Treated as insulinoma — in hindsight probably disseminated breast cancer. What we know today →
A little queen in the body of a French Bulldog. She chose her people herself — and for twelve years she decided everything.
Loved. Missed. Unforgotten.
Who she was
Pebbels was a purebred French Bulldog with black-and-white markings: a black head with a white blaze running down the centre over her nose to her forehead, plus the classic big bat ears. Her muzzle was speckled pink and black, her body white with black markings.
She was the boss. In the house, in the garden, in every relationship. Energy and willpower, paired with love, care and attention — a rare combination. Not a dominant dog in the negative sense, but a loving queen who used her position to protect, not to push.
Her name — Pebbels with two b's, like Wilma and Fred Flintstone's daughter. Headstrong, small, full of character. It fit perfectly.
How she came to her family
Nobody wanted her. Rejected even by her own mother, she spent most of her time in a kennel in a garage. No one would take her.
Then came the day in the meadow. Patric was kneeling there, having never actually wanted a dog. Pebbels ran up to him and curled up in front of him. She chose him, not the other way around — just as she went on to decide everything for the next twelve years.
The garage kennel turned into a queen. The unwanted puppy became the central character in a family's life.
"She came, she saw, she conquered, and she claimed everything. An incredible personality."— Patric
Her quirks
Her very own harness read "Little Rascal" — an official admission. She was no lap dog.
Patric steps into the kitchen for 20 seconds. Back at the table: the toast is gone, not a crumb left. Pebbels stares pointedly out the balcony door, Bam Bam back-to-back facing the window — the two of them synchronised in opposite directions. "A piece of toast? What toast?" A coordinated operation with perfect destruction of evidence.
Chocolate, brittle — anything sweet and within reach was in danger. More than once it ended at the emergency vet. Nothing could throw her off: alert, curious, always hungry. Always.
The moment she went into the garden, she barked at her imaginary enemies with full conviction. Her territory, her job, her voice. I'm-here-and-this-is-my-place — Pebbels in her purest form.
Summer & sun
Outdoors most of all, in the sun most of all, with her ball most of all. Pebbels had a warm, southern soul — and her favourite spot in her own garden.
In the garden, in the grass, stretched out long in the warmth — completely in her element. She could soak up the sun anywhere, but best of all at home.
Outdoors most of all, with her Méditerranée ball most of all, in the sun most of all. And at the end, when she was ill and lay on Patric's lap — that's when the trembling stopped. His scent, his warmth, his heartbeat right beneath her. No stress. Just home.
Her travels
South of France, Switzerland, Ludwigswinkel by the lake — Pebbels was always there.
Gallery
Eight pictures from twelve years — the whole collection, with all the photos and videos, is waiting in the gallery.
The farewell
After months of good, carefully managed care — by Patric around the clock, by Nicole every morning before work and again in the evening at feeding time — the whole system collapsed over Whitsun 2026. No medication helped anymore. The disease had the last word — not because too little was done, but because in the end insulinoma cannot be beaten.
On May 25, 2026, she was put to sleep with us by her side — first deeply sedated, without fear, without any awareness of what was coming. Patric held her little paws, his voice close by. The whole weight rested on him, so she would not have to carry it.
"It was a long, stressful road, with a lot of time, sleepless nights and money, to give the little one a few more months. And it was worth every cent and every minute."— Patric's honest reckoning
The hard hours
It wasn't always beautiful. An honest remembrance also includes the days when she was doing badly — we show this not to hurt, but because it is the truth. She carried these hours too, and even in them she was never alone.
The final days — in numbers
Every spike a battle. For days her blood glucose stayed almost entirely below the normal range, with ever deeper drops into the coma zone. On Whit Monday, at 8:04 p.m., the recording ends.
Recorded with the Pebbels APP — the line Patric watched day and night.
All the values, the long-term trend & the sensor comparison →
She was a queen. She was honoured, right to the very end.
For other owners
Honest reality instead of a heroic tale — the most important lessons from more than a year, briefly summed up.
Adjust medication to real CGM values — not by a blanket maximum-dose scheme.
Giving sugar preventively makes the hypoglycemia worse — the classic insulinoma vicious circle.
Insulinoma is not curable. Everything you do buys time — no one buys a cure.
Her legacy
Built especially for Pebbels — and it helped her wonderfully. A free, open-source app for monitoring the blood glucose of dogs with insulinoma or diabetes, straight from the Dexcom sensor.