Galerie French Bulldogs

Hello again,

Well so much has happened since I last posted but I can't share it all just yet; let's just say that there are some very exciting changes afoot and I will 'spill the beans' when I can.

We had a great show weekend with Monty winning Reserve Dog and Junior in Show at the Auckland Bulldog Club Specialty Show on Saturday. Maddi won Junior Handler again for the 2nd year running so is very pleased with herself.

The puppies are growing fast; Chaos and Grace will make their way to Melbourne in a few weeks time so that is exciting. Let's hope the Aussie heatwave is well over by then!

I have had an awful cold/flu virus for the last week so am feeling pretty grotty but I am so looking forward to Summer and being able to announce our exciting news.

On that tantalising note, have a safe and happy week, until I post again.

Caro

Hi everyone,

Sorry, we have had more challenging things to deal with in the last week so my correspondence has gone completely off-track.

The good thing to come out of the latest debacle is that my Mum has gone from being a silent partner in our kennels to a hands-on partner with Frenchies now in her home.

My thanks to my amazing family and friends who have all rallied to our rescue and just put themselves out so much to assist us through this trying time. And I have to say I would never have known how wonderful my neighbours are if I had not had to go to them to seek their help.

We are truly blessed and will make it through this latest challenge with the love of those around us and with God's hand on everything.

The puppies are doing just great and I will endeavour to post photo's soon.

Pete and Cath came to visit Cinders again yesterday and are so looking forward to her moving in with them - their daughters are just the sweetest girls and are so happy to be finally getting a replacement to fill the void of their beloved Staffie who passed away last year.

Matt and Kara will come over and visit Sable again this coming weekend and she will move in with them the following weekend. They sadly lost their British Bulldog at quite a young age after spending  thousands of dollars on treatment for dreadful medical problems that he had.

It is so great to see these families be able to welcome and enjoy the love and companionship of a new canine friend. It has been a real bonus that both of these families have been able to visit and get to know their dogs in advance so they have already established a rapport with them.

So, on that note, if you are a believer, we would appreciate your continued prayers. If you are waiting on a return email, please be patient; I have not forgotten, I am just trying to get a handle on the current situation.

Have a safe and happy week.

Caroline

Hi everyone,

Sad news I'm afraid; Coco's babies did not survive. We have had a very emotional week but have come out the other side and thankyou all for your prayers and kind words of encouragement.

Cinders had her babies on Tueday and, wonderful girl that she is, she is letting Coco share in the mothering of them. Aren't Frenchies just amazing!

Cinders had 2 Black Masked Fawn boys, 1 Black Masked Fawn girl and 2 Brindle boys - they are all thriving under the care of their two Mummies.

Choas and Grace (from Sable's litter) are coming along beautifully and will make their way to Australia when they are old enough - Bella will stay here with us.

Sorry it is just a short update as I have to get to the vet to get Sable's stitches out this morning and our vet is an hour away. We use Takanini Vets as they are Bracy Specialists who have a real passion for Frenchies, just like us.

Anyway, have a great week and I will post photo's as soon as I get a spare moment.

In the meantime, here is a nice one of the two Mummies sharing one litter of babies.

Have a great week,

Caro

Hi all,

Please pray for Coco and her babies. She had 5 babies (prematurely) on 16/10/09.

The two boys died and the 3 girls are struggling to survive.

I am not able to return my correspondence at the moment as I have the girls on hourly tube feeds but I will endeavour to reply to all my emails asap.

Please pray for these beautiful black brindle girl babies.

Caro XXX

Hi all,

My apologies for not updating sooner but things have been manic around here, even more so than normal, lol.

We had a fantastic time at the Huntly Kennel Association Championship shows held in Ngaruawahia a couple of weeks ago. The weather was just beautiful and the dogs behaved themselves strutted their stuff quite nicely.

On the Saturday Monty took Best Dog, Dog Challenge, Best NZ Bred of Breed and Best of Breed. Cookie took Baby Puppy of Breed.

Then on Sunday Monty took Reserve Dog, RCC, Best NZ Bred of Breed and Reserve Best of Breed. Cookie took Reserve Baby Puppy of Breed.

But the highlight was watching my dear friend Paula win Baby Puppy of Breed and Baby Puppy of Group with Cookie's brother, Riley (aka Galerie Silver Shadow) on Sunday. I am so proud of Paula and Riley.

Meanwhile, on the homefront, it looks like Sable has a belly full of babies. She is very big already and is not due until the 12th October. Thankfully my Mum will come and stay with her, Coco and Cinders while we are at the Nationals.

I can't believe it is only 2 weeks until we head away on our trip. We will leave on the Tuesday and drive down to Paula's place where we will stay the night. Then we will all head down to Fielding together on the Wednesday. My girls are very excited as Paula's daughter is coming too, so it will be a real girlie trip.

That will be the end of me doing much showing for a little while as I will be pretty much house-bound when the pups come along. I am pretty sure that Coco and Cinders are pregnant too and they are due on the same day as each other, only 10 days after Sable!

Thankfully I have some really great friends who will come and help and my children are pretty awesome at pitching in with the dogs, especially when there are babies.

Well, I will try and post again before we leave for the Nationals. Until then, have a safe and happy time.

Caroline

Another great weekend and a little closer to Spring - yippee!

The girls have all finished their seasons (I hope) so now Monty can get back to being Monty instead of the superstud he thinks he is, lol.

Now it's just a waiting game to see who is pregnant ... I hate the waiting, grrr.

Cookie had her first show yesterday and although she tabled well, she did not want to walk around the ring at all so instead, did several hops, skips and jumps along the way with a couple of twirls for good measure.

But! The judge loved her anyway and awared her: Baby Puppy of Breed, Best Bitch, Best of Breed, Baby Puppy in Show and Reserve in Show!

I am just stoked as Cookie is only 4 months old and beat some lovely Frenchies, all who were older and more experienced than her. The judge did comment that she needed some training ... pffft, training? ... what's that?

Well, only two weeks until the Huntly shows so I will have to do some serious lead work with her but she is a fast learner like her Dad and has that pizazz in the ring that he has too so, altogether with her looks, it is a good combination.

Have a safe and happy week, until next time.

Caro

Well another whirlwind month is practically over and Spring is even closer now - YAY!

Mia has settled in beautifully; I can't believe how quickly she has assimilated into being part of the pack. Her and I are doing some serious butt work at the moment as we are both a tad meaty in that department; hers a result of 4 weeks in quarantine with no exercise, mine a result of eating far too much of the yummy food I love - also with no exercise.

Sable is on heat at the moment so Monty has a one track mind - bless him. I look forward to a nice natural mating with these two and hopefully that will set the precedent for the Galerie Frogs as I have to admit that AI'ing is not my favourite pastime, lol.

Little Cookie is coming along nicely, I am so pleased with my little homebred bundle of fawn fluff. She is a delight to have around and I just love the feminine version of Monty's head that she seems to have inherited.

Only 8 weeks until the Nationals now. I am really looking forward to that trip. I better get my act together and do some serious ring training with the dogs though.

Well, it is a lovely day here in Auckland, New Zealand. No rain, well, for the moment that is. You can never tell with our weather as we can have 4 seasons in one day - you know, like the song. Great NZ band, Crowded House.

Anyway, time to get the dogs outside and the washing on the line.

Have a safe and happy weekend.

Caro ;)

Oh my gosh, it is half way through Winter already - thank goodness, lol. I hate Winter and at the moment I have a head cold so am feeling very sorry for myself.

On a brighter note, all the pups have settled into their new homes very well. Cookie seems to have adjusted to being the only baby here now, for a little while, that is.

It is a very exciting time with our new Canadian girl due to come out of quarantine in 2 weeks.

We are organising for the Nationals, at the beginning of October and also planning a couple of litters in the meantime.

Sable and Cinders will be mated to Monty and Coco will go to the South Island and be mated to a stunning American Import at Gefion Kennels.

I think time is just going to fly by with all that is coming up. I am going to take a little break from showing so that I can get our new girl ready and focus on the planned matings. Luckily there is not much happening on the show scene over the next couple of months.

Have a safe school holidays and keep warm, until I post again.

Caro :~)

Well, it has been a very busy few weeks since I last posted. Two of the pups have gone to their new homes and have settled in nicely. The last boy will go next weekend when Paula comes up for the Hauraki shows and that will just leave Cookie.

Our Canadian girl, Mia, arrives in New Zealand tomorrow and will spend a month in quarantine before joining us here. I will go and meet her on Tuesday with Amanda, who co-owns her; we are both very excited at the prospect of finally meeting Mia.

I can't believe I am starting to organise for the Nationals again already! It seems like such a short time since we were at the National Dog Shows in Christchurch and here we are, preparing again - this time at the bottom of the North Island though.

Although it is not until the beginning of October that it all takes place, I am sure it will just fly by, and we have so much to do to get ready, especially with Mia and Cookie to train up for the show ring.

I will take the girls with me this year as Callum went last year. Maddi has already qualified for the Young Kennel Club so she will be competing at the Nationals and Rhian will help me with handling and holding the dogs.

I am looking forward to sharing accomodation with Paula, and to seeing her show Galerie Silver Shadow (Riley). I am sure we will have a great time and we will have Errol and Vannessa staying at the same Motel so it should be a lot of fun.

Have a safe and happy weekend, until I post again.

Caro :~)