What’s the problem? Often owners don’t send their information into the database so when the vet, shelter, or rescue worker calls for info, there’s nothing to report. Chips are mainly sold in bulk and buyer info collected at the time of sale. If any part of the information chain is missing, this can mean bad things for your pet. Most database organizations will start backtracking through the chain till they find information for the animal, but don’t count on it.

Microchip Information Chain
Step 1: Pet is scanned —> Step 2: Database is contacted for owner info. Missing? Go to next step —> Step 3: Database looks for any info about the vet who implanted chip. Missing? Go to next step. —> Step 4: Search database for info of vet, breeder, or entity who bought the chip. Missing?  —> Step 5: Contact manufacturer of chip for buyer info. Missing? End of the line. Pet is on its own, available for rehoming.

Backtracking takes valuable time away from the recovery process and you see how easily it breaks down if any contact info in the chain is missing or not updated. In the worst case scenario, the chip can’t be tracked back before the animal is euthanized at a shelter.

So if you have a microchipped Frenchie or pet, and you haven’t sent in the paperwork to link him/her to YOUR contact info, or you’ve moved and haven’t updated your information, don’t rely on someone in the chain to be there. Go ahead and send your contact info in now. Make sure to write the microchip number down for your records and share it with your vet as backup. Most vets are willing to be an alternate contact, too.

Maybe you aren’t sure if your contact info is up-to-date? Call or write the database and see what they have on file. (Contact links and phone numbers at the end of this entry.) Some databases will do it for free, some for a small charge.

Now for another complicated part, there are different kinds of microchips. Just like radio signals (which is exactly what they are transmitting when scanned) they have different frequencies or “channels.” The most common frequency used in the US is 125kHz. In Europe 134.2kHz is the standard. (If you plan to travel internationally with your pet, something to consider and research.) Some chips are encrypted, meaning their presence can be confirmed, but you need the right scanner to read the number. Current scanners can read both chips, but shelters and rescues faced with limited funds, might have an old scanner. If you are using a chip bought through your vet, breeder, or shelter, you are probably safe, however, doesn’t hurt to know the type and brand. As a backup plan, a collar with an ID tag is always a good idea.

Last, are the databases. There are six major ones. Which one to sign up with? Always best to sign up with the database used by the manufacturer of the chip, but that doesn’t prevent you from signing up with other databases, as well.

Main databases/information registries
24PetWatch ………..  866-597-2424
AKC CAR ………….  800-252-7894
AVID/PetTrac US … 800-336-2843 x 4
Banfield ……………… 877-LOST-PET (877-567-8738)
HomeAgain ………..  888-HOME-AGAIN (888-466-3242)
ResQ ………………….  877-PET-LINK

Microchip lookup sites
Pet Microchip Lookup (AAHA)
Check the Chip (Chloe Standard)
AVID

Some sellers of microchips and chipping equipment
Microchip ID Systems
Revival Animal Health
Check with your vet or a local shelter

The thing to remember is, just chipping your pet doesn’t protect them. Keeping your contact information updated in the database is the most crucial part of the recovery process.

The Esty shop owner’s description of this stencil is “Boston Terrier.” Is it a Boston, or a Frenchie in disguise? (Click on the images to visit the shop.)

Check out the bobble-head stencil, too.

Curious to see whom else may have been left out, checked the Westminster site for results. Only one Frenchie has won Group 1 placement, five Frenchies made their way to Group 2, one to Group 3, and thirteen placed Group 4. A total of 20, not too shabby for a snorty, little breed that is often greeted with the line, “A face only a mother could love,” by the non-initiated.

Below is a list each year a French Bulldog placed in the Non-Sporting Group at Westminster. You might notice a few names are missing. If you know the winner for that year, or know a link where the list can be found, comment below and will add the name(s) to complete the list. Have a few guesses of the winners from the excellent list of National Specialty winners complied by Frenchbulldogz.org, complete with photos of most winners. The Specialty Winner list is also available from The French Bull Dog Club of America.

2010 – Group 1 – Ch. Robobull Fablehaft Im On Fire – “Bru” – male
2009 – Group 2 – CH. LeBull’s Midnight Confessions – “Lola” – female
2004 – Group 4 – Ch. Bandog’s Jump for Joy – “Joy”- female
1999 – Group 4 – Ch. Licks Cool Hand Luke – “Luke” – male
1989 – Group 4 – ?
1970 – Group 4 – (Best guess: Ch. Ralanda Ami Pierre)
1963 – Group 2 – (Best guess: Ch. Ralanda Ami Francine)
1959 – Group 4 – Ch Bouquet Nouvelle Ami – “Jo Jo” – male
1957 – Group 3 – Ch Bouquet Nouvelle Ami – “Jo Jo” – male
1956 – Group 2 – Ch Bouquet Nouvelle Ami – “Jo Jo” – male
1955 – Group 4 – Ch Bouquet Nouvelle Ami – “Jo Jo” – male
1953 – Group 4 – Ch Bouquet Nouvelle Ami – “Jo Jo” – male
1951 – Group 4 – ?
1950 – Group 4 – ?
1942 – Group 4 – (Best guess: Ch Glamourette)
1931 – Group 4 – ?
1930 – Group 4 – ?
1927 – Group 4 – ?
1926 – Group 2 – ?
1924 – Group 2 (Reserve) – (Best guess: Evergay Charmer)

Before 1924, the Non-Sporting Group didn’t exist. The highest award was Best of Breed and the occasional special trophy within the breed. In 1907, Westminster began awarding Best in Show. In 1992, show entries were limited to Champions only.

Show Lingo

For those who aren’t quite up on their show talk, show people have their own type of verbal shorthand for Group placing dogs. This is probably to distinguish from regular class wins, where a 2nd-4th place win is nice, but no chance at points. Whereas, even a 4th place Group placement earns all-breed points for dogs on the show campaign trail, as well as considerable bragging rights. Here’s a guide to the lingo:

1st place = Group One placement/win or G1 or Winning Group

2nd place = Group Two placement/win or G2

3rd place = Group Three placement/win or G3

4th place = Group Four placement/win or G4

Thanks to Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. demographics of heartworm have changed forever. Heartworms have always been more of an issue in coastal and warmer, southern states because they are transmitted via mosquitoes. Because so many heartworm-positive dogs were rescued and transported to other states from the Gulf Coast, areas, which rarely saw heartworm cases, are now more likely to have them. Before all those rescued dogs were treated for heartworms in their new state, local mosquitoes were treated to dog blood, swimming with microfilariae (baby heartworms). YUCK!

However, it’s just a matter of time before heartworms spread to cooler, northern states. According to AHS, anywhere it’s warmer than 80°-85° for more than two weeks, that area is in danger of heartworm transmission and heartworm cases have been reported in all 50 states. If you live in a northern state and don’t give monthly heartworm preventative during the cold or cooler months, you may need to rethink this approach.

Another thing putting your dog at risk could be your neighbor. A very large percentage of Americans don’t even give their dogs heartworm preventative. Your dog could get infected from mosquitoes snacking on your neighbor’s dog. Or, in very rare cases, humans can be infected with heartworms. Ewww…

Ivermectin (oral), milbemycin oxime (oral), selamectin (topical) and moxidectin (injected) are the main ingredients in preventative heartworm medicine. The thinking used to be; a safe, 40-day window existed between doses, if a dose was a week or so late, your dog was covered. Now the research shows, 30 days, no grace period. Our vet once told us, you aren’t treating for the coming 30 days, you are treating for whatever happened in the past 30 days. Another reason to opt for that once-a-year heartworm test. Make sure some sneaky mosquito didn’t slip Fido unwelcomed guests.

If your dog is infected with adult worms, they need a different approach to kill the worms safely. It only takes a few months to go from larval to adult stage and heartworms can live for five to seven years. Giving the monthly medicine to kill microfilariae (larval worms) can cause complications if the dog has adult heartworms. Dying adult worms cause serious, sometimes fatal, problems to their host. Often, dogs undergoing treatment must be hospitalized. Heartworm prevention is much preferred to treatment, by both you and your pet.

You and your vet can decide what type of medicine and which brand is best for your pet. Personally, we go with an oral tablet given once per month, which also contains flea prevention/sterilizer (lufenuron). (Tip for litter planners: a few months before planning a litter we change our girl to an oral heartworm medicine WITHOUT lufenuron, and keep her on this until she’s had her pups and is finished nursing. While lufenuron is considered safe for pregnant animals, we’d rather avoid using it while our pups are developing in utero and nursing.)

According to AHS, there is no proven or effective holistic treatment for heartworms. Garlic might work for vampires, but not these blood-borne killers.

If you’d like to learn more, visit:
American Heartworm Society
FDA

At your next vet visit, ask about heartworm prevention and be sure you’ve circled on your monthly dosage day on your calendar. Make this monthly treat a truly heartfelt one.

She first sketches onto copper, then paints, cuts, and fires the metal to create the durable enamel pin.

Here are a few examples from her website:

And these aren’t Frenchies, but gives you an idea of how detailed her work can be.

If you’d like to see more, visit www.horsebrooch.com

Big congratulations to Bru, his handler Perry Payson, and his breeders and owners, Shelley St. John, James Dalton, and Marion Hulick. To get any dog to the Westminster level takes determination, drive, and above all patience. Patience to create the breeding program, patience to wait (and hope) for that promising little puppy to come along one day; patience to raise, train, and keep attending and winning shows with that special dog to qualify for Westminster.

Bru and Perry waiting for their G1 ribbon.

“Bru,” Ch Robobull Fablehaft I’m On Fire, is the first French Bulldog to win the Non-Sporting Group since the AKC created Groups in 1924. (The original five Groups are: Sporting, Working, Terriers, Toys, Non-Sporting.) Before this, the closest a Frenchie ever came to winning Non-Sporting at Westminster was the early 1960s with Ch Ralanda Ami Francine, a top Non-Sporting winner bred by Amanda West. In 2004, Ch Bandog’s Jump for Joy was nationally-ranked with 16 Best in Shows, and a contender to vie for G1 placement, but despite both girls’ outstanding win records, neither ever walked out of Westminster the winner of the Non-Sporting Group.

Bru wasn’t the only winner at Westminster. Let me back up to Monday morning, when several other dogs expanded their list of credentials and I had the thrill of seeing so many beautiful and handsome Frenchies in one place.

Congrats to the following dogs, and their handlers, breeders, and owners:
Best of Opposite Sex - Ch Lebull’s Midnight Confessions (see her winning photo at the Westminster site)
Award of Merit – Ch Devine’s LA Confidential
Award of Merit – Ch A’Vigdors Caudataire Du Roi Tuunrat’s El Che
Award of Merit – Ch Evergreen’s Lavish Looks
Award of Merit – Ch Raindrops Justus Lifes A Game

Award of Merit winner - Ch Raindrops Justus Lifes A Game

After the breed judging on Monday, I visited the benching area (a test of stamina for dogs, caretakers, and visitors alike) cruising the benching booths, admiring winners and champions up-close. A Frenchie to keep your eye on in the next couple of years is “Che,” Ch A’Vigdors Caudataire Du Roi Tuunrat’s El Che. Not even a year old yet and he’s already a standout specimen of the breed with his handsome, brindle looks.

Award of Merit winner - Ch A'Vigdors Caudataire Du Roi Tuunrat's El Che

For more info about the French Bulldogs winners of the 2010 Westminster show, click here.

To see breed judging video, click here.

To see Monday night’s Non-Sporting and Tuesday night’s Best in Show video, click here. Look for Best of Non-Sporting or Best in Show from the list at the bottom.

And there are more Westminster-related, Frenchie wins to report. The night before Westminster, I attended the Dog Writers Association of America Annual Awards Banquet where the 2009 writing competition winners were named. Maxwell awards went to:

• A booklet created by the French Bull Dog Club of America titled French Bulldogs: The Basic Course
• An article titled “Exposed” written by Lisa Ricciotti and published in the September 2008 The French Bullytin.

These were a just a couple of winners that evening from a wide-cross section of breed clubs, dog publications, websites, and other forms of media. Imagine, a whole room of people dedicated to nothing else but the news and well being of their breeds and to dogs in general.

You can view the entire list of DWAA 2009 nominees and winners, here.

If you found this blog entry because you saw the French Bulldog on TV and are interested in learning more about the breed, good for you! You are doing your homework first. Each breed has pros and cons, which should be considered carefully. The purpose of the booklet created by FBDCA is to educate people interested in the breed by telling the good, the bad, and to answer “Just how do I go about finding a good one?” You can get a copy of your very own for a mere $5 bucks, shipping included. Just click on the booklet image to order your copy. As wonderful as Frenchies are, they aren’t for everyone. Best to find out now, and it’s quite okay to admit this isn’t the breed for you.

The winning French Bullytin article was about a notorious dog broker importing sick French Bulldog puppies for sale. Many who died once placed in their new homes from illness or poor breeding. This broker is not an isolated case. Don’t be a contributor to the import/puppymill trade in your desire to own a Frenchie. If you’ve decided a Frenchie is for you, take the time to find a reputable breeder or check with a Frenchie rescue. (Okay, off that soapbox and back to show news!)

Westminster plays a very special part in the development of the French Bulldog breed. The first exhibition of Frenchies debuted at the 1896 Westminster show. At this time it was still acceptable for French Bulldogs to have both the rose (folded over) and bat (upright) ear. The following year, only French Bulldogs with rose ears were selected as winners at Westminster by an English judge. American exhibitors were so disgruntled, they formed the first breed club for the French Bulldog, the French Bull Dog Club of America. A breed standard was drafted which stated ONLY bat ears were allowed. This set the breed standard for the French Bulldog, which was eventually adopted worldwide. The FBDCA also hosted the very first breed specialty, for any breed, at the posh Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1897. In 1930, the Waldorf was torn down and the Empire State Building built in its place. A small fact I’d forgotten until I was standing in line watching a nearby screen flash Empire State Building factoids during the long wait for an elevator ride to the top. Didn’t realize until that moment my touristy detour was in fact a trip to Frenchie Mecca; the very spot where the American French Bulldog breed really took off.

If you ever get a chance to attend Westminster, take it. It is a real treat to see so many quality dogs and dog lovers in one spot, a true celebration of the efforts of so many dedicated handlers, breeders, owners, and just plain dog people. Maybe on your trip you’ll be lucky enough to see the first win of a Westminster Best in Show French Bulldog!

Bru and Perry competing for BIS.

Each breed’s top five dogs (from the national rankings of the prior year) are issued formal invitations to ensure the best is in attendance for the show. The five invited French Bulldogs for Westminster 2010 are:

• CH Highwood’s Big Shot
• CH Lebull’s Midnight Confessions
• CH Petite Cherie Femme De Puissance
• CH Raindrops Justus Lifes A Game
• CH Robobull Fabelhaft Im On Fire

Just as it is often is at a local dog show, the French Bulldog ring time is an early, first-breed-in-the-ring 8 AM. (Showing a wash and wear breed DOES have some minor drawbacks.) Monday morning 36 French Bulldogs will be waiting ringside, raring to go into the ring before Canadian judge Mr. James G. Reynolds. They will compete for Best of Breed and four Award of Merits. The BOB winner will compete Monday evening in the Non-Sporting competition for Group placement, or better. It will be up to judge Mrs. Dorothy A. Dalton to pick her best Non-Sporting dogs of the evening. The Group winner will report to the Best in Show ring on Tuesday night, before judge Mr. Eliott B. Weiss.

When dogs aren’t strutting their stuff in the ring they will be at their bench, accepting the favors and attentions of the crowd, as Westminster is one of the few remaining benched dog shows where you can meet and admire your favorite show dogs outside the ring.

French Bulldog Ring and Time
Ring 2, Time 8:00 AM, Row 5
36 French Bulldogs entered

Visit the Westminster website for more details, ringtimes for other breeds, and ticket information.
The Westminster Kennel Club

Television Coverage

USA and CNBC will share broadcast of the live event.
Monday, February 15
Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups
8-9 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network
9-11 p.m. (ET) live on CNBC

Tuesday, February 16
Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, Best In Show
8-11 p.m. (ET) live on USA Network

2010 WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW

MONDAY and TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 15th and 16th, 2010
Show Hours: 8:00 A.M. E.T. to 11:00 P.M. Each Day
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN CENTER
Pennsylvania Plaza
Seventh to Eighth Avenues and 31st to 33rd Streets
New York City, New York

The Specialty takes place late afternoon Wednesday, March 10 (exact time to be announced later). It will be followed by four more days of all-breed shows at the Joe & Harry Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, not too far from I-35 and I-10 exits. Parking is conveniently located right outside the building.

Book your hotel room at the Alamo Cluster dog show rate ($69-$99) before they are all gone. Alamo City Cluster of Dog Shows booking code: LAD
Clarion Hotel & Suites
3855 IH-35 North
San Antonio, TX 78219
(210) 226-4361

Click here to read more about the shows and download the Show Premium List PDF from Onofrio.

You can read more about the show and get updates as they are released at the Heart of Texas French Bulldog Club website.

Of interest to French Bulldog fanciers is the article written specifically about flying brachycephalic (snub-nosed) dogs.

If you have a dog-enhanced flight coming up, certainly a site worth checking out.

Guess if you’re paying $300 and up for the shoes, a $469 ottoman is the place to rest them while you’re watching TV!

Haute House
Pale Blue French Bulldog Ottoman, 18″D
Price: $469.00