Morning Stroll

We've had so much picture-perfect weather lately.  If Ohio had this kind of climate all year, everyone would want to move here (no worries - our frigid winters and humid summers scare off all but the most hardy individuals).  I've always said one has to love the extremes - bot hot and cold - to appreciate all the seasons in the Midwest!  This is one of my favorite times of year, and everything is blooming magnificently thanks to our early/warm Spring.  The migrating birds have returned and the air is full of their songs from sunrise to sunset.

We're lucky to live in a such beautiful area, with many great trails to walk.  Only problem is there tends to be very little shade (lots of ex-cowpastures), and it's already warm enough to get Brutus overheated.  Plus his deep black coat really is a heat magnet.  So we walk early, and I have already gotten out the cooling coats & supplies.  

Here's a few pictures from our walk this morning.  Just a leisurely stroll, taking in nature & trying to keep it mellow before our big AKC debut tomorrow (no zoomies, Brutus - please, PLEASE???).  We probably won't get a chance to post again until Monday, so keep all those paws & fingers crossed for us!!

(almost) Wordless Wednesday: Spring edition

You know what they say:

"April showers.....

 ... bring May flowers."

Hey, wait a minute!  It's still April!! 

Oh, well.  Enjoy 'em while they last!

Brutus' Take on Agility

Hey everybody, Brutus here! Mom is so pathetically behind on blogging I thought I'd better take over before you all gave up on us. So she worked on a lot of teeth last week - big, hairy deal! We have obligations you know!!

Anyhoo, as you may remember, Mom carted me off to an agility trial (or as Dad calls it "chasing around her goblin") this past weekend. Mom justified it by saying something about "making up for time I had to spend in my crate..."

Seriously? By making me do circus tricks?? Hmm, we'll see about that!

Don't get me wrong, I love agility. But the parts I love most are those moments between the obstacles that are just chock-full of potential for a Frenchie to create embarrassment for their human teammate truly shine.

For instance, take this fine moment. It's me and mom having a little discussion about who's going to be the one to go over this jump. I told her it was her turn. As you can see, she is a little perplexed by my suggestion....


Then there's my favorite: ZOOMIES!! I took full advantage of numerous opportunities when mom took her eyes of me for a split second. My motto this weekend was "I only run fast in all the wrong directions!!" Sorry the photo is a bit blurry (I was running so fast no film speed could capture it), but you can still tell the by the look of utter joy on my face that I just LOVE this part of agility!!


After all, what sort of a competitor would I be if I didn't take to opportunity to go over (at full speed) to introduce myself to the judge?? If you look real close, you can actually see me sticking out my tongue at mom! The judge and the ring crew all thought this was pretty funny, not so sure that mom did...


Here's something I experienced for the first time this weekend - being carried off the course by mom. I guess if you screw around out there for long enough, you get a free ride back to your crate. Just think of all the effort that saved me! Not only did it significantly reduce the distance I had to run, but also relieved me the chore of having to do those all those weaves, A-frame, and tunnels you see behind us!! Mom is smiling this time, so it must have made her happy (she was mumbling something about "having to laugh so she didn't cry" whatever that means).


Here I am at the end of a run (another favorite moment of the course for me), being loved on by mom. She's not allowed to touch me during the run (great rule, as it totally works to my advantage), but me getting on the table is what ends the run in this game, so here it's OK. Guess I'm lucky that no matter what I do out there, she still loves me!


In case you'd like to see it all in living color, I complied a little video montage of my favorite moments (the still frames above came from that video). Thanks as usual to my mom's look-alike Courtney (she even fools me sometimes) for documenting all these fabulous moments.

In all fairness to mom, I do feel a little guilty sometimes. So to do her justice, here's a video of me pretty much behaving during one of our runs this weekend (we Q'd). For those of you without high-speed internet, you'll just have to take my word for it!

Mom promises to be extra nice to me this week, in return for which I'm considering behaving for our AKC agility debut on Friday.  Already got me some FrostyPaws, but there better be lots more where that came from. It's awfully tempting to steal the show at a new venue, you know!!

Oh, and one more request, mom:  my own directors' chair.  No more crate time for this Frenchie.  Star treatment from here on out, or all you get out there are zoomies, understand?  Hehehe.

Ok, all kidding aside..  At least I get to hang out with mom all day.  Maybe I should take it a little easier on her, what do you think??

Flat Brutus: Time for a Check-up!!

I survived my busy week at work. Sorry we haven't been around to comment on everyone's blogs, hope you can understand. Brutus survived too, although he is a bit miffed at me. Not only are we falling behind on blogging again, but Brutus had a lot more time in his crate and a lot less walkies (I think we only logged 12 miles this week, compared to our usual 25)... but he survived too. I'll be making it up to him though, as we'll be together all weekend at an agility trial! Gotta work hard to play hard, know what I mean??

Before we call it a week, how about a little update from our roving Frenchie, Flat Brutus? So what's he been up to this week, I hear you ask. Well...

All those travels abroad can be kinda hard on the little guy, so it's fortunate that his most recent host was our friend, and the real Brutus' vet, Dr. Lori. Flat Brutus had a great time tagging along with her all day at her veterinary practice.

Right off the bat, she made sure that Flat Brutus got a thorough exam. Need to verify he's still fit to travel, especially after having visited all those foreign countries!

Aw, geez... do we have to do the butt thermometer!?!

Vitals look good! Flat Brutus is pronounced 100% fit and healthy, ready to take on the world again!

After all that serious stuff was out of the way, Flat Brutus got to relax and have a little fun at the clinic. He helped comfort a very special patient during their appointment. Flat Brutus was privileged to meet a very special patient, an FBRN Frenchie! Carlton is one BIG Frenchie boy (almost 40 lbs!!) and was just recently rescued, shown here with his foster mom. Hope he can find a forever home soon!


Brutus did so well with assisting her during that appointment, Dr. Lori assigned Flat Brutus to keep another little Frenchie patient company as he recovered from a minor procedure.

It's OK little guy... You are in good hands here!!

Next Flat Brutus got to help out at the hydrotherapy tank. I'm sure this German Shepard appreciated his encouragement!


All his clincial duties taken care of, he headed out to the front desk to help confirm appointments for the next day. Apparently Flat Brutus makes a good administrative assistant too!!


His exciting day at the clinic wound to a close, and Flat Brutus got to go home with Dr. Lori to relax for the evening. He met the whole gang at French Bulldogs d'Assisi, and really warmed to to this pretty gal, Gena.


Gena is a new mom and was a little worried that he Flat Brutus was just going to be another mouth to feed. No worries Gena, he's just visiting! Now, about those puppies....

Flat Brutus also got to meet Gena's pups, almost 6 weeks old. He felt right at home with the little Frenchies, as they are almost the same size as him (but a lot pudgier BOL!). They must have liked him too, as they shared their dinner with Flat Brutus!


Thanks to Dr. Lori for taking such good care of Flat Brutus. It's good to know that he passed his exam with flying colors, since he has a LONG way to go on his travels! You never know where he'll turn up next week!

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

Just in time for Earth Day!

Another unfortunate consequence of deforestation.....

I think I see Brutus towards the back of that line... Hope he can hold it!

The material waiting to be posted on our blog is waiting in a similar line. Lots of things to post about, just need to find time to do it! It's going to be a busy few weeks (lots of teeth to fix, chores to do, and agility trials to compete in, and a trip to get ready for), so please bear with us!

GABE Winner!!!

It's the big day - we are picking our GABE winner! Today marks the grand finale of this great event, sponsored by our friend Twinkie! We met so many new friends, and the prizes are just the icing on the cake! Thanks to all our GABE entrants (we had 50). For those of you with highspeed connections, this video says it all!!

Don't want anyone to be left hanging, so in case you aren't able to enjoy the live video of Brutus choosing our winner, here's a photo blow-by-blow of how he did it!

I wrote the names of all 50 entrants on identical pieces of paper, and folded them all the same way. To be as random & unbiased as possible, I asked Brutus to do the honors (don't let him know I told you, but he can't read...)


Brutus immediately set about the task with his usual vigor:

Let's see... So many papers to choose from, all so tasty!

My peepers are closed, I promise - no peeking! Besides if I did, I might get a papercut on my eye!

And within a few minutes (and some attempts to eat the box), Brutus picked a winner!

Who is it Brutus? The suspense is killing us...

Hooray! It's the wee Scottie lass, Bonnie!

Congratulations, Bonnie! I bet you and your human are going to look great in your new shirts from CafePress!! Maybe not as glamorous as you are in your dress, but hey - everyone needs casual clothes too!


You don't have to get matching shirts like Brutus and I did, but is sure is fun (and I bet you could get "Team Scottie!").


Congrats again Bonnie, we can't wait to see what you choose! I'll contact you via email to give you the instructions on how to claim your fabulous prize!! There are so many things to pick from at CafePress, I'm sure you'll find something really fun!

Even if you didn't win, make sure to still check out all the cool stuff at CafePress. They have something for everyone, and even if you can't find something, you can custom-make you own unique item! While you're there, be sure to visit the Flat Brutus World Tour shop (shameless plug, sorry), all proceeds of which go directly to FBRN!!

Thanks again to Twinkie for organizing this one-of-a-kind event! We appreciate all your hard work! The best prizes of all are all the new friends we've made!

Things are getting Ugly around here

Things really ARE getting Ugly around here.  Despite the look on the boys' faces above, that's not as bad as it sounds.  I'm talking about the new stuffies we brought home a few weeks ago. Meet Abima & Ninja Batty Shogun!!

They are "Ugly Dolls", strange but lovable characters!

 

Biggify to read more about silly Abima.  We thought of Mason when we read his bio!

 Stick with me buddy.  At least if you want to keep all 8 of your fingers....

Then there's Ninja Batty Shogun, who seems to be the ideal companion for Brutus. 

Call me crazy, but they seem to have a lot in common.  And I think I see some resemblance....

Guess who decided he needed BOTH stuffies?

Although Brutus alleges he was just trying to "break it in" for Mason....

Far be it from him to neglect his own stuffie, Brutus gave Batty a good working over too...

... but only because he liked him.  How better to show someone you care than to gnaw on their navel?

Yeah, it's silly to buy stuff like this for the boys.  But we just couldn't resist.  Long live Abima & Batty!  

Wordless Wednesday: Frenchie Anatomy 101

Any questions??

Flat Brutus: Truly a World Tour

Yep, it's time for another Flat Brutus update!  First I have some exciting news:  Flat Brutus now has his own line of merchandise, thanks to CafePress!  There's all sorts of fun things you can buy at the Flat Brutus Merchandise shop: from t-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets, to travel mugs, magnets, and stationery, hosts can now have something to commemorate their visit from Flat Brutus.  All profit generated from the store goes directly to French Bulldog Rescue Network, so not only are you purchasing a fun item, you are supporting FBRN!  


I've posted a button on the sidebar here, finding the shop is easy.   In case the link doesn't work for you, the URL for the shop is http://www.cafepress.com/flatbrutus.  The logo shown above is on all the merchandise, so be sure to stop by and check it out!  Special thanks to artist Lili Chin (www.doggiedrawings.net) for allowing me to use her work for such a fun project!

Now back to the Tour itself.  Flat Brutus has really been quite the jet-setter recently, visiting several countries with another of his international hosts, Sarah-Jane.  She lives in the Orscholz, Germany (near the border of France and Luxembourg) with her two Frenchies Norman and Gertie.  Here they are getting introduced to Flat Brutus.

Sarah-Jane took Flat Brutus on a whirlwind tour of Western Europe, including Belgium, Luxombourg, and France:

That's countries number 3, 4, and 5 on the World Tour itinerary if you're counting.  Amongst his many adventures with Sarah-Jane, Flat Brutus went to Feiburg (southern Germany) participated in a marathon!

Here he is keeping pace with the pack, thanks to her son Warwick (his dad Wills was running in the race too):

Here's a fun photo she took of Flat Brutus - who is Brutus' mini-me after all -  at a mini-Eiffel tower while in France.  Unfortunately the photo is miniature too, but trust me...  FB is in there (once again, Warwick assisting)! 

Flat Brutus also went to England with Sarah-Jane (country #6!!), but her camera decided to go haywire.  Luckily he'll be back in England late in the tour, so will hopefully have another chance for a photo of with the Queen :)

Flat Brutus is should be arriving in Singapore soon, being hosted by the pack that writes The Musketeers blog.  Hope he has traveled safely and to hear from him soon!  Stay tuned for updates!