Good Bloggie!

Frenchies are a fortunate breed, as they have a very active rescue community. Rescues happen for all sorts of reasons, but the French Bulldog has one more for their list: people fall in love with that cute, almost cartoon-like face, but fail to realize that adorable face could be masking serious health issues underneath or needs far more individual attention than expected. Many new French Bulldog owners aren’t prepared for the upkeep and care a Frenchie may need and many of these dogs find themselves surrendered to a rescue group. Which, we want to state, is a very responsible thing for people to do. It takes a lot of courage to admit you aren’t the best home for dog and to turn it over to the hands of someone who will find it a better one.

Now what about the people on the other side of this? People who are looking for a Frenchie, but aren’t sure if they want a puppy or an older dog. The nice thing about an older dog is that he or she is usually house-trained, past the chewing-everything-up stage, and being a Frenchie, will adjust quickly and soon adore you. That’s the nice, and rather disarming, quality of this breed. They love people. It’s job number one! They can have a favorite person, but they adjust quickly to new people and new homes. If you have a lap, and a free hand to pet them and feed them treats, you just made their Top Ten list. So if you are considering an older dog, do visit the rescue organizations and see who they have available.

Rescue groups take matching dogs to the best home very seriously. They want a successful, forever home for their dogs. Don’t expect to go rescue “shopping” and get one right away. You will fill out an application and state your preferences. The rescue group will see if you are a good match for one they have. If they don’t have a match right away, another may come along later, so be patient waiting for your new, four-legged friend.

Click on each graphic to visit one of the major French Bulldog rescue groups.

Here’s a smaller, Texas-exclusive one. They mainly deal with English Bullies, but welcome Frenchie rescues as well.

This last one specializes in rehoming retiree’s and older pups whose show career never took off.

Fleas: a dog’s worst friend. And owners aren’t too keen on them either!

Last year, we had a horrible time with them. Cocoa was preggers, which added to the dilemma. We used low-impact and organic methods. Finally getting rid of them just before the pups were born. Diatomaceous earth was sprinkled all over the backyard and throughout the house. (Yep. There were in the house.) It looked like a snowstorm in April, both around and inside the house!

Diatomaceous earth consists of tiny fossils with very sharp edges. These edges cut the exoskeleton of the fleas and dries them out. The fossils don’t hurt large animals or us because they are too small. Some ranchers mix food-grade diatomaceous earth in cattle feed to organically worm their livestock. If you want to try diatomaceous earth, look for food-grade. DON’T use the type for pools.

We also used a shampoo and flea spray safe for pregnant moms and pups, but finally resorted to Frontline on the non-pregnant dogs before it was over. It takes about 3-4 weeks to truly get rid of fleas. You have to eliminate the first round of adults, then wait for the eggs to hatch, then get rid of those. Fleas have a very, hardy survival cycle.

Recently, while shopping at a local pet store, discovered nematodes were in stock. Wanted to give this a try last year, but didn’t follow through. So this year, we are trying it out. The shop clerk said after week, he realized all his fire-ants were gone. However, there is some controversy whether nematodes are effective against fire-ants.
University of Flordia study

What are nematodes? They are tiny, simple animals and there are more varieties than you can imagine. Different ones like to eat different things. The ones from the pet store like fleas and other small insects. They come refrigerated and dormant. You crumble them into a clean, (never seen chemicals) water sprayer. Then spray the damp and dark places of the yard where fleas and nematodes like to live. The nematodes wake up and start seeking a meal.

We’ve already had the yard chemically sprayed before the weather really warmed up, so haven’t had any issues this year. But some neighbors are reporting flea problems. And it’s about time to either spray again chemically, or give some friendly nematodes a try. We are opting for the friendly nematodes. Sprayed the yard last week and all seems well. We’ll see how things go and whether any fleas jump up to say “hi!” the rest of the summer.

For more information on nematodes, visit these links:

• What Are Nematodes?
• Mother Earth News
  

If you want to give them a try, look for them at a local pet shop or order them online. Haven’t bought from the places below, but they carry the flea-loving nematodes. If you do try them, let us know how they work for you. We would be interested in hearing your results.

• Arbico-Organics
• Wormsway.com
  
• Longacre Farms