Welcome To
About Beaucerons

About Beaucerons is a web site dedicated to the Beauceron and to all the people who own and love them. It is the most comprehensive online resource about the Beauceron breed on the internet today. There are a lot of things to see throughout the many pages. Take your time and enjoy your stay.

*** Soleil Update ***

As many of you already know, Soleil, the inspiration for the website About Beaucerons, was diagnosed with Lymposarcoma (cancer) April 10th. Her lymp nodes swelled up right after the AKC Agility Nationals the end of March. The news was very grim. I was told Soleil had 4-6 weeks to live.

I asked for a referral to the New England Veterinary Oncology Group (NEVOG) and took her there for a second opinion. They agree with the initial diagnosis of lymphoma. Here is a summary of the options presented to me.

Do nothing. Most dogs succumb to the disease within 4-6 weeks.

Prednisone therapy. Median survival time is 2-3 months.

Single or Multi agent chemotherapy treatment. Dogs have a 70% - 85% chance of experiencing remission. Remission times vary greatly.

I decided to go with the Multi agent short term protocol which is an 18 week series. They start with one dose of Elspar, then rotate 3 other chemo drugs (Vinblastine, Cytoxcin, and Adriamycin) for the rest of the 18 weeks.

I am happy to report that Soleil has responded very well to the chemotherapy and is doing great. We are about half way through the 18 week series and this past week has been our very first week without a trip to the vets since March. She is officially on an every other week schedule.

Soleil has been my whole world for the past 8 years. She is not only my best friend and companion, she is also my partner and teammate. If it were not for Soleil, I never would have traveled to France (first time in Europe) - not once, but twice! If it were not for Soleil, I would never have traveled around the United States, attending some of the most prestigious agility events held in this country. And, if it were not for Soleil, there would be no About Beaucerons website or online Beauceron database.

For years now, Soleil has been a wonderful ambassador for the Beauceron breed all across the USA. Many people have gotten a Beauceron after meeting or seeing Soleil. She is about as close to the perfect dog as you can possibly get. She is confident but not aggressive. She loves to work and loves to please. She is great with small children, adults, puppies, dogs, and other animals. She had been my assistant in doing volunteer therapy work since she was a puppy, and has brought many smiles to many faces, both young and old. She has also done volunteer work with children in a reading program to help improve the child's reading by reading to the dogs. She has given so much to so many people in her lifetime, that when I was faced with the difficult decision, I had to give her the chance to live. I could not turn my back on her in her time of need.

When I made the decission to go with the chemotherapy treatments, it was a decision made strictly from the heart. I had no idea how I was going to manage to pay for the treatments because I lost my job earlier this year due to the economy. Down to working just part time, money is very tight. A few very good friends quickly spread the word and soon there were fundraisers being organized and donations started to come in to help with the financial burden of the treatments.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagined the outpouring of support, both financial support and moral support, I would recieve. I can't thank everyone enough for all the help you have given to both Soleil and I. I have heard from people from all around the world. Without the help I have received, and continue to receive, I don't know what I would have done.

Thank you to everyone who has sent donations to help with Soleil's treatments. If anyone wants to donate to Soleil's chemotherapy fund, they can do so through PayPal. Donations through PayPay should be sent to elaine@aboutbeaucerons.com.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to help this very special Beauceron.

For the latest updates on Soleil, you can go to Soleil's Update blog at: http://soleilupdate.blogspot.com/. I will try to update the blog once or twice a week to keep everyone informed on Soleil's progress. I am also trying to upload a video of Soleil doing agility recently. I will post the video here on my homepage once I get it uploaded.

Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful outpouring of support.

Elaine & Soleil

Introducing * Disney du Bois du Nord * aka "Mickey"

Mickey's pedigree
Mickey turned one year old on June 26th.
Happy Birthday to all the pups from the Abby x Anis litter.

*** End of News Update ***

The Beauceron Pedigree Database now exceeds 26,000 Beaucerons! Thank you to everyone who has submitted information for the database.

Check out the searchable Beauceron Pedigree Database. Discover your Beauceron's genealogy. Be sure to read the Beauceron Pedigree Database FAQs before using the database. You may be surprised at all the information you can display on your dog and your dog's family members.

Check out the Table of French Cotations. This will help make it easier to understand the French system of rating Beaucerons. I have also added a few fun facts at the bottom of the page.

Check out the Beauceron Photo Gallery. There are lots of pictures of Beaucerons from all over the world.

You can find many Beauceron breeders and the home pages of many Beauceron sites on the Beaucerons Around the World page.

Find out who is doing what with their Beauceron. Check out the Beaucerons In the News pages where you will find out how athletic and versatile the Beauceron really is.

I have created a page for my dog Soleil du Murier de Sordeille, the inspiration behind this website. The page has many links to her many photo albums. You can even watch videos of Soleil competing in agility on Soleil's Agility Runs page.

To find out the latest changes and updates at About Beaucerons, be sure to check out the What's New page. Last updated March 2009.

While you're here, please take a minute to sign my guestbook.

If there is something you would like to see, please let me know. Just send me an e-mail.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy Your Stay!