A long night.. with more to come

/in /by

I’m starting to think I must be cursed. This boy isn’t gaining ANY weight – in fact, he’s lost weight. I was up all night trying to get him to nurse, but he just drops off the nipple as soon as I let go of him.

Some nutracal perked him up a little bit, and he’s since nursed this morning, but he wears out in no time flat and drops off. Mae seems to have milk, albeit not a ton, so I don’t know what the problem is.

Sean’s going to go out and get some goats milk and yogurt, and if he doesn’t perk up by this afternoon I might try to bottle feed him. The last pup I bottle fed, I lost, so this isn’t the best day of my life.

I have a whole house full of kids + assorted boyfriends/girlfriend due to show up this afternoon, and I am not feeling the holidays, that’s for sure.

Carol

Mae's Pups & a Meditation on Breeding

/5 Comments/in /by

Wednesday, when I went to bed at 10 pm, Mae was doing fine. No temperature drop, no funny behavior – just Mae, being Mae and looking happy to see me every time I came into the room to check on her, wiggling her Mae Mae butt and grinning her grin.

At 2 am, I woke up out of a dead sleep, convinced something in the house wasn’t right. I came down to check on Mae, and found her nesting in her bed, panting heavily and discharging signs of lochia in her pee. Despite being two days earlier than our earliest estimated due date, Mae was in labor, and there was no time to wait for our regular clinic to open at 8 am.

The emergency vet was wonderful – she worked fast, she anesthetized lightly, and she had the pups out within 10 minutes of getting Mae under and on the table. Unfortunately, two of them were dead before birth, with obvious signs of first stage decay. It kills me that there was nothing that could be done to try to save them.
The third pup, a little cream boy, is doing well, although he’s rather small. He eats well and vigorously, and Mae is being an attentive mom. The poor little solo puppy looks very small and very alone in that big whelping box, with no company. Mr. Monkey will be joining him for snuggling as soon as I give him a good clean, and we’ll give him lots of snuggling, but it really can’t be a substitute for the company of litter mates.

This has been a hard year for me with pups. I haven’t had a litter in almost seven years, and then two out of my first three have dead pups. I know it’s just all about bad luck and bad timing, but it’s hard not to take it personally. I’ve been lucky when it comes to breeding – until now, I’ve only ever lost three pups at birth, one litter due to veterinary negligence, and one week old pup. That’s pretty good, for almost 18 years of breeding. As I said to Sean, if I’d had this kind of bad luck in my first year of breeding, I doubt I’d still be in Frenchies. This kind of heartache is hard to justify on an ongoing basis.

For now, I’m just going to watch over this little tiny one, and give extra hugs and kisses to Dexter, Izzy, Harley and Delilah. I’m more thankful for them now than ever.

Here are a few pictures I shot yesterday. The rest can be found over on Flickr.

Thursday Thirteen – 13 Most Useful Books on Dog Breeding

/1 Comment/in /by

 

Thirteen Things Most Useful Books for Dog Breeders

I should note here that I don’t think that any book can ever replace the best source of information and advice on dog breeding, and that’s a mentor. A mentor is an older dog breeder who ‘takes you under their wing’ and offers hands on advice, help, suggestions (and usually really good gossip).

That said, I’ve also gotten a lot of useful, practical advice from the following books, including a crash introductory course on canine genetics.

A caveat: books with asterisks beside them are pretty much French Bulldog specific only.

1. Born To Win: Breed to Succeed
Patricia Craige’s book is a really great crash course on how to go beyond just ‘dog breeding’ and start breeding to win.

2. Genetics of the Dog
Malcom Willis’ book is considered to be the classic ‘layman’s’ guide to canine genetics. Invaluable for understanding – or at least trying to understand – coat color genetics, in particular.

3. Canine Reproduction: The Breeder’s Guide
Patricia Holst’s book is a wellspring of practical, no nonsense advice and tips. I refer to this book at least once per litter.

4. Successful Dog Breeding: The Complete Handbook of Canine Midwifery
Offering more than just practical advice, Chris Walkowicz emphasizes the ethics and responsibility that goes along with breeding.

5. The Whelping and Rearing of Puppies: A Complete and Practical Guide
A great book that covers all of the ‘what ifs’ and best and worst case scenarios. Spiral binding makes it a breeze to use in the somewhat hectic conditions of the whelping room. And no, I’m not saying that just because Muriel is my editor at ‘Just Frenchies‘.

6. Puppy Intensive Care: A Breeder’s Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies
This is just about the most useful book for a novice breeder. It comes along with shopping lists, and a companion CD showing video illustrations on such topics as tube feeding and a live delivery.

7. Breeding Better Dogs
Long time breeder and judge Carmen Battaglia shows you how to apply canine genetics to your specific breeding program.

8. Another Piece of the Puzzle: Puppy Development
This useful little paperback helps breeders to develop the absolute best puppies possible, utilizing puppy’s varying developmental phases to enhance temperament and behaviors. Really useful and simple to follow.

9. The Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog
This book, like “Successful Dog Breeding“, shows you how to plan out a breeding with the ultimate goal of producing a show winning litter. Helping you to see beyond just what’s down on paper, to what’s actually within your dog’s genes.

10. Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook
Every dog breeder needs a good, basic, simple to understand veterinary handbook, and this one does an exceptional job at being easy to read and follow.

11. The Healing Touch for Dogs: The Proven Massage Program for Dogs
This might seem like an odd choice for a list on dog breeding, but I’ve found that using massage on pregnant moms, moms in whelp and on puppies enhances their health and wellbeing. New, nervous moms can be calmed into accepting their pups more readily if you use massage while introducing them – especially useful if mom is shaking off the effects of anesthesia from a c-section.

* 12. The French Bulldog by Steve Eltinge
Yes, we know this book require deep pockets, but this is the classic book on French Bulldogs, and contains some fantastic photos of dogs you’ll find behind the pedigrees of most of the top show dogs in North America. Put it on your wishlist.

* 13. The French Bulldog (Kennel Club Classic)
Pockets not quite deep enough for the Eltinge book? Muriel Lee’s new book is a fantastic, more up to date alternative. Covering health, history and much more on the Frenchie, it’s an essential addition to the library of any aspiring French Bulldog breeder.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

A BSL Night Before Christmas, and gifts for the Frenchie with everything

/1 Comment/in /by

Having a hard time shopping for your overly pampered Frenchie? Cashmere sweaters not cutting it? Gucci dog bed just way too sissy for your kick ass Bully boy? Did your fussy Frenchie female sneer at the 52 carat diamond dog collar you hawked the house to buy?

spok_in_metal-420x306.jpgDon’t despair.

We’ve found the perfect gift for the Frenchie who wants to express their inner Mad Max Road Warrior – custom made armour.

http://www.pitbullarmory.com/dog-armor.html

$500, and well worth the cost, and useful for the dog who plans to take on those bunnies that keep invading your garden every spring (those bunnies have pretty sharp teeth, you know!).

war_squirrel_elite_2-482x645.jpgActually, since Frenchies are smaller than Pits, maybe the squirrel armour would suit them better.

http://www.pitbullarmory.com/Squirrel-armor.html

I imagine you could also have it custom made for your Hamster or Gerbil, for those of you still looking for the perfect gift idea for your pocket pet. Hey, imagine the cat’s surprise when he comes face to face with an armour clad Gerbil? Way more fun than one of those exercise balls.

Finally, for all of us living with Breed Specific Legislation, I present ‘A BSL Night Before Christmas‘.

Hope left it in the comments for my ‘Christmas Wish List’, but it’s just too good not to get re-printed.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings where hung by the chimney with care
In the hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there

But at the North Pole sudden changes arose
All down to Rudolph and his ruby red nose
Clipboard in hand, a breed expert arrived
He motioned to Santa saying,” please step aside”.

A smooth haired coat and a muscular build
A broad deep chest our Rudolph did yield
The breed expert’s pen, created pages of ticks
Then he suddenly called out “good lord, we’ve been tricked!”

“This creatures no donkey and clearly no horse!
I know these things! I’ve attended the course!”
Look at my clipboard the boxes are full!
It’s very obvious to me: Rudolph is a pit bull!

Out with the measuring sticks, he explained to Santa the law
And he measured poor Rudolph from shoulder to floor.
As the spectacle continued Santa said with a sigh
He’s a reindeer you fool! Why must he die?

“The law is the law” the expert said standing tall,
Then picked up his mobile and made a quick call
The sound of sirens filled the peaceful night air
And Rudolph removed – to who knew where?

Days turned to weeks and confused and alone
Rudolph pined, for the place he called home
As the first snow started falling Rudolph gave up the fight
And he took his last breath on a cold winters night

You may think this is funny, if a little untrue.
But how would you like it, if it happened to you?
If your dog was taken because of its look?
Because it ticked enough boxes in some silly book?

Regardless of parentage it doesn’t matter what breed
If it ticks enough boxes then it’s a done deed
So humor me here and pretend this is true
Think how you would feel if it happened to you.

Cuddle your hounds while you have them close by
For some spend this Christmas, waiting to die.
Now back to the story, it doesn’t end there
One more short verse I need to share

Santa fetched Rudolph’s body and cried for his friend
And swore to himself, this would not be the end
And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
“The law is wrong, please help us to fight!”

Once again, imitation *doesn't* equal flattery

/1 Comment/in /by

An update: These guys don’t just steal text, they steal photos, as well. Their picture of ‘Abby’ was stolen from Bulldog Ally. This increases the chances that they’re actually just a wire transfer scam.

Well, I had no idea that I breed Bull Terriers and English Bulldogs….You’d think I would have noticed them running around the house, especially since I apparently have a gazillion of them. So, if you run across this site when searching for me, please rest assured you are in the wrong place. Way, way wrong.

http://www.leksidebullys.com/

The total and utter nerve of some people just slays me. Plus, if I ever design a site that sucks as much as this one, I hope all my fingers fall off. I won’t even comment on how their poor Frenchies look, since it isn’t their fault their owner is a halfwit.

Carol

ps: This is for the search engines, since leksidebullys.com is apparently coming up when people search for Absolut Bullmarket. Lekside Bullys are liars, and, judging by their prices, they’re probably a wire transfer rip off scam. Do not buy an English Bulldog puppy, French Bulldog puppy, or Bull Terrier puppy from Lekside Bullys or www.leksidebullys.com . They’re morons, and their web site sucks, too.