The Ted

Joy. Smiles. Laughter. Fun. Charm. Adorable. Bold. Bouncy.

These are all words that accompany the best French Bulldog puppy ever in the whole wide world. I'm lucky enough to call him mine - but everyone who meets TEDDY is smitten by his personality.

Credit for some of his charisma goes to his looks - he's a gorgeous fawn Frenchie, I'm not sure why he's fawn colored - his mother is Cream and his father is a fully-hooded Pied. Frenchie color genetics being incredibly complex, I'll just refer you to an expert on the topic here:

French Bulldog Color Genetics

Anyway - Teddy is fawn, with gorgeous, dark-rimmed shoe-button brown eyes. Most people melt when they look at him. The roundness, the appearance of softness, the puppy pulchritude - irresistible.

French Bulldogs are also the perfect size, shape and weight for human cuddling. They have enormous heads (just like human babies), are around 20 to 28 lbs., and fit pretty perfectly in most people's arms. Most people, meeting a French Bulldog, immediately want to hold it. Can't blame them one little bit. Do it all the time myself.

The rest of the credit for the TED-monster's appeal is his personality. Again thanks to his parents and his early socialization. Ted's not afraid of anything. He's curious without being a trouble-maker, biddable without being wishy-washy, obedient without being robotic. He can wrestle and chase other dogs, play with people and pups, then be content to settle down and chill on the couch.

And I know TED is perfect because I also recognize his flaws. He can be a selfish brat, he tests the house rules to the limit, he yaps with ear-piercing force when he's not getting the attention he thinks he deserves. And when I lose my temper with him when he just won't listen, he shrugs it off and goes on to other things.

Teddy loves to work with me - learning new stuff is always fun. Plus there are cookies.

He also loves rolling around on the sidewalk in the sunshine, playing with other dogs, and talking. Or complaining, depending on how you look at it.

I love playing with Teddy - he's a great pal and partner in Obedience and Agility. I'm not the most competitive person around, but Team Ted has a wonderful time at class and seeing all of our "doggy friends" at the trials. We train in obedience with the North Shore Dog Training Club and in agility with All Fours Dog Training.

Sadly, even dogs as wonderful as French Bulldogs sometimes find themselves in need of new homes. These organizations work for the benefit of Frenchies and Frenchie-wanna-bes.

Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I'm lucky enough to be able to bring my dog to work! My sister and I co-own a shop, Golly Gear, which specializes in products for small dogs: harnesses, collars, leashes, treats, toys, etc.

Needless to say - Teddy loves going to work. After all, he's a small dog and it's all about him!