This week our FBRN family was saddened by the all too early death of one of our young fosters. Nero was a smiley faced, two and a half year old that was recently whisked from the poor breeding practices of a backyard facility. In spite of the squalid conditions he was forced to endure prior to arriving into the loving care of his foster family, Nero was a happy, playful boy who deserved far more time to be loved on and cared for than he was allowed.

Puppy millers and backyard breeders are not interested in the happiness or welfare of their dogs. Rather, it is nothing more than a business where puppies are churned out in assembly line style and breeding adults are kept in abominable conditions, often housed in wire cages, and not allowed access to even the most basic of veterinary care. Until he arrived into the protection of FBRN, Nero had never been seen by a veterinarian. Not even once.

If Nero had been given a once over in his developmental years, perhaps the Interverterbral Disc Disease that was instrumental in shortening his life could have been addressed and maintained earlier. In two short days, this sweet boy went from guarded walking to rapid deterioration with almost complete paralysis. Surgery was an option, but with only a small success rate in Nero’s case, his foster mom made the very painful decision to let him go with dignity.

Nero’s dedicated foster mom said these touching words about her happy boy: “Nero came to us this past January after being rescued from a back-yard breeder/hoarder, where for the first two years of his life, he was keep in an outside, dirt-floored kennel in all weather extremes. He was neglected and had never been seen by a vet until he came into FBRN’s care. Despite his rough first two years, he was the sweetest little soul I have ever known. My heart is completely broken. I miss him so much. But aside from my own hurt from missing him, I’m upset more so because he only had just under 6 months with us to be loved and cared for, and he deserved more time. He was just under 2 1/2 years old. Although he was my foster boy, and was to be placed on the “Available Page” soon, he was indeed “home” here with us and I felt that he was part of our family, not just a temporary foster. I’m grateful for the time we had with Nero and I now imagine him running and playing at the Rainbow Bridge, just like he did here on earth. I’m also grateful to FBRN for all that was done to help Nero. Without FBRN, he may not have been rescued and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to love and care for him. Thank you all for all you do as FBRN volunteers. “

Unsavory breeders are not concerned about the health or soundness of their dogs, nor are they interested in bettering the breed. Money is their only driving force, and they will indiscriminately bring any two dogs together for no reason other than to make a profit. This negligence frequently results in sickly, orthopedically incorrect and behaviorally unpredictable dogs. Nero, like many other frogs in our care, is a result of these atrocious breeding practices. We implore anyone who is looking to purchase a French Bulldog – or any other pedigree – to research the breed, research the breeder, and educate themselves on any health/genetic testing that should be done on the parents by a reputable breeder prior to breeding. Or, better yet, why not honor Nero’s memory and either donate to or apply for one of our fosters? Godspeed Nero. You will truly be missed.