Archive for April, 2010

Weekend End Frenchie Photos

by frogdogz on April 30, 2010 in French Bulldog Puppy News, French Bulldog Stuff with 2 Comments
Tula's 3 French Bulldog puppies

The boys, their last weekend together

Here are some photos from the last day or two – and can I just ask, completely without any prejudice, aren’t these boys growing into the most handsome fellows?

Teddy’s markings are so eye catching – his mask may have faded, but his “eyeliner and mascara” are still in place, giving his a sort of doe eyed prettiness that’s hard to look away from. Simon – now Zeus – is in his awkward phase. His head, while still gorgeous, looks too small for his body. It will all even up in a month or so, and in the meantime he’s just a gloriously gallumphing little guy. He’s growing into quite the snuggle monkey, too.

Alvin still looks like Alvin – round, cartoon eyes and that adorable little grin. He’s just to cute to be anything other than a muppet, I swear.

And speaking of little Alvin, he left today, back to Paula’s first, and from there on Sunday he’s on to his new home. Paula tells me he was NOT happy about the solo car ride home, but he’s settled in well at her place, and is behaving like the little gentleman we know he is. I know he’s on his way to a FABULOUS new home, but I just can’t help missing his little tiny muppet face. His brothers, on the other hand, have been gleefully cackling “More food for US, sucka!”. Hellions, I tell you. Cute hellions, but hellions none the less ;)

You can see the photos over on Flickr, or check out our iPhoto slideshow below.

THS Says “Pit Bull Ban Not Working”

by frogdogz on April 28, 2010 in Daily Life, Historical Frenchies with 3 Comments

From the Toronto Sun :

The provincial government bit off more than it could chew by dooming pit bulls as Ontario’s worst people-biters, the Toronto Humane Society says.

Results of a survey of municipalities, released Wednesday, show no significant drop in dog bite cases since the government passed Breed Specific Legislation in 2005 that resulted in “countless” pit bulls and related Staffordshire Terriers being destroyed.

In a statement, the THS called on the provincial government to amend its Breed Specific Legislation and ” stop the punishment of innocent animals.

“This survey shows that the pit bull ban has not resulted in a reduction in the number of dog bites in Ontario,” said the THS, which opposes breed-specific legislation.

A chart based on its statistics shows about a 10% drop in dog bite cases from 2004 to 2005, to just over 5,000. The survey showed a slight drop again in 2006, then the number of cases increased to about to about the 2005 level by last year.

In the THS release, spokesman Ian McConachie quoted then-Attorney General Michael Bryant telling MPPs in the Legislature “it’s time that we make amendments to the Dog Owners’ Liability Act that make our streets safer.”

The revised legislation outlawing pit bulls “failed to do so,” he charged. McConachie said outlawing specific dog breeds “targets the wrong source of the problem.

“Dogs are not born violent,” McConachie said. Instead, they are “made that way by irresponsible owners who train them to be that way or neglect them and they develop behavioural problems.

“If we want to reduce the number of dog bites we have to address the route cause of the problem, those irresponsible owners who do not appropriately care for their animals.” he said.

He said the survey shows the five-year-old anti-pit bull legislation “has not worked to decrease the incidents of dog bites.”

I find it sort of ironic that the Toronto Sun even published this – after all, they were leading the pack when it came to rabble rousing headlines in the initial days the ban was under discussion, and they’re the same idiots who ran a front page headline saying “Devil Dog Killed”, when Tim Trow’s very own cause célèbre (aka Bandit the Pit Bull) was euthanized.

I’m sure they’ll find some way to spin this – perhaps in one of their ever so even handed editorials.

Filed under “plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose”, here’s an article from 1915 that should give all of those “Pit Bull bans got nothing to do with French Bulldogs” a moment’s pause.

Mr. and Mrs. Knoblauch and Kuroki, 1916

Muzzle Order Sustained
Mrs. Knoblaugh Loses Test Case in Appellate Court
New York Times, May 29 1915

The appellate Division decided yesterday that Kuroki, a French bulldog, shall not be permitted to appear on Fifth Avenue or any other through-fare in he city, without a muzzle, not withstanding the legal efforts of his owner, Mrs. Mary B. Knoblauch (sic) of the Wyoming Apartments, who ha herself arrested in January, in an intentional effort to test the Constitutionality of the Board of Health requirement.

Mrs. Knoblauch fought the case on behalf of dog lovers. She maintained the board of health order was cruel and a violation of her specific constitutional right. She was backed by the American Kennel Club.

Tomorrow, I’ll write more about what sparked the New York City wide ordinance of 1915, which required that every dog in New York city must be muzzled at all times. Interesting stuff, and it’s easy to dismiss the notions of the ‘old days’ as so much witch doctoring – until you look at just how little really has changed over the years.

Cat Shows and Puppy News

by frogdogz on April 26, 2010 in Daily Life, French Bulldog Puppy News, French Bulldog Stuff with 12 Comments

Teddy and Tula

Sorry for the long gap between postings – work has been rather busy, and my time has been rather limited. Given a choice between coming home and spending an hour on the computer, or spending an hour playing outside with puppies – well, you can guess which one usually wins :)

Speaking of the puppies, everyone (Teddy included) is doing fabulously. Hard to believe that it’s two weeks since his emergency surgery on Wednesday! He’ll be having his stiches out later on this week.

Alvin has decided that he’s actually a French Laphound, and to this end spends his every waking moment screaming for someone (anyone!) to come and pick him up, so he can be carried around like the little princeling he is.

Simon and Teddy, on the other hand, spend most of their spare time playing a game called “Pull My Leg”. This involves one of them crawling underneath the chair in the living room. Once in place, the other puppy grabs the leg of the hiding puppy in their teeth, and tries to pull them out from underneath the chair. Much loud, horrid sounding screeching then occurs, after which they giggle, switch places and do it all over again.

No wonder Alvin wants to keep as far away as possible from these two little hooligans!

They also discovered a nest of baby garter snakes in the garden, which led to much digging, followed by much excited running in circles and barking. A good time was had by all, and we’ve discovered that there’s an untapped puppy toy market to be had in garter snakes. Please note, however, that no snakes were actually harmed during these play sessions.

Oh, some sad news (sad for us, at least). Heart, who we thought was due last week, and who an ultrasound had shown to be carrying one puppy, has turned out to have NO puppies. No idea what happened there – she could have lost it some time after the initial ultrasound, or she could have re absorbed it (a phenomena fairly common in dogs during the early stages of their pregnancies). Either way, we’re quite disappointed, and we’ll have to try again next year with our fingers crossed even more tightly.

I spend Saturday at a cat show, as part of my work. I discovered a few things there, namely that:

a) if you thought dog shows were nutty, you’ve never been to a cat show
b) there’s literally NOTHING that you can’t put glitter or sequins on
c) cats can be walked on leashes, but they don’t necessarily enjoy it
d) cats in baby strollers – see above
d) did I mention the nuttiness?

Most of all, I discovered that cat show people are really friendly, and that they have a LOT that they could teach the CKC and the AKC about how to increase show entries. CCA cat shows, for example, routinely offer classes for altered pets – and why not? Lots of us have had to spay or neuter a dog just before they got those final few points, thus leaving them unable to complete their championship. Why not offer altered classes, and let them compete there for a special ‘altered’ championship?

CCA shows also offer classes for ‘Household Pets’ – ie; ordinary, un registered house cats. I learned that, while initially the “Household Pets” faced some discrimination from the purebred exhibitors (‘They’ll have diseases!’ ‘They’ll ruin our shows!’), over time they’ve come to be regarded as one of the most beneficial aspects of CCA shows. Many rescues have been adopted after being featured at CCA shows, and it’s another fun way to encourage the general public to start attending shows – some of whom have since gone on to purchase and show purebred cats in the more traditional classes. Wouldn’t it be great to see classes – even if just exhibition classes – offered for rescues at showcase shows like the Purina National? Why not allow breed rescues to do a “Parade of Rescues” in between groups? I think the general public would love it, and it would give rescues a great chance to show off their adoptable dogs.

My guide on Saturday was Chloe MccBeth, of Siberlynx Siberian Cattery of Toronto. Thanks to Chloe, I discovered one more thing – I want a Siberian Cat! Want want want! Beautiful, striking, playful and affectionate, these are some of the most adorable cats I have ever seen. Given enough time and a few drinks, I might even be talked into showing it – but I draw the line at wearing anything with sparkly sequins or glitter on it.

The baby strollers are another story.

Canine Aristrocrats in the 30′s

by frogdogz on April 19, 2010 in Historical Frenchies with 4 Comments

From British Pathe comes this fascinating little snippet of a film. Shot at the 1930 Richmond Dog Show, it features (in the words of Pathe) -

“various shots of rather plummy people introducing their dogs, including Russian Greyhounds, King Charles Spaniels, Bloodhounds, a French Bulldog and Great Danes. Several sets of cute puppies of various breeds are seen, including Wire-haired Fox Terriers and Bedlington Terriers.”

Link – http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=8340

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