick study.  Either way, he's a master.

Have you got a soft spot for older dogs who need a second chance to be loved for the first time?  You couldn't ask for a better candidate than Mr. Ages to lavish your affection and kindness on.

After nine years in a cage, he's waiting for a family to want him for himself alone, not because he can put money in their pocket.  He wants to spend the next few years cuddled between a couple of people on a couch or in a puppy pile of happy dogs on a comfy bed.  If you have a little room in your life and your home for an old man, check out his available page.


He's waited nine years.  That's long enough.

Too long, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess






*Based on the book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H. by Robert O'Brien.

Brindle Bitch with a Heart of Gold

She's got a bite history.  She doesn't like puppies.  She won't share her toys.

You know her kind.


She's a Frenchie bitch.

She's the Chanel suit of Frenchie girls, the classic that never goes out of style; she's the little bitch we love to love.

Lillebette wants you to love her and her alone.  She doesn't want to compete for your attention.  By God, she shouldn't have to.

It's her world, sir or madame, you are just living in it.  And while you are sitting there, living in her world, you could be rubbing her tummy or sharing your body heat with a little snoogle time. It's good to have a purpose.  Loving Lillebette could be your purpose.  Get on that, please.

Learn more about this classic number on her available page.

We'd never admit to resembling this stereotypical figure of Frenchie femininity, sniffs

The Frog Princess

Emmet's wish

FBRN grad, Emmet, has a Christmas wish. 

His wish is that all dogs will have homes and be loved.

That's a wish that is shared by everyone at FBRN and

The Frog Princess

Home for Christmas!

Miss Toots will be home for Christmas!

Bleu will be baking Christmas cookies for all his friends in his new home!

Ivanka gets to hang her stocking on the chimney this year!

Smoochie will join a family with kitties and bunnies!

Alexander will be up late listening for hoofbeats and drinking mulled cider on Christmas Eve.

Cassandra is predicting a Happy New Year for her family!

No matter where you are or who you are spending the holidays with, FBRN wishes you joy and peace on Christmas and every day.

The Frog Princess

Minkie Meets Some Weather!

Many of our fosters are being introduced to some pretty chilly weather this winter!  Minkie, a foster in Texas, got a case of the zoomies after stepping out into some refreshing and rare white stuff!

Minkie has a hitch in her giddyup as a consequence of spina bifida, but her neurologist says she's in no pain, she doesn't need a cart, and she doesn't need special treatment--he says, "Just let her LIVE!"  So that's what she's doing!

In November, we found that Minkie might have a liver shunt, and we are waiting on results to tell us what to do next, if anything.  Meanwhile, Minkie is preparing for her first Christmas and is definitely on the "NICE" list!

If you'd like to sponsor young Minkie, you can do that by going to our donation page.

Minkie is getting a great start, and it's all thanks to our donors and her wonderful foster mom!

The Frog Princess

December Fundraiser! Stuck for a gift idea for your favorite Frenchie fancier?

Ponder no more!

We're hosting a very special NAUGHTY OR NICE fundraiser featuring original artwork designed exclusively for FBRN by our friends at Diesel & Juice!

Order your very own limited edition "Naughty or Nice" print for $30. There were only 200 5x7 prints made, so hurry before they're gone!

Donate $30 thru this link to purchase: http://frenchbulldogrescue.org/help-fbrn/donate/

 

US & Canada Residents: Shipping is included.
Other Countries: Please donate an extra $10 to cover the additional cost of shipping.

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Forward your Paypal receipt with mailing address to letitia.wallace@fbrn.net. You MUST forward your receipt to Letitia so we know where to send your print!
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All of your donations will go into our foster Frenchies' piggie banks - our foster Frenchies are racking up over $30,000 a month in vet bills! Whether naughty or nice, we love all of our fosters and know they will have a very merry holiday season with your support.

(Please note, Diesel & Juice copyright will not appear on the actual art you receive.)

Any frog lover would love to have these frogs, in the opinion of

The Frog Princess