A few people have asked how Mae is doing, and how advanced her symptoms are. This quick video shows some of her more clearly visibly symptoms – her turned in rear legs, her habit of walking on her knuckles, the drag marks she leaves behind in the snow.
More importantly, it shows her super happy disposition – and illustrates why we’re so happy to have her here with us again!
Mae makes herself at home
Some of you might recall Mae – she’s our big boned cream girl, also famous for being mom to the uber cute Solo. Mae was placed into a retirement home, but when things got rough for her adoptive mom, she thought it was best for Mae to come back to us. We’re always ready to take back any of our placed dogs, so of course we arranged to pick Mae Mae up.
We knew she’d been experiencing some rear end weakness, and that her vet had been having a hard time coming up with a definitive diagnosis for what was causing it. I’d assumed it was likely arthritis – her vet had speculated it was first stage degenerative disk disease, but in my (thanfully limited) experience with that, it usually comes as a ‘bolt from the blue’. One day, your dog goes to sleep completely normal, the next day, they wake up paralyzed.
Mae’s condition, on the other hand, was slowly progressive.
Elliott and Barb at the FBDCA Nationals in Texas
Remember
Christina Rossetti
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
Barb got her first show dog 35+ years ago – an Afghan Hound out of Kelly’s Big John. She has finished, shown and bred Afghans, Cockers and Akitas. When Barb got old and fat, she decided to acquire her first French Bulldog, figuring that she might as well own dogs who were as happy to sit on the couch as she was.
Her first French Bulldog was Citadell’s Shotsilk Hillary, who she co owned with Norma Gibson Smith of ‘Amron’ French Bulldogs. It was Norma who handled Ch Bullmarket Versace during his show career and to his BOB win at the Gardens. Hillary was out of Ch. Jaguar’s Ajax Rocko and Ch Smashers Francine. She had two litters of puppies, and produced four champions, and was the Grandmother of Daisy, Ch. Firesides’ Snow Belle, foundation bitch of Fabelhaft French Bulldogs. Hillary lived to fourteen years of age, each day of which she spent fervently wishing that Barb would get rid of the rest of the dogs. Barb and Norma bred and co owned several French Bulldogs together, and still co breed from time to time.
Barb met Carol when she and Norma purchased Roseanne, Bullmarket A&A Striped Ts. Barb quickly discovered the joys of both owning a dog that was possibly smarter than the average human, and of trying to get Carol to return her phone calls.
In addition to breeding and showing dogs, Barb was a professional dog groomer for thirty years.
Barb Brown passed away on December 19, 2009 after a long illness. She is much missed by her family, and her friends.
In Lieu of flowers, a donation to French Bulldog Village rescue is requested.
Tessa At Fifteen, with her bratty great grandson Dwight
Tessa spent the first 48 hours of her life living in a bathtub.
Her mom, Tara, decided to go into early labor the day before we were due to move house. Timing wasn’t perfect, and I was frankly in a state of panic. This was only my second French Bulldog litter, and no one had prepared me for ‘what to do if you have newborn puppies and a house full of movers’. I had to find a quiet room, one that wouldn’t have movers constantly going in and out of it, and that seemed to be the bathroom, on both ends of the move. I lined the tub with heating pads and thick blankets, turned on the space heaters, and stuck “Do NOT Open This Door For ANY REASON!!!” signs up.
Tessa turns Fifteen years old on November 22
It’s less than 24 hours until the big day – Tessa (Bullmarket Terror of Toronto) turns fifteen years old.
We’re holding a little party for her tomorrow, with her in house relatives, but I’m hoping for some photos of her kids, grandkids, greatgreatgrandkids, whatever! If Tessa is in your dog’s immediate pedigree, I’d love it if you sent me a photo.
Include their registered name, their pedigree (if you have it), and their call name, along with your name. I’ll be putting up a great big post with all the photos as soon as they’ve all come in.
Tessa gave birth to three litters, but those three litters produced 23 puppies, 21 of which survived! So, she’s got quite a family tree, and we’d love to see your ‘branch’ of it.
You can email your photo to me at frenchbulldogz@gmail.com