I have always loved the bully breeds. Something about the scrunched face and playful, yet chill, personality draws me to them. I’ve had a Boxer, two English Bulldogs, and four French Bulldogs.
But what caused us to stick with Frenchies was because we particularly fell in love with our first Frenchie. We named her Ruth, after the faithful woman in the Bible that served her family well, which turned out to be a fitting name for her. She had been rescued from an abusive breeder, so she came with some physical issues, most of which she healed from, but some were lifelong.
Here is a photo of the day we brought Ruth home. She came to be part of our family when we lived in a little apartment, which was just fine with her, because she, being a Frenchie, liked to sleep. She warmed up to us super quickly, hanging out on our couch with us, sleeping in the bed, and following us around from room to room, finding a nice and cozy area to nap on.
But when we wanted to play, she was game. She would, what we call, “get the zoomies”, which was where she would run in a figure-8 at full speed. She could jump, like, three feet high, which is quite impressive given her small stature. And she could keep up on our long, night-time walks.
We did a season of fostering dogs, so Ruth had the opportunity of meeting dozens of friends who would be a part of the family until they found their forever home. She was great with the variety of breeds that would come in, whether they were small or big (we fostered a Doberman for a few months - those two were an interesting pair).
She was with us before we were parents and welcomed home all three of our kiddoes. She let them pull and tug on her, crawl on her, and play with her. Her gentle personality allowed our kids to become familiar with dogs and develop a love for them.
Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world where death eventually finds us all, and it found her at about 13 years. We noticed that her “zoomies” episodes were becoming few and far between, and she started struggling to jump up on the bed. She gave us plenty of time to adjust and realize what was coming. Her decline was a slow, two-year process, but age eventually got to her. She left us with great memories that our kids still talk about.
So, what better service could we offer to the world than to provide others what we experienced with Ruth? It made choosing to breed Frenchies an obvious choice for us! Each Frenchie is her own personality, but we have found that they all love lazy days and they all get the zoomies occasionally.
So, there’s the story version of why we chose Frenchies. For those of you who prefer a bulleted list, here is why we like Frenchies:
- They like lazy days. As far as dogs go, these are on the calmer side. Puppies, no matter the breed, are going to be energetic. But after two years, Frenchies will be more than happy to binge watch a show with you.
- They are funny. Whether they are yodeling, running full-speed in a figure eight, snoring, or sprawled out taking a nap, they are a comical pet to have around.
- Just look at them! If you love how they look, then nothing compares. Big ears, small body, scrunched face.
- Big dog feel in a small dog format. Honestly, I don’t prefer small dogs. With one exception: Frenchies. They just feel like a big dog.
- Excellent family dogs. All dogs are social, but most dogs are bred to accomplish a task (guard, herd, hunt, etc). The mission of a Frenchie is to be a great pet.
- Great with kids. As I am writing this, my two year old is giving our Frenchies commands which are being obeyed.
Overall, Frenchies have been making their way into our hearts for well over a decade now. It’s our family’s mission to be a blessing to the world, and if we love Frenchies, we are confident there will be plenty of other families that love them, too.