Good Bloggie!

On a walk or out-and-about, people will often come over to meet one of our guys and spark a conversation about Frenchies. Many times you hear how they love the breed and always wanted a Frenchie of their own. If we mention we show, the quick response is “Oh. I’d only want a pet-quality Frenchie,” in a tone which implies they are willing to settle for second-best.

So you have to think, why do people think pet-quality pups should be less valuable than show-quality pups? Let me explain. If the only difference between a show-potential pup and a pet pup, are some conformation faults, what about the rest of the pup? The planning, the health care, the nutrition, the time spent by the breeder, the careful matching of pedigrees and body type to ensure the best match for a healthy pup. The socialization and training that goes into a quality pup with a personality YOU’D want to own?

When it comes to selecting your new four-legged, furry friend, would you want to get one that had been raised in a mass-breeding environment with minimal care, socialization, and hard goal toward profit from Breeder A, or one that had been essentially hand-raised by a caring breeder with an eye to the betterment of their line from Breeder B? And if Breeder A is selling a pup at price X, and Breeder B is selling their pup at the same or a slightly higher price, divide that by 10-12 years and compare how much per year the cost of that pup/dog will average. Not much difference is there? And if the pup from Breeder B has a better chance at a healthy life, and the breeder is there for you when you have questions, the value gets even better.

When our girl got her championship last year, did some fast and loose math. Of all the AKC Frenchies registered, only 3-5% go on to get a title. (If someone had hard facts on this, would love to see them!) That leaves the majority of Frenchies in the pet category. Not all Frenchie breeders show, and showing is not an absolute guarantee of a good breeder, however, it has certainly helped us. We’ve learned how to view a Frenchie by the breed standard, which lines are recognized for their quality, and have gotten to tap into the wealth of info available from other show breeders. But showing is a lot of hard work and can easily see why some would pass on showing. But even a non-show breeder should be trying to breed for health, soundness, and to the breed standard. Whoever you get a pup/dog from, they should know their lines, know any health issues within them, and be attempting to maintain their quality or improve it. After all, you do want a Frenchie that looks and acts like a Frenchie!

So pet or show, Frenchie or other breed, a pup deserves the same chance to excel in health and life, because while only a very few pups go onto show, they all go on to be a pet. And don’t you think you deserve that for yourself, and for your future new friend? Reward those who do care about the breed and breeding a healthy pet. Take the time to find a breeder who does health-testing on their dogs, nurtures their pups, and tries to produce a healthier pup so you can say with pride, “This is my pet and he/she is just the best!“

Cocoa has a new acronym to add to her name: AOM.

AOM stands for Award of Merit and she was selected from the Best of Breed class at The French Bulldog Club of Dallas-Fort Worth’s 12th Specialty Show by Judge Michael Loller for this prestigious award. She was one of 20+ Champions and 80+ Frenchies in attendance March 20, 2008. A total of four Award of Merits were presented and Cocoa walked off with one, along with a very nice rosette and certificate.

What is an Award of Merit ? To quote the Westminster site:

AWARD OF MERIT: At the discretion of the judge, an additional award made to outstanding entries that are not judged to be either BOB / BOV or BOS.

The number presented at a show is based on the number of entries. A minimum of 20 entries is needed for one AOM. If the show had had over 100 entries, five AOMs would have been available.

A big thank you to judge Michael Loller for recognizing our girl, and to the FBCDFW organizers and members for yet another successful round of Dallas/Fort Worth Specialties. It’s really quite amazing to see so many top Frenchies in one place and at one time. And being included in that category is quite a “special” thing, as well.

(Photo of Cocoa’s win to be posted when it arrives.)

Are ya sitting there, thinking “The people I work with are just a bunch of animals?” Your cubie neighbor is a gorilla, the people in the workroom are pigs, and you’re working like a dog for a living?

What if you could change those people into real animals? Into a real job with an animal focus? And find your new job with a company who donates a percentage of its proceeds back to the animals you love?

Check out this new site. Maybe a job match is there for you. Won’t cost you anything. For job seekers, there is no fee.

The site is just starting up. If you don’t find anything today, you may want to check back as their job bank grows. Jobs will include all sorts of animal-related jobs, from domestic animals, to zoos, to veterinary medicine, to you name it.

Here’s the text from the press release with more details.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 20, 2008

ANIMAL-FRIENDLY JOB SITE INTRODUCES PAWSITIVE RECRUITING WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 20, 2008: A new animal-friendly job site, AnimalWork.org, launched this week. Targeted at the growing U.S. animal industry, the site will provide job-matching for all animal related jobs, such as training, grooming, veterinary medicine, animal welfare, retail, corporate, and zoo positions. A self-described “online recruitment revolution,” AnimalWork.org is the internet’s first recruiting solution with a philanthropic twist, donating a portion of every sale to U.S. animal rescue and rights organizations. Animalwork.org fully integrates itself into its non-profit partner websites, making the sites more valuable for existing users and creating a new source of fund revenue for non-profits. The business motive behind the “philanthropic recruitment solution” is described by Miry Whitehill, executive director of the site, in a promotional video to be released shortly after the site launch: “The goals of an animal non-profit organization and an animal job board are aligned- when nonprofits are doing well, there are more animal jobs in the industry, which sustains our job board, and everybody wins.” Powered by RealMatch, a world leader in online job recruitment, AnimalWork.org uses real-time job matching technology to connect employers with qualified candidates. This is different from traditional search-based job boards because it dynamically matches job seekers with employers based on qualifications, automatically filtering out unqualified candidates, saving employers time and money. Posting a job on AnimalWork.org is free, and employers only pay for the resumes they open. For job seekers, the site is always free. AnimalWork.org launched at the beginning of this week. According to Whitehill, “We’ve been online for three days and the phone is ringing off the hook from non-profits and bloggers who want to partner up. There is no better motivation for animal people than helping animals.” Those interested in becoming an Animal Work affiliate should contact the Partners Office at 240-821-5608 or by emailing Miry directly at mwhitehill@animalwork.org.

Vivian followed in mom’s pawprints last week by winning points at the San Antonio Specialty on March 8th.

Vivian showed her little heart out that Saturday night, against some very competitive girls, and was awarded the coveted, purple Winners ribbon. Cocoa won this very same specialty last year and guess Vivian didn’t want to let mom or me down.

Extra thanks to the organizers of the Specialty: The Heart of Texas French Bulldog Club, for setting up this show and to our judge Mrs. Murrel Purkhiser for pulling our little girl out of the lineup.

Spring has snuck in earlier this year, and we have already seen a spring flea or two. Last year, we gave nematodes a try, and even with a damp, cool summer, we nary saw a flea. (Cool that is for Central Texas, only made it over 100° a few times all summer.) Last year’s blog entry: Finding Nemo-todes

So last week, we did a early application of our little flea-eating friends and haven’t seen one since. May skip the chemical deterrent if the nematodes can keep do the job alone. Safer for dogs, for us, and environment.

If you live in Central Texas, you can get nematodes from:
• Bark ‘n Purr
• Natural Gardener

Last year, we got them from Bark ‘n Purr. They even carried the spray bottle attachment to mix the nematodes and water. This year, we went looking for them so early they didn’t have them in stock yet. (First shipment is due in March.) They recommended trying Natural Gardener and we did find them there.

Nematodes aren’t very expensive. Around $20-25 to spray an average-sized yard.

You’ll need a clean hose-end sprayer to mix nematodes and water to spray the yard with. If it’s one you’ve had around and used with fertilizer or other chemicals, it will hurt the nematodes and they won’t have a chance to do their job. So be sure to use a clean one.

If you aren’t in the Central Texas area, ask your local nursery or pet shop if they carry them. (A locally-owned or independent shop is your best bet.) Or try an internet search. Because nematodes are kept cool or refrigerated to maintain hibernation, have them shipped as quickly as possible.

Wishing you a flea-free spring and summer!