Fun Facts about French Bulldog & Planned Parenthood Protests

Facts Part 1:

I'm dog sitting a French Bulldog this weekend. She's a fun dog to have around.

Here are some fun facts about Frenchies that I learned from living with one:

1. They snort constantly.

Their noses are really short, so they can't breathe very well. A result of this impaired breathing is that they sound like miniature motorboats. The snorting gets worse when they get excited. 

2. They vomit when they get too excited.

Because they snort and can't breathe very well, they swallow a lot of air. Sometimes, they breathe so fast that they choke on the air they swallow, which makes them throw up. Cosi, the Frenchie I'm dog sitting, threw up once this weekend when she found a new toy. She got really excited, started snorting, then choked, vomited a piece of food, gazed at it sadly, and then promptly ate it. This action happened within a span of 3 seconds. 

3. They fart a lot.

Because they swallow a lot of air, Frenchies also fart a lot.

4. They can't wear normal collars and leashes.

They impair the dogs' breathing, and if you pull too hard on a collar their eyes could pop out of their heads.

5. Hermaphrodites are common.

A lot of Frenchies are hermaphrodites at birth. Cosi is one of them

Facts Part 2:

While running on Saturday morning, I saw what looked like a pedestrian blockade along my route. It was actually anti-abortion protesters outside Planned Parenthood. Coincidentally, a guy from one of the wards was standing with the protesters. To my humiliation, he recognized me and stopped me to chat. He then asked why I wasn't protesting with him, and I didn't have the energy to sugarcoat the fact that I completely disagree with their position. And I tried running away, but those darn posters got in the way.

Here are some (not-so) facts that I learned about Planned Parenthood Protesters in the 2 minutes before I escaped the madness: 

1. If you aren't with them, you are automatically a baby murderer.

Upon telling the guy that I don't agree with his opinion, I had at least two old men yelling at me and accusing me of being a baby murderer. Not a great way to start a Saturday morning.

2. They shout at you for not being Christian.

Luckily, my acquaintance stuck up for me on this one, but it's still uncomfortable when people waving crucifixes at your face start shouting that you are not a Christian. I felt like I was going to be stoned in public. 

I actually don't understand why this is an insult, since a lot of people aren't Christian. Especially since Boston has a large Jewish population. It seems like they are just stating the obvious. 

3. They think Planned Parenthood only does abortions.

The acquaintance tried explaining that PP embezzles money to kill babies, which I tried to explain is not true. And I also informed him that if I didn't have health insurance, I probably would go there for my checkups and Paps. He was not amused.

4. They yell at everyone.

The protesters accused every woman walking into the clinic of being a baby killer. Which is not ok, especially if some of the women were visiting the clinic for fertility problems or a recent miscarriage. 

5. They expect rape victims to come to them for help.

The acquaintance asked why, and I said that if I ever get raped, I want the option of having an abortion without being interrogated about it. Then one of the old men waving a crucifix said that he could help me if I was pregnant from rape. Instinctively, I rolled my eyes and said NO. 

If I ever have real money, I'm going to buy the entire sidewalk outside PP clinics so I can keep crazy people away from it.*

*Note - not all PP clinics. Just this one. Mainly so I can annoy this same group of people.