Good Bloggie!

It’s almost here, the BIG dog show of the year. Only AKC Champions of Record are allowed to compete and it’s often considered the pinnacle of a dog’s career to even attend.

Each breed’s top five dogs (from the national rankings of the prior year) are issued formal invitations to ensure the best is in attendance for the show. The five invited French Bulldogs for Westminster 2010 are:

• CH Highwood’s Big Shot
• CH Lebull’s Midnight Confessions
• CH Petite Cherie Femme De Puissance
• CH Raindrops Justus Lifes A Game
• CH Robobull Fabelhaft Im On Fire

Just as it is often is at a local dog show, the French Bulldog ring time is an early, first-breed-in-the-ring 8 AM. (Showing a wash and wear breed DOES have some minor drawbacks.) Monday morning 36 French Bulldogs will be waiting ringside, raring to go into the ring before Canadian judge Mr. James G. Reynolds. They will compete for Best of Breed and four Award of Merits. The BOB winner will compete Monday evening in the Non-Sporting competition for Group placement, or better. It will be up to judge Mrs. Dorothy A. Dalton to pick her best Non-Sporting dogs of the evening. The Group winner will report to the Best in Show ring on Tuesday night, before judge Mr. Eliott B. Weiss.

When dogs aren’t strutting their stuff in the ring they will be at their bench, accepting the favors and attentions of the crowd, as Westminster is one of the few remaining benched dog shows where you can meet and admire your favorite show dogs outside the ring.

French Bulldog Ring and Time
Ring 2, Time 8:00 AM, Row 5
36 French Bulldogs entered

Visit the Westminster website for more details, ringtimes for other breeds, and ticket information.
The Westminster Kennel Club

Television Coverage

USA and CNBC will share broadcast of the live event.
Monday, February 15
Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups
8-9 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network
9-11 p.m. (ET) live on CNBC

Tuesday, February 16
Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, Best In Show
8-11 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network

2010 WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW

MONDAY and TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 15th and 16th, 2010
Show Hours: 8:00 A.M. E.T. to 11:00 P.M. Each Day
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN CENTER
Pennsylvania Plaza
Seventh to Eighth Avenues and 31st to 33rd Streets
New York City, New York

If you have been considering the Alamo City Cluster of Dog Shows in March don’t forget there is an extra special show: the Heart of Texas French Bulldog Club Annual Specialty. Not only will there be ribbons and points to compete for, there will be very nice prizes for the winners and ringside refreshments and fun for all. To spice things up, there is additional competition for Best Puppy and Best Bred-by-Exhibitor along with Best of Breed Specialty. The specialty judge is the esteemed Peggy Lloyd. Onofrio is the show superintendent. Wednesday noon, February 24 is the deadline for entries. Don’t miss out on the HOT-est French Bulldog event all year!

The Specialty takes place late afternoon Wednesday, March 10 (exact time to be announced later). It will be followed by four more days of all-breed shows at the Joe & Harry Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, not too far from I-35 and I-10 exits. Parking is conveniently located right outside the building.

Book your hotel room at the Alamo Cluster dog show rate ($69-$99) before they are all gone. Alamo City Cluster of Dog Shows booking code: LAD
Clarion Hotel & Suites
3855 IH-35 North
San Antonio, TX 78219
(210) 226-4361

Click here to read more about the shows and download the Show Premium List PDF from Onofrio.

You can read more about the show and get updates as they are released at the Heart of Texas French Bulldog Club website.

With The Westmister Kennel Club Dog Show on the horizon, many people are booking flights for themselves and their dog. Flying a pet can be complicated and frustrating, but a very helpful site called Petflight.com can help guide you through the process. (Which is fitting because the inspiration for the site is a former guide dog named Brent.) The website is full of advice, facts, links to airlines who fly pets, airline incident reports, and even list which airports provide relief stations for dogs and where they are located.

Of interest to French Bulldog fanciers is the article written specifically about flying brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs.

If you have a dog-enhanced flight coming up, certainly a site worth checking out.

Neiman Marcus has Postage Stamp Ottomans available, one with a Polish Brindle Pied Frenchie stamp on top.

Guess if you’re paying $300 and up for the shoes, a $469 ottoman is the place to rest them while you’re watching TV!

Haute House
Pale Blue French Bulldog Ottoman, 18″D
Price: $469.00

A couple of years ago we added a health handbook to our library of dog books. Last year, we found ourselves reaching for it again and again. It is called Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook and is written by three DVMs and a doctor, Eldredge, L.Carlson, D. Carlson, and Giffin.

It is a reference book, set up to find health topics easily. The book states the condition, the symptoms, things you can do at home, if possible, and treatments most often used by a veterinary practice. Text is written succinctly and is easy to understand without needing a medical background. It’s great for looking up symptoms to decide if you pet needs to go to the vet (the book often states whether you can treat at home, or if it’s imperative you see a vet.). It’s also great to have as a reference to get the terminology correct when speaking to your vet or to review once you get back from an office visit. (What was that word? How is it spelt?) It does a wonderful job of covering a wide range of dog health topics from emergencies, to disease and infections, to even breeding and geriatrics in one book.

You may have noticed, as we have, dogs have a tendency to develop symptoms after-hours and on weekends. This handbook has eased a few worries of whether we should wait for the vet’s office to open the next day, or take someone to the emergency clinic right away. And if dog health is an interesting topic to you, it is actually a good read.

While it’s easy to do a web reference search on a topic when you have time, during an emergency you just can’t beat the ease of opening a book, written with the authority of medical professionals, which needs no powering up and is so well organized by topic. Being able to compare and verify internet info is a comfort, too.

Maybe someday they will perfect that “What exactly is the dog thinking? device. Better have a boxful of treats and toys handy, and in the case of Rocksie, a handful of cat toys! Oh wait; she’s pretty good communicating THAT thought already.

Link to book on Amazon:

Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook