A tribute to Charlotte Creeley’s cantankerous little red headed boy. If ever an owner and dog were meant for each other, it was Charlotte and Hammer.
Bullmarket Sumolebull Pelshire, CD
November 22, 1994 to March 10, 2008
Goodbye, Hammer – you are missed
Well, life out here in the country sure can be a pain in the butt. A wicked winter ice storm knocked my satellite internet out of service from Sunday afternoon until yesterday morning, and I’ve been going through some serious net surfing withdrawal pains.
Needless to say, I also have some blog post catching upping* to do…
*(is that an actual term? If it isn’t, it should be)
Solo’s New Family
As I mentioned previously, Solo went home with his new family on Sunday morning. Having him gone has been really hard — probably the hardest puppy I’ve ever let go. I think a lot of that has to do with losing Delilah’s brother last summer – but part of it is definately about how special a boy Solo is.
Knowing that he’s someplace where he is so well loved has been a definite comfort, although not to Dexter – he REALLY misses Solo, and has woken me up every night since he left.
Susan, Solo’s new mom, has written up a brief bio about herself and her family, and about how Solo is fitting into their home.
Solo’s new family
We are so blessed to have been able to add Solo to our family. We feel so lucky to have been able to have this opportunity and feel he is the perfect fit. My husband and I have 2 boys, ages 9 and 7, both boys have different levels of Autism. They are both extremely sensitive boys, with a very quirky nature, and the usual behaviours associated with Autism. They were raised around dogs and cats and have always had a compassionate way with creatures of any kind. I am a stay at home mom, so I am always available to be there for my kids and the pets. Solo is our first Frenchie, as we have had large dogs before.
He is a joy to have around, he is not just a pretty face. He is so loving and is always following the boys around the house. He just loves to be around people. He loves to be held and cuddled and we hope one day to have him doing therapy work once he is old enough. I see great things for this little guy, who has stolen all our hearts. He is incredibly smart, which was very surprising to me. He has us all trained already!! He has caught on so fast to his new house and routine. I can just gush over him forever, and he is very photogenic to boot.
We thank our lucky stars everyday to have Solo join our family!!!! We are more than thankful to Carol and Barb for all the thought, work, blood, sweat and tears they put into their dogs. Especially the loving care for Solo, for that is what made him what he is today, a true blessing. And I would also like to thank everyone who rooted for him, and sent their thoughts and prayers for him, thank you, thank you, thank you. He is a special little guy, who has made our special little family a very happy one!
Susan, Terry, Sean and Ian Snider, and wet kisses from Solo
Lots of new photos of Solo with his people (and their toys!) here, or in the slide show below.
Adventures in Puppy Land
Well, tis finally done. Both Journey and Paris have been bred, and what a long, strange trip that has been. Daily 2 hour round trips northward for blood testing and Draminski testing for the past 2 weeks, numerous snow storm delays, worries over sperm shipping, a vet bill well into four figures and counting, and we’re still not guaranteed that either of them is pregnant.
Someone be sure to let me know when all this lucrative dog money we breeders are supposed to have is going to start flowing, because I could sure use it to pay off my Mastercard bill.
In a month or so from now we’ll haul them both in for ultrasounds and see if there are any babies percolating in their bellies.
Of course, I could go the Paris Hilton route, and just let them free range around the yard reproducing willy nilly…
Thank doG she never ended up with a Frenchie. The mind reels.
The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services paid a visit to the home of Paris Hilton today to investigate a complaint about her dogs.
Captain Bowers tells TMZ his department received a complaint from an animal rescue group, after Paris’ appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Monday. On the show, Paris talked about having 17 dogs — a huge no-no in the city of Los Angeles. A non-breeder is only allowed three dogs per address — though in Hollywood, Paris is considered a notorious breeder!
Captain Bowers tells us he went to her home Tuesday, only to find it’s under serious construction and nobody — including pets — is living there. So Captain Bowers left word with a maid and hasn’t heard back.
We’re told all of Paris’ pets are not currently living with her — they are with animal handlers.
Here’s Paris on Ellen, busting herself. I suppose it’s better she’s pumping out puppies than babies… too bad Brit Brit didn’t think of that before becoming a breeder.
Ellie Has Insomnia
Every breeder I know of has at least one ‘special’ dog or two. Ours is named Ellie, and she has a hard time falling asleep. Y’know how kids will get totally, fall over sleepy, so sleepy that their heads are nodding – but they will still refuse to let themselves fall asleep?
That’s Ellie.
I can’t really explain it more than that, other than to tell you to watch the video.
Well, the judging is done, and yet again the Frenchie got overlooked for a frou frou poodle. C’est la vie. Apparently a poofy haircut counts for extra super duper bonus points. Actually, I don’t have a clue how good the poodle really is, since poodles are one of those breeds that all look startlingly similar to me (sorry Jan!).
It was good to see yet another of Cody Sickle’s lovely Bulldogs place well in group. Bullies, like Frenchies, are at a natural disadvantage in a group over run with spring loaded, fluffy coated yappers, so I always root for the Bulldog, in lieu of the Frenchie. I mean, take a look at the photos of this year’s Non Sporting group placers –
Notice anything? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Fluffy haircuts will get you to the big ring every time…
French Bulldog Best of Breed was taken by Ch Windmark’s What a Guy, who also won BoB in 2007. He was handled by Jodi Ghaster, who also handled Best of Opposite Sex winner Ch Shann’s Legally Blond (call name Diva). I’m apparently obligated to mention that Diva is owned by Patty Hearst (now Patty Hearst Shaw). She has owned French Bulldogs for quite a few years, so it’s old news to Frenchie people to hear that she has a dog in the ring. It’s big news everyplace else, though – the name “Patty Hearst” was one of Google’s top search terms today.
Isabella, also known as Ch Absolut’s Ooh LaLa V Amron, didn’t do anything in the breed ring, but she did make the final cut, and with 32 other Frenchies in the ring, that’s a pretty respectable showing for a 14 month old pied. I’d like to also point out that she was the only pied in the final line up, and one of only two that I can see of all the judging photos Wayne sent me. The ring was awash with creams and brindles, but the more esoteric pieds were rare, and the other colors were missing altogether.
Here’s a photo of Isabella gaiting for her handler, James Berger, for owner Toni Perone. Next year, guys…
Wayne Kovacs, co owner of Dixie and owner handler extraordinaire, was at the Gardens, and took tons of photos. You can see the entire collection here, or Isabella’s photos here.
Thanks again, Wayne!