A REPUTABLE BREEDER…
Does not breed for pure profit, but for the betterment of the breed.
Does not breed multiple breeds. They breed to improve it by breeding healthy puppies.
Will give the prospective puppy buyers a full review of the breed, good and bad, including potential health problems and exercise requirements. Responsible breeders do this so the new owner understands breed specific behavior and the puppy does not end up in a shelter because the buyer got the puppy because it was "cute" not knowing breed characteristics.
Will have the litter and the mother, if not both parents, on site to meet and will allow new puppy owners to visit their home.
Does not ship Brachycephalic (flat faced) puppies under 12 weeks old during hot months of the year.
Never breeds puppies to sell to a pet store.
Does not advertise puppies on a mass market websites (puppyfind.com, puppy4you).
Breeds for sound temperament, health and does health testing on parents and puppies. French Bulldogs should have a patella exam, palate exam, heart exam and nares. A "Health Certificate" from a veterinarian is NOT Health testing. A health certificate is a signed piece of paper from a Vet stating that the puppy does not have a temperature and it appears to be free of disease at the time of examination. Air lines require health certificates for pets to fly.
Screens potential homes and puts the puppy's well being first. A good breeder will try to match you with a puppy that fits your lifestyle. Will have written health guarantee of at least one year and a sales contract. The contract will outline what is expected of the buyer and seller of the dog.
Will always be available to answer questions. They will usually expect updates on the puppies they have sold.
Will have a general knowledge of most medical problems of the breed and health issues.
Will have AKC litter registered pups and not FCI, APRI or CKC that can be converted to AKC. Papers come with the puppy.
BACKYARD BREEDERS
Breed multiple breeds, but not on a commercial scale. Breeding stock generally receives better treatment than a puppy mill operation, but the quality of the dogs is low. Usually no health testing is done and profit is the motive for breeding. These breeders primarily advertise on the Internet (puppyfind.com, puppy4you.com, puppydogweb.com) that mass market dogs for sale.
PUPPY BROKERS
Be careful of anyone selling puppies that are not AKC registered. These dogs were imported to the US usually from out of the country puppy mills. These IMPORT dogs are registered on some obscure canine registry that is not AKC, but the sellers claim they can be converted to AKC. These imports are larger than American lines (30-45 lbs grown) and do not look like our domestic French Bulldogs.
PUPPY MILLS
Commercial operations that mass produced French Bulldogs (USA and Europe) are not bred to breed standards and many have diseases. A deal on a Frenchie can cost the buyer lots of money in vet bills down the road. Pet shops, Flea Markets, newspapers, Internet that mass market all breeds of dogs are from puppy mills. PUPPY MILLS are in business because they are the only source large enough to supply large quantities of pups for the uneducated public who want a deal, buy on impulse or don’t want to wait and get one from a reputable breeder. One mill will have hundreds of breeding dogs in HORRIFIC conditions breeding for profit only. They owner/operators breed these dogs to live off the income from selling the puppies. The dogs and pups in puppy mills live in inhumane conditions and NEVER receive medical attention.
