Happy Howl-o-ween Everyone!!!

Are you all ready for trick-or-treating?  We certainly are!   

Guess we're doing the "good & evil" theme again!

Ahoy mateys!  It's Black Brute the pirate!

Admit how cute I am, or you'll be walking the plank!

Every pirate has to have an eye patch & an earring!  Now where's my sword & my parrot?

The Fairy Queen, Carmen

And you KNOW sophisticated Frenchies like us need at least one costume change!  Here's our "After-party" duds!

Don't I look mahhh-velous??

Gotta know how to work the camera!

Hand over the treats, and no one gets hurt!

No bones about it, this is totally me (and it glows in the dark!)

Are we done yet?  I got things to chew here...

Hope that everyone has a safe & fun day, no matter what your silly human dresses you up as!
- Brutus & Carmen  (aka Black Brute & the Fairy Queen)

It's wonderful to know that our core friends are still out there!  Heartwarming to see your comments again, I have missed blogging!  It's been so long that Blogger has a whole new interface that I have to figure out, please bear with me while I play around with the template & arrangement on the blog!

So......  What have we been up to?  Well, since some of you asked, I'll try to briefly (as briefly as I can) bring you up to date on the last 6 months.

Myself, I've been busy at work, drilling away in the trenches more than I have in several years.  We did get a nice Earlventure at the beginning of summer, traveling to Colorado & Utah (Frenchies in tow, of course!).  Also had a wonderful getaway to Paris late in August (Frenchies stayed home).

As far as the dogs (who are why you are here, let's face it)....

Mason is doing well, 13 1/2 years old and still going strong.  A little slow to get up in the mornings sometimes, but for an old guy he's pretty spry.  He never lets me forget when it's time for dinner, and he's still good to give the Frenchies a stren talking to when they need it!

Brutus turned 3 this summer, hard to believe!  He's going strong in the agility ring, meeting and exceeding every goal I've set for him this year.  He is currently the #3 French Bulldog in AKC agility for 2011, and closing in fast on the #2 dog (who we hope to overtake by years' end).  We have been invited (and are going!) to Orlando this December for the AKC Agility Invitational - a chance to represent our breed along with the best agility dogs in the country!  

Last - and certainly not least - is little miss Carmen, my princess.  At less than 20 months old, she is already making waves in the agility world.  She started trialling this July, and in less than 3 months is running in the top level (Excellent), having earned her first 4 titles.  Carmen amazes me with her heart, and astounds pretty much everyone who sees her run - apparently she never got the memo that she was bred to be a lap dog.  She runs faster, jumps higher, and has more gusto out there than Brutus ever dreamed of!  He is officially on alert, as I fear (truly in a bittersweet sort of way) that Carmen will overshadow him in no time - she truly is one of a kind.

So there you have it, in the smallest nutshell which it can fit.  I hope to post a time or two each week, and will do my very best to catch up on friends' blogs when time allows.  A lot of what gets said here will be agility related, but I'll be sure to add some other fun stuff as the material presents itself (and with Team Frenchie, you know that's inevitable!). See you soon!

Been away for a LONG time!

It's been months since I posted - can't believe how the time has flown.  The poor blog had to take a back seat to fixing teeth and chasing the Frenchies around agility courses.  I'm thinking of reviving the blog (although I'm not sure there is any audience left!), but mainly as a way to track our agility progress.  I'm using this as a test post to see who might still be out there to read.  It's a note I posted on Facebook recently, explaining why we've gotten so addicted to this crazy sport called dog agility.

I've been thinking about writing this for a while.  Hope that many of my friends (fellow agility enthusiasts or not) will take a moment to read it.  I try to keep most of my dog activities on the dogs' own pages, but it's undeniably become one of the biggest passions in my life.

First of all, let me say that I'm unbelievably lucky to have so many people around me who are amazingly understanding.  Although they may find it tough to grasp why I love spending so much time doing "crazy dog things", they entertain my quirks, my stories, and even my tardiness to family events!  I couldn't do what I do without the support of my dad & stepmom (who let the dogs out a few times each day that I work), my wonderful husband, Paul (who endures my absence on many a weeknight to train and many weekends to trial), and even my extended family & friends (who have come to accept me for the crazy dog person that I am). 

Next I have to give credit to my amazing dogs, Brutus & Carmen - who I affectionately refer to as Team Frenchie.  French bulldogs have been bred for decades to be companion dogs.  Astoundingly enough, mine have allowed me to indulge in a sport developed for performance breeds.  Beyond that, they have met & exceeded every goal I've set for them, and become a real source of both pride & joy in my life.

Brutus - my heartdog - who came into my life on a whim during a trip home from Chicago - certainly one of a kind.  You can't deny he has issues, but he has taught me so much - not just about dogs, but about life in general too.  Although far from perfect by Frenchie standards, Brutus is amazing creature.  From puppy classes at PetSmart, to his first agility/obedience titles, to qualifying for the 2011 AKC Invitational & more - he's risen to the challenge every time!  He could teach us all a lesson about breaking stereotypes!

Then there's Carmen - my little princess.  She came into my life in 2010 as the result of a friendship as well as generations of careful breeding.  She has the moxie to make it in the breed ring, but it's like she's known from the get go that there was something else in store for her.  Carmen has always had a "small but mighty" mentality, apparent from the time I met her at the tender age of 4 weeks.  She has a drive uncharacteristic of her breed, and athleticism & an unbelievable energy level to compliment it.  Her desire to please and sheer enjoyment of running/jumping/climbing is something rarely seen in a "nonsporting breed".  I am so honored to be her teammate, and so touched by all the people who have gone out of their way to compliment her efforts!

Finally, the element that my (non-agiilty) friends & family find the hardest to understand.  The answer to the question "how can you spend ALL DAY sitting around at an agility trial"????  Yes, we drive many hours to spend all day for what amounts to less than 5 minutes in the ring - but there's so much more to it than that.  First, the training & goal setting that gets you ready for the trial.  There's the mental challenge of memorizing the course.  Figuring out how to best handle each individual dog thought the challenges each course presents.  The adrenaline rush of actually running the course (as short as it may be).  It's all part of the wonderful package of dog agility!

But above that - it's about relationships.  Bonding with my dogs and watching them learn is a wonderful thing for sure.  But beyond that, it's about all the friends I have made along the way on this crazy journey.  From training partners to (seemingly) random friendships that have developed along the way - the bonds I've formed with so many people who share my addiction to dogs.  All that time around the ring together, rooting for one another, sharing stories & successes, and consoling one another when it doesn't go so well.  The human bonds I've made in the last few years are as much a part of  my passion for agility as are the dogs that make it all possible! 

So thank you to all those who have made Team Frenchie possible.  My family, my dogs, my friends, my trainers - you are all pieces in the puzzle!  Whether I know you you well, or only know you through the auspices of Facebook - please know that I appreciate your support!  Each time we step into the ring, it is with the understanding that this is something truly special that we are privileged enough to do.  We have many more goals to attain, so please bear with us & know that we never take it all for granted!