Portrait of a French Man

At the end of July, the place where Arthur goes to daycare (Spaw Boutique) had mini photo sessions with East Lake Photo (site is currently under construction.  I'll post the link again when the site is up and running).

Arthur had a mini photo shoot and I'm beyond thrilled with the results...he's such a handsome dude.  Madi from East Lake Photo is one talented lady!

This next one combines my favourite photo from the shoot with one of my favourite 80's/90's photo effects.

So majestic!

Well, thanks for stopping by and taking a look at these lovely photos of my little man.  When you have a chance please go check out East Lake Photo's instagram, especially if you like looking at cutie dog photos. 

Alex & Arthur

Snow Dog

On Saturday Toronto was hit with a wallop of snow, which I've been waiting for all winter. I love snow....although I took quite the tumble on the sidewalk (don't worry, Arthur made sure I was okay).

But I'm not the only one in my household who likes snow, my little Frenchie pal is quite the little snow monster.  He likes to try to catch snowflakes out of the sky, or when you kick little piles in the air.  I'm glad he's tolerant to the snow because I know there are quite a few French Bulldogs who do not care for it or the cold weather.

 

I also like when it's snowy outside because it means I get to put his cute little sweaters/jackets on him :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Alex & Arthur

Friday Five Fave - March 8th (All Doggie Edition)

Dan and I will be in New York for a few days next week and Dan's mother will be watching Arthur for us.  I'm currently in dog mode as I'm trying to compile a "Frenchie 101" package for her because, while she's used to babysitting dogs French Bulldogs fall under their own separate category.

With that in mind, I bring you an all doggie version of this week's Friday Five Fave.

1. DIY Dog Food Tin - by TidyMom

So, how cute is this tin?  Added bonus is that we already have a popcorn tin that someone gave to us for Christmas AND Arthur already thinks delicious (popcorn) treats come out of it.

2. Sweet Potato Chew Treats - 17 Apart

I'm always on the lookout for dog treat recipes plus I have a (vintage Kaj Franck Heart) bowl full of sweet potatoes that I need to get rid of before our trip, so this is a win-win!

3. Snout Soother by Natural Dog Company

The cracked dry nose -- the Frenchie's worst enemy (well that, and pretty much everything else in their existence).  I haven't tried this balm yet but I have high hopes based on the reviews.  I normally use Vaseline but Arthur just eats it off his nose before it has time to be absorbed into the skin.

4. Dog Scarf - Modcloth

So I'm a big dork and actually knit Arthur a scarf but if knitting isn't your thing you can try this adorable scarf from Modcloth.  I wish I had thought to add pom poms to the one I made.

 5. Death Star Dog Tag (ThinkGeek)

I saw these around Christmas time before they sold out but didn't buy one right away.  Immediately regret that now since they are sold out.  I periodically check just in case they come back in stock.

There's a QR Scan Code on the back that has all the pet and owner's information.

 Happy Friday!

Alex & Arthur

February Catch Up!

I have a blog??  Ha. Seriously, it's been like a month since I've posted anything.  I've been extremely busy at work and I ended up getting a really bad cold/laryngitis.  If it seems like I'm always sick, I'm really not but when I end up with a cold it hits my worse than others in my life and it takes forever to get rid of due to an autoimmune disorder that I have.

Since I haven't posted in a month, I'm going to do a little recap of what's happened over the last month via images.  (I also have a new boss/doing some different things at work but there are no pictures for that).

We watched puppy bowl as a family.  Arthur had a special football shaped doggie treat and Dan and I ate chilli and vegan skillet cornbread that I made using this recipe.

I baked Arthur some homemade doggie treats.  Most of them I used Star Wars cookie cutters and there were a few freehand Adventure Time ones.

I got sick but Arthur made sure I took medicine to get better.  (Yes, that is a picture of Freddie Mercury taped to the wall in the background.  It used to be on the wall at Dan's work desk but one of his coworkers thought it was Hitler so he brought it home.)

We went to a French Bulldog meetup where the theme was Valentines.  This is Arthur and his Valentine Rocky.

Like Brittany Snow's character in the movie Pitch Perfect, I have nodes....well one node.  I had to have an ultrasound biopsy to make sure there's nothing suspicious about it.  Basically they freeze your neck, jam a needle into your thyroid and remove some cells.  My neck didn’t take to the freezing and once the needle is in your neck you can’t swallow or talk so unfortunately I had to wait until it was over to say, “JESUS CHRIST I CAN FEEL THAT!”  Also, they didn’t get enough cells so I have to have it done again.

We went to my parents house for Family Day and Arthur got to play with their dogs -- they have four labs.  The one pictured is Hannah.

I got Simpson's Tapped Out for my iPhone and made Mr. Burns walk the hounds.  He he he.

I saw the band Sparta and they were awesome --  I used to have a super big crush on Jim Ward.

Arthur continued to be a super cute cuddle monster.

*UPDATE*

I can't believe I forgot to post these pictures! It's Arthur and his girlfriend Gertie celebrating Valentines at Spaw Boutique. 

Have a great Monday!

Alex & Arthur

Arthur at Spaw #3

A few more photos of Arthur and his friends at Spaw Boutique.

Gertie and Arthur

Arthur and Deion

I'm so jealous of his weekdays.  I wish I could sleep and play with my friends all day.

Alex & Arthur

Friday's Five Faves

1. In the Little Yellow House

A blog about a cute couple's journey to tranform their 1920's colonial house into a cozy home that works for them.

Added bonus, they have an adorable French Bulldog named Georgia (pictured below) that's featured throughout the blog.

2. Vintage Style Multi-Color Dress from Light in the Box

I love the style, the colours, the tights, hell I even love the wallpaper!  My favourite style of dress is a button up with a-line skirt, so this dress is perfect for me.

3. Police Box Leggings by Black Milk Clothing

The TARDIS on my legs? Don't mind if I do.

4. Storage and Glee

A blog dedicated to the 'defense of artful storage.'  Seriously guys, I've been looking at this blog for the last hour and a half.  Living in a condo has given me a greater appreciation for creative storage ideas.

I need to do this!

5. Tito the Boston Terrier playing with a Ball

I feel so bad for laughing at this because if it was Arthur I'd be freaking out for days that he hurt his back or legs -- however this dog seems to be fine after.

I can't help laughing.  He's just so excited and he flies so high. :D

Arthur went to doggie daycare today so he's absolutely exhausted.  We're having a cuddle session right now.

Alex & Arthur

Owning a Frenchie

Frenchies are adorable little cuddly companions -- but all that cuteness comes at a cost.  Here is a link to a list of the top reasons not to own a Frenchie, which are:



1) They fart -- A LOT! One time Dan and I made the mistake of leaving the bedroom door closed while Arthur was in his crate sleeping.  The stench built up so much I had to air the bedroom out for over two hours.


2) They shed a lot.  We've not had this problem yet, fingers crossed.


3) They aren't incredibly loyal.  While yes, if other dogs are around Arthur could care less about where or who I am, I do find him to be incredibly loving and happy when I'm around.


4) Drooling, messy eater and drinker.  Again, Arthur hasn't been overly messy or drooly yet. Although one time I had to wipe his dinner off the top of his head.



5) Little dog syndrome.  Some Frenchies can be aggressive and territorially.  Arthur does prefer to play with larger dogs but he rarely barks and is not overly aggressive.  



6) Tasty tasty poop! Thank goodness Arthur doesn't eat poop...yet.



7) Allergy machines.  Apparently Frenchies can be allergic to all sorts of things.  I've found that out the hard way.  Arthur has an extremely sensitive stomach but FINALLY we've found a food that works.  I'll share that in a post tomorrow.



8) Super stubborn! Ever heard of the phrase "Bull headed" - I prepared myself for a training battle, but Arthur turned out to be surprisingly easy to train.  He's a little bit jerky while in the dog park but hey, he's still a puppy.



9) Total pee pants. I  read Frenchies were extremely hard to house train.  Dan and I were petrified that Arthur would pee in the common hallway of the condo -- we used to carry him outside  -- but again, much easier to train than I thought he would be.



10) Separation anxiety.  This was my biggest fear before we got Arthur.  Dan and I work during the day and I read that Frenchies need to constantly be around people.  Our breeder spoke to "career" people who purchased puppies from previous litters and confirmed that if the puppy learns at a young age that he/she may be left at home for a few hours at a time during the day then he/she should be fine.  Dan and I used to come home at lunch to be with Arthur and so far he seems really well adjusted.


11) Frenchie death yodel.  I heard it twice from Arthur -- both times he was getting his temperature taken in his...ahem.  I don't want to hear it again.



12) Health issues galore.  Nothing serious yet but my little boy is still a baby.



I'm going to copy this word for word right from the list:


13) Frenchies – the four legged crack of the dog world.

Frenchies should come with a warning label slapped on their sides – something to let all of us poor suckers know that owning one is never enough. Allergies, poop breath, carpet piddling – if you’re the kind of person who can tolerate all of this and still love a Frenchie, you’re just one short step away from becoming a Frenchie junkie, just like the rest of us. Once you’ve owned one, nothing less will ever again do. Consider yourself forewarned.


It's hard for me to consider owning another dog right now as Arthur is still a baby (translation, a lot of work) but I could see myself becoming a crazy Frenchie Lady.


He's just so worth it.

Alex & Arthur