On
March 11, 2000, my very first litter of French Bulldog puppies were born
by c-section. I was hoping for a girl so when four boys came out I was a
little disappointed that I might not get the girl I was hoping for, but
sure enough the fifth and last puppy was a tiny little girl with two big
white dots on the back of her neck weighing in at just about 6 ounces.
She was a little itty bitty thing and struggled the first couple days of
her life trying to suckle on Mom to get milk. I had to lend a hand until
eventually she became strong enough to
suck
on her own. I knew right away that this one had a strong spirit and as
she continued to grow she turned into a little firecracker with a VERY
BIG attitude. By the time she was five weeks old, she was pushing around
her four brothers and didn’t seem to be afraid of anything or anybody.
She was a happy puppy, very outgoing, and turned into a beautiful
Frenchie Diva. She was my “little treasure”, so when it came time to
name her, it was easy, she became Merriment’s Petit Tresor’, “Gigi” for
short.
Gigi had the life-of-party spirit. She loved running on the beach,
riding in a car, playing Frisbee, running through the water sprinklers
and climbing and sitting on top of tables or the top of the couch. No
spot was too high for my little miss. Gigi liked the chase, she chased
gophers, cats and anything else that hoped or crawled or decided to run
from her, even the neighborhood children who dubbed her "The Mad
Bulldog"... She also had a very sweet side, she loved people, she loved
to cuddle, she loved sucking on toys, she loved ice cream, she loved her
spa day and loved
to be groomed. Whenever I declared "it's time for a bath", she
quickly went to the bath tub and hopped in. My little Frenchie
Diva would never be caught dirty and Gigi always considered herself a
beauty queen, Bell of the Ball...I often teased her saying, "Gigi, Gigi,
Gigi, it's all about Gigi!" and if she could talk, she would agree!
By the time Gigi was 6 months old, she attended her first AKC dog show
and won a 5 point major! And before she was two years old, she had
completed her AKC Championship title with very limited showing.
At two years old, Gigi gave birth to three
beautiful puppies. She was a wonderful, loving and attentive
Mother.
Even at eight years old, Gigi acted very
much like a young pup. Her energy level never waivered.
In July of 2008, Gigi was diagnosed with
internal mast cell cancer and two very large inoperable tumors were
discovered. I was forced to face the truth that Gigi, was terminal
and the rest of her life with me would only be a matter of days. I
am grateful I had those last days with her to say goodbye. A
little more time to lie with her, hold her and kiss her and just forget
the world before I had to send her on her way. We did it all baby.
There are no words to express how much she
will be missed by me and her momma, Ruby, but I am thankful for the
unimaginable joy that she brought into our lives each and every day she
was with us, we were truly blessed. Gigi had such a fearless
enthusiastic passion for life and enjoyed all of her days here on earth.
She spent her entire life with me and her momma from the day she was
born to the day that I had to set her free and I have so many wonderful
memories that I will always cherish.
Gigi was one of a kind and for me, there will never be another like
her…she took a large piece of my heart with her when she left. Godspeed
my little sweetheart, Gigi.
Rebecca Sazegar
Gigi 2005
Goose charging Gigi!
Ruby & Gigi 2006
Gigi enjoying a swaddle on spa
day!
Ruby & Gigi with their new hand made
sweaters on
Gigi and brother Flip on a beach in
California
Please
help support the
Canine Health Foundation so that they can continue research on
canine health issues, including Mast Cell cancer in French Bulldogs.