AKB: French Bulldogs

[fastlax16]

My wife and I are getting a puppy, have decided on a French Bulldog. We found one we like (these things are freaking hard to find unless you're ponying up 5-6 grand) but the breeder hasn't had the mother tested for genetic defects. Says her vet has given the ok, which obviously isnt the same thing as a test. Do we walk on getting him?

 

[Nitwit]

I’d walk. A good breeder would have had the tests done.

 

[sluggo72]

My wife and I are getting a puppy, have decided on a French Bulldog. We found one we like (these things are freaking hard to find unless you're ponying up 5-6 grand) but the breeder hasn't had the mother tested for genetic defects. Says her vet has given the ok, which obviously isnt the same thing as a test. Do we walk on getting him?

ask the breeder if you can visit the mother, if they say no, run

 

[cavic]

My wife and I are getting a puppy, have decided on a French Bulldog. We found one we like (these things are freaking hard to find unless you're ponying up 5-6 grand) but the breeder hasn't had the mother tested for genetic defects. Says her vet has given the ok, which obviously isnt the same thing as a test. Do we walk on getting him?

I won't soapbox beyond saying that I'd strongly recommend you consider adopting instead of patronizing a breeder. There are many systemic benefits that I can expand on if you're interested in hearing about it. On a personal level, I can say that mutts have always made great pets.

 

[Lion84]

Will it surrender when in the presence of a German Shepard?

 

[liquid0623]

I recommend going with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I have 3. Great breed! My oldest even drives a Mercedes.

 

[IANit]

My wife and I are getting a puppy, have decided on a French Bulldog. We found one we like (these things are freaking hard to find unless you're ponying up 5-6 grand) but the breeder hasn't had the mother tested for genetic defects. Says her vet has given the ok, which obviously isnt the same thing as a test. Do we walk on getting him?

Is it a pet or a show dog?

 

[Cold Smoke]

My wife and I are getting a puppy, have decided on a French Bulldog. We found one we like (these things are freaking hard to find unless you're ponying up 5-6 grand) but the breeder hasn't had the mother tested for genetic defects. Says her vet has given the ok, which obviously isnt the same thing as a test. Do we walk on getting him?

I would walk. Straight to the local animal shelter and rescue a puppy.

 

[Still in State College]

I won't go down the shelter vs breeder road because I have done both and will likely continue that way. If you want testing and everything associated with that type of treatment you are going to the $3-$5k for a purebred dog. Breeders that really promote the breed by showing and hopefully continuing to improve the breed through their program are just going to cost more.

I can run down to Lancaster and get an Amish pure bred for half the price but they are bred as livestock and without the same level of care.

 

[fastlax16]

I won't go down the shelter vs breeder road because I have done both and will likely continue that way. If you want testing and everything associated with that type of treatment you are going to the $3-$5k for a purebred dog. Breeders that really promote the breed by showing and hopefully continuing to improve the breed through their program are just going to cost more.

I can run down to Lancaster and get an Amish pure bred for half the price but they are bred as livestock and without the same level of care.

This is a $3500 dollar dog. We haven't spoken with any breeders, at least in the midwest that we could drive to, who had both parents tested that sell their dogs for under 5-6k. This one the stud has been.

I agree on adopting in theory but we arent this round for reasons I won't get into here, beyond availability of what we want and having several friends whose kids have been bitten by rescues including one who had to go to the ER last month after their neighbors new pit mix grabbed him while he was in his front yard and about 20 feet from where I was standing.

 

[Still in State College]

This is a $3500 dollar dog. We haven't spoken with any breeders, at least in the midwest that we could drive to, who had both parents tested that sell their dogs for under 5-6k. This one the stud has been.

I agree on adopting in theory but we arent this round for reasons I won't get into here, beyond availability of what we want and having several friends whose kids have been bitten by rescues including one who had to go to the ER last month after their neighbors new pit mix grabbed him while he was in his front yard and about 20 feet from where I was standing.

If you do get a Frenchie and you have a pool make sure you keep them away. They are notoriously bad swimmers. I have an acquaintance that breeds Frenchies and she lost a very good dog to drowning

 

[fastlax16]

If you do get a Frenchie and you have a pool make sure you keep them away. They are notoriously bad swimmers. I have an acquaintance that breeds Frenchies and she lost a very good dog to drowning

they are pretty dense so that doesn’t surprise me. No pool and none in our future.

 

[IANit]

they are pretty dense so that doesn’t surprise me. No pool and none in our future.

Get a Boston Terrier instead. Smarter and probably cheaper.

 

[Redmar]

I recommend going with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I have 3. Great breed! My oldest even drives a Mercedes.

Don't they shed like crazy?

 

[PSUSignore]

I won't soapbox beyond saying that I'd strongly recommend you consider adopting instead of patronizing a breeder. There are many systemic benefits that I can expand on if you're interested in hearing about it. On a personal level, I can say that mutts have always made great pets.

There are also tons of breed specific rescues where sometimes a purebred or nearly purebred can be adopted. I'm firmly in the camp that spending thousands on a pet is crazy when there are tons of them out there waiting for families for a nominal price.

 

[PSUSignore]

I agree on adopting in theory but we arent this round for reasons I won't get into here, beyond availability of what we want and having several friends whose kids have been bitten by rescues including one who had to go to the ER last month after their neighbors new pit mix grabbed him while he was in his front yard and about 20 feet from where I was standing.

One major advantage to adopting from a rescue group is they usually come from foster homes instead of a shelter. Dogs behave differently in a stressful shelter environment and shelter employees have so many animals to care for they can't possibly get a great sense of each individual dog's behavior. A foster provides a much better sense of how the dog behaves in a home environment and if the foster has kids and other pets you'll get a much better sense of how well the dog is socialized vs. the limited information provided from a shelter. My dog (RIP) was only 6 months old when adopted and was already housebroken, crate trained and had some basic obedience training thanks to a great foster. I'm not opposed to adopting from a shelter in the right situations, but I highly prefer doing so from a foster and I think you get a more predictable end result. Of course nothing is failsafe but it increases the odds that you'll find a better match vs. a shelter dog IMO.

 

[Cold Smoke]

There are also tons of breed specific rescues where sometimes a purebred or nearly purebred can be adopted. I'm firmly in the camp that spending thousands on a pet is crazy when there are tons of them out there waiting for families for a nominal price.

Right you are Signore. My wife has helped with a breed specific rescue/foster home deal for Scottish Terriers in our region for years. An internet search will find these outfits by breed/region.

 

[liquid0623]

Don't they shed like crazy?

They shed some, but they are great dogs

 

[Nitwit]

My daughter recently adopted a beagle lab mix from a foster home rescue at 15 weeks.. She’s undergoing obedience training now and is crate trained and housebroken. She’s a wonderful companion - about 6 months old now and 40 pounds. She looks to be all lab but some of her siblings rescued from the same litter had some beagle markings. Since Covid my daughter has been self quarantining but will finally be visiting in a few days and I’m looking forward to meeting the puppy.

 

[Locolion]

I won't soapbox beyond saying that I'd strongly recommend you consider adopting instead of patronizing a breeder. There are many systemic benefits that I can expand on if you're interested in hearing about it. On a personal level, I can say that mutts have always made great pets.

I was just going to say the same thing. I have had 2 rescues, both lab mixes, latest is lab-pit. The dog is an absolute treat, so easy, so sweet, loves attention, very happily social, just wants to be a good girl.

 

[katchthis]

Best of Luck. Be half the companion your dog is to you, and it will be a great relationship.

 

[bvillebaron]

I won't soapbox beyond saying that I'd strongly recommend you consider adopting instead of patronizing a breeder. There are many systemic benefits that I can expand on if you're interested in hearing about it. On a personal level, I can say that mutts have always made great pets.

Yeah they do. My dad kept telling me if you want a good dog get a mutt. After several purebreds all of which had issues, I finally adopted a Jack Russell Terrier at a human league. Easily the best dog I ever owned. I also have a friend who just got a French Bulldog and it already has health issues FWIW.

 

[bvillebaron]

Yeah they do. My dad kept telling me if you want a good dog get a mutt. After several purebreds all of which had issues, I finally adopted a Jack Russell Terrier at a human league. Easily the best dog I ever owned. I also have a friend who just got a French Bulldog and it already has health issues FWIW.

Yeah they do. My dad kept telling me if you want a good dog get a mutt. After several purebreds all of which had issues, I finally adopted a Jack Russell Terrier at a human league. Easily the best dog I ever owned. I also have a friend who just got a French Bulldog and it already has health issues FWIW.

I meant Jack Russell Terrier mix. Sorry.

 

[cment]

You gamble each time for any breed that has known geneticall health issues. I would run from the breeder. You need to go meet the breeder. How many litters have come out of the breeder? How many litters has the bitch had previously ? Did you get 4-5 references? Is the breeder registered with the breed club? Is the site or bitch actually registered? There has to be a French Bulldog forum that you could post the same question and questions about the actual breeder. It’s one of those breeds that you want to do your homework. Take you time and find the right dog.

 

[bdgan]

I won't soapbox beyond saying that I'd strongly recommend you consider adopting instead of patronizing a breeder. There are many systemic benefits that I can expand on if you're interested in hearing about it. On a personal level, I can say that mutts have always made great pets.

I'd like to rescue a dog but they're typically several years old. I want a dog with a full 13 year lifespan. I can't take the heartbreak every 6 or 7 years.

 

[bvillebaron]

I'd like to rescue a dog but they're typically several years old. I want a dog with a full 13 year lifespan. I can't take the heartbreak every 6 or 7 years.

Well we adopted ours when he was about 1 1/2 years old.

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

I will tell you this is the worst dog (it’s a shelter dog) I’ve ever owned

These were by far the best ($4500 pure)

coincidence I’m not sure

 

[PSUSignore]

I'd like to rescue a dog but they're typically several years old. I want a dog with a full 13 year lifespan. I can't take the heartbreak every 6 or 7 years.

Rescues get young dogs as well. Mine was about 6-7 months old when I got her via a rescue.

 

[phillybillyreprise]

Our Frenchie, Gigi, died March, 2018. She was 15. She was European bred. We had no medical problems with her. She did have one hot spot.

Our replacement Frenchie, Gabby, is now 16 months’ old.

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

Pics!

 

[bdgan]

Rescues get young dogs as well. Mine was about 6-7 months old when I got her via a rescue.

I almost never see them in the shelter. Maybe we should leave our name at the desk so they could call us when one arrives.

 

[Agoodnap]

Here is an adult French/English Bull Dog mix available at a shelter near Carlisle.

Here her is Patsy.
https://www.speranzarescue.org/patsy

 

[Elwood Blues]

I was just going to say the same thing. I have had 2 rescues, both lab mixes, latest is lab-pit. The dog is an absolute treat, so easy, so sweet, loves attention, very happily social, just wants to be a good girl.

Labs are great, sweet, trustworthy dogs. Pits are always a risk to attack - particularly children (and everyone single person whose pit mauls a child says "but he was the sweetest dog, he never did anything like this before"). I hope the dog's psyche is 100% lab.

 

[PSUSignore]

I almost never see them in the shelter. Maybe we should leave our name at the desk so they could call us when one arrives.

Definitely do that with a rescue group for the breed you are looking for. If you can build a relationship with some of the volunteers and fosters that should help you. Many rescue orgs vet adoptions via interviews and home visits too just to make sure the dog is going to a relatively good home. It's a simple process designed to weed out the really bad situations only, most people wouldn't have an issue. I'd suggest speaking with the leaders of a local rescue that interests you, make your dog preferences known and do all of the prescreening ahead of time. Then you'll be near the front of the line when that young dog you've been waiting for becomes available. There can be lots of competition for the young dogs in popular breed rescues so anything you can do to get ahead of other potential adopters is a good thing. If you really want to schmooze it up do some volunteer work with the rescue too, that will almost certainly put you at the front of the line.

 

[fastlax16]

Here is an adult French/English Bull Dog mix available at a shelter near Carlisle.

Here her is Patsy.
https://www.speranzarescue.org/patsy

Too far from us (10 hours each way) and a dog that's described as a dog that isn't for everyone probably isn't for us since we are trying to start a family in the next year or so.

Honestly, we've looked into ones at shelters and any dogs we were interested in were at shelters that weren't interested in us. We are either out of their geographic zone because they only do local adoptions for home inspections and/or repeat wellness checks (which I find intrusive, I think one mandated quarterly visits for the life of the dog and they reserved the right to take the dog back solely on their discretion...), or they will only adopt to homes that have had the breed before or homes that don't/won't have young kids. If we wanted a pitbull, chihuahua, large dog or a senior dog going to a shelter would be easy. Getting something young with a small but not tiny adult size (15-25 pounds) isn't.

We have nothing against shelters and donate to a few local ones, but in this case its not to be.

Moving on, the puppy coincidentally was about 3 miles from my in laws so we had my wife's mother visit them yesterday. Super sweet house raised puppy, met the mother who was great along with one adult sister they kept from a litter two years ago. Father is a stud from a well regarded breeder and has been genetically tested and comes up clear on everything and we got glowing referrals/reviews from 3 previous clients. None of the other breeders we spoke with had either parents tested outside of one that just did it to see if they were carriers for rare colors (which we thought was a red flag). We put the deposit down last night and will get him later this month pending a checkup from my in-laws local vet.

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

Enjoy your new pooch!

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Too far from us (10 hours each way) and a dog that's described as a dog that isn't for everyone probably isn't for us since we are trying to start a family in the next year or so.

Honestly, we've looked into ones at shelters and any dogs we were interested in were at shelters that weren't interested in us. We are either out of their geographic zone because they only do local adoptions for home inspections and/or repeat wellness checks (which I find intrusive, I think one mandated quarterly visits for the life of the dog and they reserved the right to take the dog back solely on their discretion...), or they will only adopt to homes that have had the breed before or homes that don't/won't have young kids. If we wanted a pitbull, chihuahua, large dog or a senior dog going to a shelter would be easy. Getting something young with a small but not tiny adult size (15-25 pounds) isn't.

We have nothing against shelters and donate to a few local ones, but in this case its not to be.

Moving on, the puppy coincidentally was about 3 miles from my in laws so we had my wife's mother visit them yesterday. Super sweet house raised puppy, met the mother who was great along with one adult sister they kept from a litter two years ago. Father is a stud from a well regarded breeder and has been genetically tested and comes up clear on everything and we got glowing referrals/reviews from 3 previous clients. None of the other breeders we spoke with had either parents tested outside of one that just did it to see if they were carriers for rare colors (which we thought was a red flag). We put the deposit down last night and will get him later this month pending a checkup from my in-laws local vet.

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