Message From Anahata Graceland
How Royal Frenchels Were Created
Hello, I am “Windy”, Anahata Graceland, the creator of the Royal Frenchel Bulldog. I have been a breeder for 54 years and having raised French Bulldogs and Boxers for the first 41 years, I was inspired to create Royal Frenchel Bulldogs as a service dog initially.
When my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, she needed a great service dog. We couldn’t take our French Bulldogs in and out of medical centers without risking their health.
Many people don’t realize how fragile French Bulldogs and other bulldogs are. They don’t do well in high temperatures and if they jump down off of hospital beds, their front legs can fold, causing them to hit their chins and impact their spines. This is a very common injury for a Frenchie. So, we needed a dog that could go into all sorts of medical environments and travel regularly while Sachi, my daughter received her care.
The inspiration came when I was standing in-between my living room and kitchen telling Sachi that I would get her the best service dog she could imagine, while all the while, in the back of my mind, I was cringing at the thought of having a big dog as a service dog that ends up with hip dysplasia and other issues, and a short lifespan! Then I would have to care for the dog and Sachi! Not a fun thought.
This projection of horror ended when I turned to go into the kitchen and suddenly saw in my mind’s eye a small piece of paper like the ones you practice handwriting on when you are a child. You know, the one with dotted lines on it for upper and lower case letters?
This paper had an equation written on it that involved a few breeds of dogs, predominantly French Bulldog and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I remembered telling my mother at 5 or 6 years old that I would “make my own special dog one day” and we always thought it would come earlier… but it came at the most unexpected time and actually so unexpected, I had nearly forgotten the original moment when I knew that I would one day create a breed of dog!