Good Bloggie!

Did you know that humans and other animals are hard-wired to respond to baby faces and features? It’s true! Researchers at Oxford University have documented it. The sight of an infant or baby animal cues your brain and causes good emotions within seconds. Call it the “warm fuzzies” syndrome, if you will.

So when you go looking for that Frenchie puppy (or any breed) you need to have your facts together so you don’t automatically fall for a cute puppy face. This face will be with you for many years to come. Start with one attached to good health, good breeding, and to someone who will be there to answer questions later.

Visit the parent club, The French Bull Dog Club of America, for tips on finding your French Bulldog:
French Bulldog Club: Do’s and Don’ts

Visit The Wrong Puppy to make sure you are armed with the skills to find the right puppy.
The Wrong Puppy

And if you want to read more about your brain’s reaction to puppies and babies, here’s some links:

The Wall Street Journal

Washington Post

Daily Herald

If you live in or near Austin, here’s a treat for both you and your dog: a free movie in the park with lots of pre-movie entertainment.

The Austin Parks Foundation will be screening Best in Show on May 10th, 2008 at Republic Square.

Prior to the movie, there will be dog training demos, dog agility demos, giveaways, and (our favorite) silly pet trick contests!

Get the full scoop here:
Austin: Movies in the park

That’s what happened this weekend. Vivian made the local news when we attended a dog show in Beaumont, Texas. Below is the link. There will be a short commercial first before the clip starts. Then look for Vivian in the middle, right after the barking Chihuahua.

Channel 6, Beaumont, Texas: Dogs at Ford Park

One of Vivian’s favorite things is to be held, on her back with her head upside-down. And that’s exactly what she was doing when the news crew came through looking for interesting footage. A really cool thing was the teaser line for the 6 ‘o clock news. It went something like this: “stay tuned for dogs upside-down and jumping up and down.” Instantly knew who had inspired THAT line!

Oh yeah. Guess we should mention that on Friday she won:
• 1st in Bred-by
• Winners (Added another point to her tally)
• Best of Winners
• Best of Breed, Bred-by Exhibitor

Then went on to compete and win a Group 2 placement in Non-Sporting Group, Bred-by Exhibitor. Was a very full and long day for both of us. Our thanks to the judges, Mrs. Paula Hartinger for her Breed wins, and judge Dr. Donald A. Gill for her Group win.

Photos below. This time we made sure we didn’t miss out getting those!

Interested in French Bulldogs and want “Just the facts, ma’am”?

Surf over to the Wikipedia listing. You can get the basics on Frenchies, Frenchie health, and visuals of the various coat colors. There are links to all sorts of info sites and the international French Bulldog clubs.
Frenchies on Wikipedia

This one page can keep the Frenchie fan busy for quite awhile.

If you have a (gasp!) second breed, try searching for it and see what comes up. Or have non-Frenchie interest? Give it a search.

If you don’t know about Wikipedia, it is a living information source, so new things are always being added, edited, and challenged. Their tag line: “the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”

Wikipedia Home Page

This weekend, Vivian earned points at the Bee-Tex show under judge Bettie L. Krause. Mrs. Krause graciously bestowed Vivian with the Winners, Best of Winners, and Best of Opposite ribbons. We’d like to thank judge Krause for recognizing our girl. It was great weather for this show (as it’s held in a pole barn, so semi-outdoors) and winning points made it even better.

Unfortunately, no picture on it’s way. I was too busy doing dog paperwork and just as I got back to the ring, the photographer was leaving and missed our chance to take photos with the judge. So here’s a fun one of Vivian and her mom Cocoa, sleeping on top of the couch cushions at home. (In case you ever wondered what a show dog does during their off hours.)