mon petit homme

     Those of you who follow LivingTastefully have often seen photos of my little man, Bisous.  I won the jackpot for a French Bulldog with personality.  I could not have gotten or imagined a puppy any sweeter, more playful, and loving than Bisous. He's pretty perfect.  And naming him "kisses" in French was spot on.  All you have to do is ask.

     I fell in love with Jules on my first visit to Paris in 1997.  He was the resident French Bulldog at the hotel we stayed at on Rue du Bac.  The photo above was taken on my second visit to Paris in June 2000.  My desire to return to Paris was all about Jules.  I was able to visit him one more time in 2004 when he was eleven.  Jules is the reason I have owned Frenchies for 16 years.

     Last September, one month after I lost my 15-year-old Frenchie, Pipi, I went to Paris and met my on-line friend, Stacey Snacks. (see Stacey's website HERE).  We had been corresponding for years and finally got to meet face à face at Stacey and Henry's apartment just off The Avenue des Champs-Élysées.  She gave me this wonderful French make-up bag (which I cherish) with a pied Frenchie on the front, three months before I saw my first photo of Bisous at 2 or 3 weeks of age.  Do you understand the eeriness to this gift?  It's my Bisous.  And by that I mean, in addition to both Frenchies being black and white, the similarities in their body structure.  I have always said that Bisous looks more like an early European French Bulldog than most of the Frenchies I see these days on the street and in print.  His legs and the length of his body are a little longer than what I'm used to.  And, he's also BIG.  The other day he weighed in at 27 pounds.  He will be 11 months in a week and will continue to fill out until 18 months of age.  I can't imagine where he'll end up on the scale!  I've struggled with this, and have driven my family and friends crazy by always talking about his body... something that isn't important and I just need to get over! 
   

      Then yesterday, Bisous' friend, Charley the French Bulldog's dads, sent me these merged photos.  The one on the left, of course, is Bisous, and the photo on the right is a 1907 magazine cover that hangs in our veterinarian's office.  Yes... Bisous has that turn-of-the-century body.  But it's o.k.  And I often wonder... will he be healthier because of it?

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