The first time I saw Peaches, she was peeking out of a tuft of tall, green grass on the side yard of a friend of a friend’s house in Sebastopol, CA. The first thing I thought was she looked like a teeny, chunky squirrel with spots. Her intelligent, expressive eyes searched me as I coaxed her out of her hiding spot and she bounded into my arms.
She was 10 weeks old and had traveled all the way from Southern CA to a home that had decided they couldn’t keep her. I got a call that a little Frenchie pup needed a good home and that she was from a very well-known breeder.
I was doubtful about connecting to a new dog. (I had lost my beloved elderly Boston terrier a few months prior.) But the moment I saw her, I knew she was our girl. Peaches’ sweet, and often spicy, temperament matched us perfectly from the moment we met, and my son and I were head over heels.
Little did I know that wee Peaches would change the trajectory of our lives in the most incredible way.
Maxi, holding Diana; Natale holding Drover. Ch. Phemme & Ch. Bucky babes born 3/21/23
After buying Peaches, I did a deep dive into all things French Bulldog and learned about the health issues that can affect the breed: IVDD, poor breathing caused by elongated palettes and pinched nares, Cysturnia 3, and structural issues caused by poor breeding practices. I confirmed that most breeds stringently health test their purebred dogs BEFORE breeding by submitting radiographs for evaluation to the Orthopedic Federation of America (OFA) of their hips, spine, elbows, trachea and patella, an eye and heart exam, and DNA panel screening of potential hereditary conditions.
But with the French Bulldog, the #2 most popular ranked dog in the AKC, OFA testing (although on an upswing in recently submitted data) is shockingly rarely done. The bare minimum DNA screen is a more common practice, but even at the highest competitive level in the AKC, recorded health scores of French Bulldogs are sorely lacking.
There are certainly some uncompromising breeders in the French Bulldog arena, and I am incredibly grateful to them for their unwavering standards in producing amazing dogs. But, with the upswing in new breeders who’ve joined the ranks as “Breeder” since COVID, I see a horrifying trend in breeding Frenchie’s with structural malformations just to get top dollar, or a new color, or hair length.
In response to the lack of ethical breeding practices, and holding the utmost love and commitment for the breed, I slowly started to build Frenchie’s of Glen Ellen. With my background in riding, training and showing horses, plus owning a brachycephalic breed for decades (two Boston terriers), I felt like I was the woman for the job to breed these dogs properly.
I’d much rather a family purchase a dog from me, rather than support a puppy mill or unethical breeder, as often is the case with French Bulldogs. I had the property to house the pups properly, and the dedication to make it a full-time endeavor.
I linked up with Crowd Pleazer Frenchies (who’s line of color dogs have the highest recorded health scores on record for the HISTORY of the breed) and in September of 2021, we brought home our precious boy, Glen Ellen’s Blue Buckaroo (Bucky) who has since joined the ranks of his kin as a show dog and ABKC Champion.
The friends and “dog family” community of ethical breeders I’ve made the past few years feels like coming home. My people! We are all in this together, to try to maintain and improve on our beloved breed.
Champion Bucky and his preliminary OFA certificates. Many breeders will say their lines are "health tested," but are they up on the OFA database like Bucky's are? Ethical breeders ALWAYS get their dogs health screened.
My son Maxi and I live on family land, an acre in the Sonoma Valley of the Moon wine country, with plenty of room for everyone to stretch out. Our life is filled with laughter, joy and Frenchie snorts.
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I breed for my own program first. Breeding homes I will align myself with if our values are similar, however the French Bulldog is meant for a soft couch and a loving family, not a large scale kennel or a backyard pen.
I work with a professional trainer, and do daily walks with the pack. Training is an integral part of my daily life with my Frenchies; and I hope soon to be able to help my own clients train their own dogs professionally. Working with your Frenchie is key to ongoing relations together, as Frenchies can be stubborn. They're bulldogs, not stuffed animals! I tell my clients that we first need to train ourselves, before we can train our dogs, and help my clients in
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It is an incredible commitment between training, traveling to shows, whelping the babies, vet visits, and day-to-day loving care of our pack, but it’s worth every sacrifice. Our dogs get to hike with us, journey with us to camping trips; they are our family in every sense and our life wouldn’t be complete without them.
All of my dogs are OFA tested, or in the process of completing their certification, with passing/normal/clear health scores. They all can breathe well (BOAS unaffected), run, jump and hike… and love to laze around the fire on a cold winter’s day, as well. Their temperaments are classic Frenchie: Intelligent, loving, hilarious, sassy, and driven.
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ABKC Champion Ronno, our remarkable Meadow& GrCh Bucky son, and our resident King: GrCh Glen Ellen's Blue Buckaroo "Bucky."
So the question begs: Why are so many breeders cutting corners in screening their breeding dogs when down the road their puppy families will ultimately pay the cost for their lack of diligence? One would think more breeders would at least do a spine or hip x-ray of their future mama or daddy before they breed them, right?
I’d like to think that by sharing education about our breed and how to screen for the best health possible, we can learn how to maintain this historic breed’s integrity, and to support future generations of healthy dogs. And, yes, absolutely support small family breeding programs, instead of puppy mill scenarios; and do ask the hard questions to breeders:
Do you OFA test or a PennHip evaluation? And if so, may I see the scores of your breeding dogs? Do you DNA screen them? Can I get a video of the parents to see how they breathe after exercise? Etc. etc.
The demand for the Frenchie is high, and good people are spending an exorbitant amount of money on dogs who, down the line, may have severe health issues. Little by little, litter by litter, we can improve on the health of our chosen breed by only breeding dogs with clear/normal and BETTER health scores from the previous generations, as I’m doing at Frenchie’s of Glen Ellen.
Families who buy puppies from me don’t just get a dog, they get ongoing education and support from me, and my support network of ethical breeders, on how to take care of their bracycephalic breed with exercise, nutrition, training tips and lots more. I am here for my clients to help them succeed with their new pup!
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Thank you for stopping by, and kudos if you've made it this far in my story. I love hearing from people who have any questions about dog showing, ethical breeding, OFA testing, etc./ or maybe you'd like to bring home a Frenchie of Glen Ellen dog someday. Please feel free to reach out! All my best, Natale and the pack xxxxx