pets Archives - French Bulldogs by Bullmarket

It’s always a wonderful surprise to have someone pop up and say “Hey, remember me? We got so and so from you”.

In this case, so and so is actually an adorable little guy named Blue, out of Tessa’s very first litter. Blue was a handsome, spunky little boy, and he’s grown up to be a still handsome, spunky little guy.

Here’s the lovely note that Blue’s mom, Jennie Leto, sent along for me to share:

Blue

I got Blue from Carol Gravestock when he was 7 months old. He came charging down the
stairs and I was in love. He is now 11 and he still comes charging down the stairs, or
racing after birds, or squirrels, or bunnies. He absolutely loves life and I thank Carol and
God every day that he is in my life. This past year has been a huge transition for Blue,
since I had a baby girl named Lillian.

Blue came through like a trooper and Lily and Blue are in love. He is her protector,
her buddy, her furry sibling. Boo Boo was her first words, before Dadda and Mamma,
and Boo Boo is the first one she asks for every morning. Before we drop my daughter off
at daycare we drop Boo Boo at my parent’s house for his daycare.

Blue’s other favorite people are my niece and nephew Avery and Caleb. Caleb just kisses
him all day long, and Avery is so gentle with him. The only thing is that Blue doesn’t think
he is a dog. When Lily, Avery and Caleb are around Blue tries to get in the middle of
everything they are doing and participate. He tries to color and play ball and play dolls,
and this past Easter Blue didn’t understand why Grandpa didn’t want to take a picture of
him in the Easter backdrop he set up for the kids shots. Blue is stubborn, lovable,
adorable, and such a blessing to our whole family. He is such a handsome boy, people
look at him and compliment him before my daughter.

We treasure Boo Boo, thank you Carol and Tessa (Blue’s Momma), you created a most
amazing Frenchie and we adore and love him so much!!!

Here are some photos of Blue (seriously, is this a handsome face, or what?). Oh, and there are two in there of Blue as baby, one with his entire litter.

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.

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