Where did your puppy come from?

I know that everyone reading this has had it hammered into them by now – that it MATTERS where you get your puppy from.

It matters if you buy a puppy, site unseen, from a breeder who refuses to let you see where you puppy comes from. It matters if you buy a puppy the same way that you buy a sweater, from an internet shopping site that lets you use your credit card to pay. It matters if you impulse buy that cute little puppy in the pet store window, even if you think you’re actually ‘rescuing them’.

It matters, because for every puppy you buy like this, for every puppy that you shrug off your misgivings and put your money down anyway, these are the dogs that live in the background, suffering in silence and dying all alone.

This is a documentary by CAPS – Companion Animal Protection Society – detailing their fight against Kathy Bauck, one of America’s most notorious puppy millers. It is extremely upsetting to watch – there are numerous images of French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Pugs and other breeds suffering horribly. In all my time involved in rescue and welfare, this has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever watched, but I also think it’s possibly the most important, and I’m going to be covering that in detail in several future entries.

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Holmes is Looking for a Family

The time has finally arrived – Holmes, the special needs rescue French is finally ready to move on and start his new life.

Holmes has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds – abuse, starvation, neglect and assorted injuries that we shudder to imagine the possible sources of. Through it all, his gentle nature and loving disposition have never flagged, no matter what has been thrown at him.

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Great Big French Bulldog Rescue Update

Photo above – Holmes coming out of recovery with a vet tech

On Friday, Holmes and his foster mom headed out to what I like to call “The Veterinary Parking Lot”, aka the Most Crowded Vet Clinic in the World (this is the clinic I spoke about in my post about meeting a Puggle Breeder). Karen got to experience the chaos of an all surgery clinic first hand, and Holmes got his surgery done.

He seemed to come through it just fine, although the veterinarian has some concerns that there might be more than just palate at work with Holmes breathing issues. Unfortunately, when Karen got him home, she noticed that he was unable to put any weight on his rear. This isn’t a limp – it’s simply that Holmes can’t seem to support himself in the rear – as if his hips (never great to begin with) have simply stopped working.

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Frenchies for the Fight! The Barb Brown Memorial Walk for Cancer

Come out for the  2nd Annual Barb Brown Memorial Walk for French Bulldog Village Rescue and the American Cancer Society

Barb Brown was Absolut French bulldogs. Barb passed away from complications due to breast cancer on December 19, 2009. Read more

Help Holmes to Breathe

Do you remember Holmes? The little French Bulldog once known as Mojo has made amazing progress in his recovery from neglect and abuse.

He’s gone from an emaciated, underweight dog of less than 14 pounds to a healthy, robust 22 pounds! His coat is shiny and glossy, and his feet are no longer covered in lesions and sores. The huge tumor above his eye has been removed, and was found to be benign. His cherry eyes are reduced, and you can finally see the handsome dog he actually is.

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