On one side I see Cherokee Legend Pretty Boy, and the other side I see Heatherbull Bounty's Frigate in Buddy and Brothers pedigree. Their breeder advertizes on the internet, and newspapers. Some of the newspapers are out of state. I'm glad he does, or how would I have met him? I had to make up my own mind if his pups were to my standard or not. Some little rich girl, doctors daughter, may lose interest in the pup, maybe that is what the breeders saw. My breeder asked a lot of questions, and I guess I had the right answers. Mine are pets I guess unless I can get involved in the BCA of Indiana, in the future. I carry insurance, and had them checked by a "Bulldog vet." so I'm not gonna worry over a TV show cause it's all about ratings, I believe the producers could care less about the dogs. Well Here's Buddy, he has a plastic grocerybag cornered in ther next yard. I will agree a lot of work should be done looking for a pup. Sorry window was fogged a little.

I was recently to Dr. Battaglia's seminar and he told a story of his daughter trying to buy a purebred dog. She couldn't get past the interviews and no one would sell her a dog! It is cases like this where good people can't answer all the questions to the seller's liking and they are refused for whatever reason. These people then go and buy from the pet store or the puppy miller and buy unhealthy dogs and it's the reputable breeders that take the heat for it. (In Dr. Battaglia's case, he was able to get his daughter a dog from a reputable breeder but because of who he was.

I also know that reputable breeders don't breed hundreds of dogs each year so they can be choosy where they place their dogs. Tough one.

Shelley - Sophie N Angels Mocha & Stella

is there really such a widespread and rampant breeding of unhealthy dogs with serious chronic and hereditary conditions? Is that breeding practice the exception or the norm?

Cathy
when she first came home

it is up to you as a puppy buyer to do your research and distinquish between the 2 and it is certainly not limited to the show world.

Good health and good conformation go hand in hand. If show dogs were walking cripples on death's door, would we be proud to show them?
Anwer is no, of course not.

Are there health problems in dogs? Yes. In every animal, including people, on this planet? Yes.

Are people ignorant in their breeding practices? Yes.

Are all purebred dogs doomed? No.

Our breed has been around an awfully long time in it's current form. The arguements about them and their health and conformation are as old as the breed. They are not at some "end of days" as some animal rightists would have you believe and the immediate change to their conformation won't improve anything.

Go visit our health page to see a gallery of health tested champions, quite a few of which are line and even inbred.
http://bcahealth.homestead.com/chicgallery.html

Inbreeding does not cause problems. Any dog, regardless of breeding system, can be born with a problem, even mixed breeds. Inbreeding health issues is a stupid thing to do, obviously. If you line or inbreed proven healthy dogs, diseases will not spontaniously appear because of it. If a condition crops up, you do not breed those dogs again. Simple.

It is all propaganda.

Before breeding to bitch or stud....ask if they've health tested for "x" "y" and "z." And if not, don't do the breeding. Might make people stop, think and test.


Mary and Otto, Maisy & Apple
Marby Bulldogs

been said but the harsh reality is when we turn those buyers down to protect our dogs they pick up the phone and call the next breeder on their list. The ones that advertise on craig's list or the pennysaver or heck even your local newspaper. When we can limit that type of breeders exposure then maybe we can change public perception.

It is frustration to say the least.

We all get lumped in together by the folks who don't know the difference. They see the cute little puppy mill pup at the mall pet store, they see the show dog on TV, they don't understand the difference. And usually, the pet store pup is more expensive. I am my club's contact and get lots of inquiries about puppies. Many have done their homework and got my name from BCA or AKC. Some just want a pup, quick and cheap. They don't want to get educated and any attempt on my part is met with indifference or anger. I always thank those who are interested in healthy pups from reputable breeders, but there are always those who are just looking for a couple of dogs to breed and make a quick profit. Those are the ones who get a quick reply of "Sorry, I don't know of any available at the moment."

I agree that the demand for bulldogs does create opportunities for people to breed them hoping to make easy money. I hope when they discover how much money it costs to produce puppies and how much time it takes to raise them they won't attempt it for very long. These people aren't showing these dogs though, and I wonder why show dogs/breeders are so frequently attacked instead of breeders like these?

Cathy
when she first came home

it is difficiult to say if it is more widespread. The internet opened up a world of imformation that we were previously unaware of.

The fact that there are so many retail and internet outlets now available to purchse dogs and there is no way to police this sort of thing, I am sure there is an uprise in problems already associated with some dogs.

Everyone wants a bulldog these days. Many people start off a call to me with "I am aware that they have allot of health problems but I want one anyway"..

All this does in encourage people to breed anything to get puppies.

If the common call was "I want to buy a puppy whose parents were health tested for "x" "y" and "z" maybe people would stop and think and test before they bred.

Can't cure stupid..but you can educate ignorant.

HOW can purebred dogs survive a few hundred years if they were truly so unhealthy? I guess the argument could be made that breeders just breed them young and produce enough offspring to off set the losses and ensure continuance, but is this really happening?

Cathy
when she first came home