My quest to find the first show french bulldog pup that will be the foundation of my future show-breeding has started. I thought at first it would suffice to just browse at the classifieds online and look for decent puppies that had potential. It was followed up by inquiring to the two of the best (there are a lot of 'bests' in this group) kennels but kind of fell short, I haven't had any replies yet from them. Am I an annoying window shopper? No, a window shopper yes, but a window shopper that has every intention of getting a puppy that has a chance, that is deserving to be called a Philippine Champion in the future.

Then it came to me, these guys, these dog breeders/enthusiasts has a circle. A circle that at first, was shy to come up to even in Facebook. But hey, I was running out of options. So I talked to a couple of them and sure enough, they were willing to help not only in pointing me at the right direction, but helping me in choosing the right one. They were gracious enough to share some tips about their experiences and knowledge about the breed and what they tend to look for. Sure, their tastes kind of differ a little but the gist was the same. These couple of tips is already common to experienced breeders but to a newbie like me, its gold. and I ain't selfish so here I am sharing what I found out. Posting it for others like me and of course, for myself so I won't forget.

  • check for the overall outline/conformation of the puppy/dog.

  • bone structure should go with the age of the puppy/dog.

  • movement of the dog goes naturally if the dog has correct body structure.

  • toes should not be splayed. they should be close together to show strength and balance.

  • structure traits depends on the line of the dog. sometimes they develop earlier than some.

  • possibly assess 3-4 mos of age before the puppy enters its awkward stage.

  • make your puppy pick as early as 2 weeks, if the puppy doesn't change by 4 weeks, there's a chance that good development would ensue.

  • puppy should be confident and sociable. frightened and scared puppies would be detected by the judge. socialize and train them.

  • be wary of the topline, it should be roached and balanced. (no dip on the shoulders- weak forelegs.

  • hindlegs should have angulation, should no be straight.

  • bloodline of the dog should be solid, not having a lot of bloodlines. breeder should be very knowledgeable of the lines of his breeding stock.

  • if looking for a show potential dog, better go to breeders who exhibit their dogs in shows constantly.

  • most of the time, males are 'better' in terms of conformation and posing than females. females are hard to find because breeders usually keep the good ones for breeding.

  • look for breedings with good combinations (good sire and dam).

I hope to add to these pointers, so I could share what they shared to me.

French Bulldog Breed Standard

General Appearance
The French Bulldog has the appearance of an active, intelligent, muscular dog of heavy bone, smooth coat, compactly built, and of medium or small structure. Expression alert, curious, and interested. Any alteration other than removal of dewclaws is considered mutilation and is a disqualification.

Proportion and Symmetry--All points are well distributed and bear good relation one to the other; no feature being in such prominence from either excess or lack of quality that the animal appears poorly proportioned.

Influence of Sex--In comparing specimens of different sex, due allowance is to be made in favor of bitches, which do not bear the characteristics of the breed to the same marked degree as do the dogs.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Weight not to exceed 28 pounds; over 28 pounds is a disqualification. Proportion--Distance from withers to ground in good relation to distance from withers to onset of tail, so that animal appears compact, well balanced and in good proportion. Substance--Muscular, heavy bone.

Head
Head large and square. Eyes dark in color, wide apart, set low down in the skull, as far from the ears as possible, round in form, of moderate size, neither sunken nor bulging. In lighter colored dogs, lighter colored eyes are acceptable. No haw and no white of the eye showing when looking forward. Ears Known as the bat ear, broad at the base, elongated, with round top, set high on the head but not too close together, and carried erect with the orifice to the front. The leather of the ear fine and soft. Other than bat ears is a disqualification. The top of the skull flat between the ears; the forehead is not flat but slightly rounded. The muzzle broad, deep and well laid back; the muscles of the cheeks well developed. The stop well defined, causing a hollow groove between the eyes with heavy wrinkles forming a soft roll over the extremely short nose; nostrils broad with a well defined line between them. Nose black. Nose other than black is a disqualification, except in the case of the lighter colored dogs, where a lighter colored nose is acceptable but not desirable. Flews black, thick and broad, hanging over the lower jaw at the sides, meeting the underlip in front and covering the teeth, which are not seen when the mouth is closed. The underjaw is deep, square, broad, undershot and well turned up.

Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is thick and well arched with loose skin at the throat. The back is a roach back with a slight fall close behind the shoulders; strong and short, broad at the shoulders and narrowing at the loins. The body is short and well rounded. The chest is broad, deep, and full; well ribbed with the belly tucked up. The tail is either straight or screwed (but not curly), short, hung low, thick root and fine tip; carried low in repose.

Forequarters
Forelegs are short, stout, straight, muscular and set wide apart. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet are moderate in size, compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and short stubby nails.

Hindquarters
Hind legs are strong and muscular, longer than the forelegs, so as to elevate the loins above the shoulders. Hocks well let down. Feet are moderate in size, compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and short stubby nails; hind feet slightly longer than forefeet.

Coat
Coat is moderately fine, brilliant, short and smooth. Skin is soft and loose, especially at the head and shoulders, forming wrinkles.

Color
Acceptable colors - All brindle, fawn, white, brindle and white, and any color except those which constitute disqualification. All colors are acceptable with the exception of solid black, mouse, liver, black and tan, black and white, and white with black, which are disqualifications. Black means black without a trace of brindle.

Gait
Correct gait is double tracking with reach and drive; the action is unrestrained, free and vigorous.

Temperament
Well behaved, adaptable, and comfortable companions with an affectionate nature and even disposition; generally active, alert, and playful, but not unduly boisterous.

Disqualifications
Any alteration other than removal of dewclaws.
Over 28 pounds in weight.
Other than bat ears.
Nose other than black, except in the case of lighter colored dogs, where a lighter colored nose is acceptable.
Solid black, mouse, liver, black and tan, black and white, and white with black. Black means black without a trace of brindle.

Approved June 10, 1991
Effective July 31, 1991

2012

No, not the end of the world dickbags (though it is turning out to be hell year). Thesis.. Palanca.. The next NaNoWriMo.. making films AND goin' to film school.. and my official venture into dog breeding/showing.

Thesis is just hell. No explanations there. Me and a couple others are gonna try and join the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards this year. My short story entry, Lazarus, is kind of looking okay. But okay won't cut it. I need to work on it late-feb and march. Filmmaking and Film School.. Ah, one of my great loves. I'll finally get a decent camera (Canon EOS 550D) this coming month so I can finally do these suckers the right way. "Sa Piling ni Kaye", "Lupang Pinaglakhan", and "Doble-Kara" will be in full motion once I graduate (or not). And lastly, my dog Christmas is finally pregnant (i think, hope she is). And once I get my erm, inheritance money (i love you pop), I'll be getting another French Bulldog, a good (and expensive) one that I'll be campaigning in shows until she (yes, I'll be getting a girl) becomes Philippine Champion. Once that happens, I'll breed her to another Phil.Champ (or higher) to get back my expenses and of course get a pup out of that monster combo.

That's the plan (at least for now) this year. Hope I can endure everything. Prelude is in 'indefinite hiatus'.

NaNoWriMo 2011




Last year I was intimidated by the word count that the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo demanded. It’s hard enough to come up with a ten-sentence essay for a midterm test but when you come across the requirement to win this annual feat, you’ll surely have second thoughts. Fifty thousand words. One must need to muster up the fortitude to come up with fifty thousand words to complete the NanoWriMo challenge and have that sparkly purple thingy in your NaNoWriMo profile. A fifty thousand word novel (or more) is an uphill battle even for veterans especially when you’re going by the awesome tagline ’30 days and nights of literary abandon’ but it sure comes with its perks:

Going to meet-ups or ‘write-ins’ as they call it is a good way to get to know other NaNo writers. I’ve been to one in Gateway and it was a unique experience. You don’t get to meet these kinds of people every day. Some of them are really peculiar and others are just those that are fun to be with like the two MLs or Municipal Liaisons for the Philippines. These guys are kind of like the heads for your country that keeps everyone updated with the activities about NaNoWriMo. You get to interact and share stories, plots and characters while having fun in a homey environment in the confines of a cafĂ©.

Another fun perk is that even if you’re not really a good writer, there are lots of people that would and will help you whenever you’re in a pinch. The forum is a hotbed for a lot of veteran writers that are more than willing to help you out. From characters to storylines to expanding your initial plot, people will surely help you out though sometimes these guys could be meticulous and nosy so be prepared.

Lastly, you’ll learn to be more responsible when it comes to grammar, story flow, time, and above all, the word count among many other things. Aiming for that elusive 50k isn’t really that hard if you keep your eye on the prize and focus in getting the job done. Last year I only got to thirty thousand words and gave up because I thought it would be impossible. This year’s win for me was bittersweet, not only did I reach seventy-two thousand words (my stories aren’t finished though) but I also realized that I really have the juice to go toe to toe with big guys. For me besides reaching (and exceeding) the 50k word count, the main prize is the chance to have a personal published copy of your NaNoWriMo novel. This year winners have the option to have five free paperback copies of their novel. I really wanted to opt for this but sadly, my novel is far from complete and I don’t really wanna publish a spinoff of a television series. Next year for sure I’ll be aiming for publication.

I don’t really know what will happen next year’s NaNoWriMo but one thing is certain for me, I’ll keep on winning and finish that elusive trilogy that I cooked up, thanks to NaNoWriMo. Because of it, I finally figured out the second and third book that will succeed ‘The Harlequin Wench’s story. I look forward to the next thirty days and nights of literary abandon and see what adventure and characters are going to be born from my delusional mind. By the way, this is a five hundred eighty-one word article.

Updates

I've been busy because of thesis, depression and other things that I'm currently doing to take my mind off things. The Harlequin Wench is still in the works together with the next chapter of Prelude. Life isn't really that great at the moment so apologies for the long holdup. After I finish my Chapter 1 and start with my related lit for my study I'll be posting the first draft of THW here and maybe another short story.. Til then,

How are men and women different? Besides the obvious, here is a short intro course.

*Handwriting:*

Men: To their credit, men do not decorate their penmanship. They just chicken-scratch.
Women: Women use scented,colored stationery and they dot the "i" with circles or hearts. Women use ridiculously large loops in the "p" and "g". It is a pain to read a note from a woman.Even when she's dumping you, she will put a smiley face at the end of the note.

*Groceries:*
Women: A woman makes a list of things she needs, then goes out to the store and buys those things.
Men: A man waits till the only items left in his fridge are half a lime and a beer. Then he goes grocery shopping. He buys everything that looks good. By the time a man reaches the checkout counter, his cart is packed tighter than the Clampett's car on Beverly Hillbillies. Of course, this will not stop him from going to the express lane.

*Relationships:*mvi2.jpg
Women: When a relationship ends, a woman will cry and pour her heart out to her girlfriends, and she will write a poem titled "All Men Are Idiots". Then she will get on with her life.
Men: A man has a little more trouble letting go. Six months after the break-up, at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday night, he will call and say,"I just wanted to let you know you ruined my life, and I'll never forgive you, and I hate you, and you're a total floozy. But I want you to know that there's always a chance for us." This is known as the "I Hate You / I Love You" drunken phone call, that 99% of all men have made at least once. There are community colleges that offer courses to help men get over this need.

*Sex:*
Women: They prefer 30-40 minutes of foreplay.
Men: They prefer 30-40 seconds of foreplay. Men consider driving back to her place part of the foreplay.

*Maturity:*
Women: They mature much faster than men. Most 17-year old females can function as adults.
Men: Most 17-year old males are still trading baseball cards and giving each other wedgies after gym class. This is why high school romances rarely work out.

*Magazines:*
Men: Men's magazines often feature pictures of naked women. Men are turned on at the sight of a naked woman's body.
Women: Women's magazines also feature pictures of naked women. This is because the female body is a beautiful work of art, while the male body is lumpy and hairy and should not be seen by the light of day. Most naked men elicit laughter from women.

*Bathrooms:*
Men: A man has six items in his bathroom--a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of Dial soap,and a towel from the Holiday Inn.
Women: The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 437. A man cannot identify most of these items.

*Shoes:*
Women: When preparing for work, a woman will put on a wool suit, then slip on Reebok sneakers. She will carry her dress shoes in a plastic bag from Saks. When a woman gets to work, she will put on her dress shoes. Five minutes later, she will kick them off because her feet are under the desk.
Men: A man will wear the same pair of shoes all day. Let's not talk about how many days he'll wear the same socks.

*Cats:*
Women: Women love cats.
Men: Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

*Children: *
Women: A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and soccer games and romances and best friends and favorite foods and secret fears and hopes and dreams.
Men: A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

*Dressing Up:*
Women: A woman will dress up to: go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, get the mail.
Men: A man will dress up for: weddings, funerals.

*Laundry:*
Women: Women do laundry every couple of days.
Men: A man will wear every article of clothing he owns, including his surgical pants (the ones that were hip about eight years ago) before he will do his laundry. When he is finally out of clothes, he will wear a dirty sweatshirt inside out, rent a U-Haul and take his mountain of clothes to the Laundromat. Men always expect to meet beautiful women at the Laundromat. This is a myth perpetuated by reruns of old episodes of "Love American Style."

*Eating Out:*
Men: When the check comes, each man will each throw in $20 bills, even though it's only for $22.50. None of them will have anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back.
Women: When the girls get their check, out come the pocket calculators.

*Mirrors:*
Men: Men are vain and will check themselves out in a mirror.
Women: They are ridiculous; they will check out their reflections in any shiny surface: mirrors, spoons, store windows, bald guys' heads.

*Menopause:*
Women: When a woman reaches menopause, she goes through a variety of complicated emotional, psychological, and biological changes. The nature and degree of these changes varies with the individual.
Men: Menopause in a man provokes a uniform reaction-he buys aviator glasses, a snazzy French cap and leather driving gloves, and goes shopping for a Porsche.

*The Phone:*
Men: Men see the telephone as a communication tool. They use the telephone to send short messages to other people.
Women: A woman can visit her girlfriend for two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they will talk for three hours.

*Richard Gere:*
Women: Women like Richard Gere because he is sexy in a dangerous way.
Men: Men hate Richard Gere because he reminds them of that slick guy who works at the health club and dates only married women.

*Madonna:*
Same as above, but reversed. Same reason.

*Toys*
Women: Little girls love to play with toys. Then when they reach the age of 11 or 12, they lose interest.
Men: Men never grow out of their toy obsession. As they get older, their toys simply become more expensive, silly, and impractical. Examples of men's toys: little miniature TVs. Car phones. Complicated juicers and blenders. Graphic equalizers. Small robots that serve cocktails on command. Video games. Anything that blinks, beeps, and requires at least 6 "D" batteries to operate.

*Cameras:*
Men: Men take photography very seriously. They'll shell out $4000 for state of the art equipment, and build dark rooms and take photography classes.
Women: Women purchase Kodak Instamatics. Of course, women always end up taking better pictures.

*Locker Rooms:*
Men: In the locker room men talk about three things: money, football, and women. They exaggerate about money, they don't know football nearly as well as they think they do, and they fabricate stories about women.
Women: They talk about one thing in the locker room-sex. And not in abstract terms, either. They are extremely graphic and technical, and they never lie.

*Movies*
Women: Every actress in the history of movies has had to do a nude scene. This is because every movie in the history of movies has been produced by a man.
Men: The only actor who has ever appeared nude in the movies is Richard Gere. This is another reason why men hate him.

*Jewelry*
Women: Women look nice when they wear jewelry.
Men: A man can get away with wearing one ring and that's it. Any more than that and he will look like a lounge singer named Vic.

*Conversation*
Men: Men need a good disagreement to get talking. For instance, "Wow, great movie." or "What are you,nuts? No REAL cop would have an Uzi that size."
Women: Women, not having this problem, try to initiate conversations with men by saying something agreeable: "That garden by the roadside looks lovely." "Mm hmm." Pause. "That was a good restaurant last night, wasn't it?" "Yeah." Pause. And so on.

*Leg Warmers*
Women: Leg warmers are sexy. A woman, even if she's walking the dog or doing the dishes, is allowed to wear leg warmers. She can wear them any time she wants.
Men: A man can only wear leg warmers if he is auditioning for the "Gimme the Ball" number in "A Chorus Line."

*Friends*
Women: Women on a girls' night out talk the whole time.
Men: Men on a boy's night out say about twenty words all night, most of which are "Pass the Doritos" or "got any more beer?"

*Restrooms*
Women: Women use restrooms as social lounges. Women who've never met will leave a restroom giggling together like old friends. Women also go to the restroom in packs, at least two women at a time excuse them- selves to use the restroom.
Men: Men use restrooms for purely biological reasons. Men in a rest- room will never speak a word to each other. And never in the history of the world has a man excused himself from a restaurant table by saying, "Hey, Tom, I was just about to take a leak. Do you want to join me?"



http://jlpicard.blogspot.com/)

(Got this from

blues..

Just finished with my internship in Rainmaker Asia, the main reason why I wasn't able to continue Prelude and The Harlequin Wench. Being in my own school for the second part of my internship will prolly give me more time to right and chill. An annoying task of thinking of a vid for the freshmen orientation day is breathing down my neck as well. I won't be doing it most probably but I will finish the 'commercial' for Psychology. I just hope I can find a camcorder that I can borrow..