xx

seriously, no worries. It's very hard to interpret "tone" on a forum. I knew I was going to open a can of worms and it was because I keep reading about all these sick puppies/dogs. It just seems that somebody should check a dog before it is bred against a national standard that has been agreed upon so there are no worries about elongated pallete, breathing issues etc. Myabe I'm crazy and I don't know what I'm talking about, but It just suprises me that there is not. (which is why I asked because I seriously would have considered breeding if I hadn't read all of the stuff that I did) If the AKC is going to allow breeder to tell an owner that their dog can only be registered as limited when the pup is purchased, why can't The AKC check to see if a bitch is fit to be bred? I know there are always going to be back yard breeders, but even a back yard breeder can get a dog registered with the AKC. IMHO, there should be nothing to "breed" out of any breed of dogs line. I know that is not realistic but it would be nice.

Some of the "anonymous" posts are really scary regardless and it just got me to thinking because when I was younger I stupidly bought a German shepherd with and AKC registration from a pet store and she was very sickly and cost me a ton of money. She lived to be 13 and I loved her more than life itself, but I should not have had to go through that expense. There was no internet in 1991 for me to go to and research like there is now. And even if there was, any web site can say anything that it wants to about any topic. Why should someone be scared to buy a bulldog(or any dog) because of potential health issues? I do realize that there are responsible breeders out there because I purchased from one that I was referred to. But let's face it, how many people out there know about bulldogs world? How many of them are going to come here to really research before they buy? I found this place because a guy on a street corner with a bulldog in New Hope, Pa. told me about BDW. I talked to many people before that gentleman and it was the first time I heard about BDW. If I hadn't been told about BDW, I'd be another in a long line that bought a sickly dog.I don't hang around dog shows to talk to fellow bulldoggers and I'll bet most people looking to purchase don't either. I just think there should be some official guideline or something to help people avoid getting ripped off and to keep more sick dogs from coming into the world. I just wanted to know what the really good breeders on this board think about what is happening because one of their dogs could end up being bought by a back yard breeder and they might not know it. So all the work that was done to breed a sound pup went out the window because of someone with no scruples. What can be done to stop it?

Funny--they just brought in a motivational speaker at my job who was talking about this same thing: I assumed you were talking about me because I am the center of my universe . Sorry for misunderstanding.

when it is thier own bitch.

I didnt want to post my question about vaginal dischage last week. I knew the answer but Breve' is my baby and i needed some outside answers.

My mentor who has been breeding for 30years still asks questions, things change and ideas change and it is good to get others ideas.

The people who post annon, might not want someone to think they are stupid or breed w/o much though, but might have just needed a little bit of help because they could not get a hold of their mentor.

vicky

Vicky, Bosco, Bella, Breve' & Holly

Bulldog Club of Greater Seattle

I agree with you 100% I am sick when I here about all these people that don't know what the heck they are doing then loose their litters (due to ignorance). I just got a bully from a very reputable breeder and I was suprized that I am not required to nuter him.(but I will)
Katie

That one didn't even cross my mind. I don't want to be specific because if one of those "dreaded back yard breeders" are posting here and gettting good info from reputable breeders and gets spooked, who knows what could happen. At least they are smart enought to ask the people that know. If you felt attacked, I do apologize as that was not my intention. I read both boards and I'm sickened by many of the things that I read and I really want to know why there are not laws to protect consumers and these poor animals.

I'm sure this post is referencing my question from earlier about breeding a dog with a crooked jaw. My response is this: Every breeder started somewhere. I've seen posts here and on other forums that are clearly from people who have done absolutely zero homework before jumping into breeding (I'm assuming because they think they can make a quick buck (HAHA!)). However, not everyone who is thinking of possibly breeding in the future is that foolish. Please don't discourage people from asking questions. I am personally very happy to have found this forum in my search for knowledge, but I would hate to feel like I HAD to post anonymously so no one would label me as the dreaded "backyard breeder".

Are any of the reputable breeders on this board opposed to regulations in breeding? It would seem in theory that regulations could stop the puppy mills and the damage done to overbreeding any breed, not just bulldogs. I'm also surprised that the AKC doesn't have more to say other than just the standard of a breed. It just seems like a giant circle sometimes.

I will check out the akc site. I have rescued other breeds of dogs and I will continue to rescue, but I have to be honest I wanted to go pure bred bulldog puppy instead. I was afraid of pre existing conditions that I couldn't afford to take care of. I didn't really want a bulldog because I've heard and seen many bad things when it comes to this breed so I thought that if I got a dog from a really good breeder, I'd have some peace of mind. My husband had his heart set on one, and I have to say I feel kind of guilty for feeding into the supply and demand. Of course, I can't imagine not being owned by a bulldog. What was I thinking? LOL

It makes me very happy to see that the responsible breeders on the board are doing everything they can to breed the "negatives" out of the line.

No - AKC is responsible for the registry that certifies that these dogs are purebred. It is actually up to the breeder to regulate whether their pups are bred or not by using the limited registration option. However, that does not physically prevent a dog from being bred, only prevents its offspring from being registered.

License - no, although there is some highly unpopular legislation in the works that is suggesting this.

Legislation is a state-by-state matter, although in my experience it is generally ignored because no one, breeder or consumer, ever bothers to educate themselves. For instance, Florida has a pretty solid puppy lemon law - puppies must have health certificates before they are sold and must be at least eight weeks old before they are sold by or to anyone residing in the state. In addition, there were some strict provisions on health conditions. I'd say only about 5% of people I talked to about this when I lived there were even aware of this, and that was mostly on the breeder side, not the consumer side.

Sharon

I held my breath as I was typing it because I know this place is a great source of info and I don't want to make anyone mad. I wasn't sure if anyone would respond. I'm not trying to make anyone mad, I'm truly concerned for this breed's welfare.

Hi Kari,

I think you've asked some good questions and you've made a GREAT point in your other post below. To answer your questions, breeding is not regulated by the American Kennel Club. The American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dogs, meaning that they keep records of the integrity of the pedigrees of each breed that they recognize as purebred. The AKC also sanctions dog shows that are held under their umbrella. You can read more about the AKC on their website where I'm sure they have their official description - www.akc.org.

Now regarding breeder licenses, there is no license to be able to put two animals together and create puppies unless you are a registered business for doing this and you produce so many litters or puppies per year - then you would fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture and I believe they license these types of animal producers (large scale operations for profit). To be completely honest, I am not well read on the exact rules about these but there surely is information available on the USDA site but I'm not even sure what that address is.

However, many breeders here on BDW and really the backbone of the sport of purebred dogs are hobby breeders and there is no school or trade organization that will give these types of breeders the license or the OK to breed. That is where it is truly up to the consumer, per se, to do their own research in order to protect themselves and give themselves the best chances to obtain a quality puppy. There are great and honest breeders out there, you just have to find them.

And yes, it is scary when people post anonymously because they have put two animals together and have not done enough research before doing so. Creating puppies is a huge responsibility and not something that anyone should really do without having a solid foundation of knowledge and experience.

Jay

It seems like there are alot of people asking what I would think are basic, fundamental questions that someone who is considering breeding would already know and that got me thinking about whether these people should really be breeding.

Breeding is not something I have ever considered participating in but if I ever were to get involved in it, I would only do it if I had someone knowledgable in both bulldog breeding, standards, health issues etc. mentoring me... I'd never go into it blind, especially with a bulldog!

I'm curious to see what type of responses you get from your question.

I keep reading more and more posts on both boards with questions about breeding. IMHO, it seems like there are quite a few people that don't really have a grasp on what they are doing. I'm guessing that's why they post as anonymous. Just from reading these posts, I would be too afraid to breed a bulldog or any dog for that matter. If they are buying pups from reputable breeders, do the breeders have any say as to what is done with a bitch or stud?