Simone French Bulldog Airdrie, AB

Meet Simone!

Simone is a special little lady with a larger than life personality and some unique challenges. She was born with a curved & shortened spine but she doesn’t know that she’s different. This high energy girl doesn’t let anything hold her back. If left to her own devices, she would probably be doing backflips & bouncing on trampolines. Unfortunately, her spine is unable to handle such activities.

Simone needs to be appropriately managed to protect her from herself. Due to short spine syndrome, she needs safeguards put in place to help create an environment that will prevent further stress and injury to her spine. Too much excitement or exercise can aggravate her condition, And while Simone is supposed to take it easy, she is a full-blown puppy with very high energy. This requires a balancing act between allowing her to be a dog, but also keeping her safe. As her condition will likely deteriorate over time, she would do best with someone who is home more often than not.

Simone should not be allowed to go up and down the stairs or jump on and off the furniture. Instead, she must be carried or lifted as needed. Ideally, her adopters live in a house with few stairs where a ramp could easily be added. The secondary challenge is ensuring that Simone actually uses the ramp as she tends to take the quickest route from point a to point b!
Play and roughhousing with other dogs is not recommended. She must be carefully managed when interacting with other dogs to ensure there are no wrestling matches and no tug of war competitions. Off leash dog parks are not a realistic option for her either. Optimally, she would love to be a spoiled solo pup, but could perhaps live with a calm doggie friend as long as they have no interest in playing with her.

Simone missed out on some critical socialization when she was younger and now can be quite fearful of new people and places. She is working on becoming braver but she simply may never be comfortable in noisy or busy environments.
This adorable little girl is so full of love that she tends to find her person in the pack and latch onto them like velcro. She follows them everywhere and becomes anxious when they are out of her sight. This attachment can lead to her developing overprotective tendencies and trying to “guard” her person from other people or animals. She is working on this but it will likely need ongoing training in her adoptive home.
She is super smart and learns things quickly. She is very food motivated and will do just about anything for treats. However, she also has a typical Frenchie personality, so she sometimes tends to be stubborn and wants to do things her way.
Adopters should expect her to be a ‘regular’ at your vet clinic, with more than average medical needs. Her condition is subject to rapid or sudden changes and deterioration. While right now, we all agree, she is a little miracle and doing amazingly well, dogs with SSS will face a number of challenges as they age. Although we cannot predict the future, we know from other dogs with this condition, that Simone will eventually face quality-of-life issues and may not be with us as long as a “normal” dog. Her owners need to understand the emphasis of time with Simone should focus on quality over quantity and be realistic with their expectations in the end.
Please research short spine syndrome prior to applying to adopt Simone.

ADOPTION FEE BY DONATION **We are offering Simone to an approved home by donation. She is currently working with a trainer AND we will include up to $500 in training credit to continue with our trainer OR pay for a course up to $500 in value with an approved force free trainer. The adopter must commit to attending the classes/training. **

Dog’s Name: Simone
Breed Guess: French Bulldog
Health? Spayed
Short Spine Syndrome, Food sensitivities/ sensitive stomach/allergies
Approximate age: DOB: April 2022
Approximate Weight: 8 kg and growing
Energy Level? High energy but it must be managed appropriately
Socialization: A little shy but warms up when you’re nice
How does this animal behave around men? A little bit shy/scared of men
How does this animal behave around women? A little bit shy/scared of women
How does this animal behave around children? Not recommended for a home with kids, Very gentle with children, but ideally Simone’s family does not have young children as the excitement may be too much for her

How does this animal behave around dogs? Yes, has lived with dogs. Needs a calm, quiet or older dog friend, or to be a solo pup

This animal has been introduced to: Learning to be gentle with rabbits, but does try to play with them
How does this animal behave around strange dogs or other animals? Fearful of strange dogs at first but will warm up if the other dog is calm & gentle

How does this dog behave around Other Dogs and high value food, treats or toys? Lets the other dog take it, Seems very carefree and unconcerned about holding onto food or toys when other dogs are around.

How does this dog behave around HUMANS and high value food, treats or toys? Lets you take it, Posture is relaxed, no muscles tensed
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How does this animal behave around cats? Learning to be gentle with cats, but does try to chase them & play with them too roughly

Feeding Requirements? Food Allergies, No free feeding- Recommend food dispensing toys

Leash/Collar training? Already wearing a collar and used to it, Learning about walks and loving it, Seems very well leash trained, walks nicely on leash.

Being left alone? Needs to be crated
House training? Fully House Trained

Fences? We believe she needs solid fencing that blocks her visibility. Fence that is chain link fence wont work as Simone gets distracted by anything & everything. At the new foster house, they have a really solid 6? wooden fence and she’s never had a single accident here. I believe it’s because she can focus on doing her business without distractions.

Car rides? Needs to be in crate
Nail trimming? We haven’t tried to trim nails yet

ADOPTION FEE BY DONATION **We are offering Simone to an approved home by donation. She is currently working with a trainer AND we will include up to $500 in training credit to continue with our trainer OR pay for a course up to $500 in value with an approved force free trainer. The adopter must commit to attending the classes/training. **