Once you've had a bulldog, your home will not be complete without one. It
should be needless to say that you should resist buying puppies from pet stores that keep their pups in cages and may deal
with less than reputable puppymills. Resist the urge to get a "bargain" on the internet or via newspapers.
When looking for a breeder to purchase your bulldog puppies, please be sure to take the time to ask a zillion questions.
A qualified breeder should be able to answer your questions and an ethical breeder will be willing to answer them.
Pedigree
English Bulldogs have been in the top 40 of all breeds listed by the American Kennel Club every year!
A pedigree is simply the family tree of your potential puppy's parents. It lists their grandparents and their great
grandparents as well. In today's world, it only makes sense that this information should be made available online
for all to download and inspect. Providing documentation of your potential puppy's pedigree via old school paper
by the mail or fax is certainly acceptable.
Before purchasing your bulldog puppy, you should sign a contract with
your chosen breeder that benefits and protects both parties to the agreement. Breeders should provide written and dated
documentation of any and all inoculations and de-worming treatments that have been given to the puppy.
Bulldogs
belong to the non-sporting group and are considered to be the best breed for families, especially families with infants or
small children. Take a look at the following videos and you will immediately understand that you can trust your English
Bulldog to be patient and gentle with children of any age.
AND NOW, A COMPLETELY WILD CONCEPT...
I (Jim) believe
that a new puppy should be allowed to spend AT LEAST the first THREE MONTHS of their life with their mother. An
even longer period of time would be preferable for the health and happiness of the puppy. Obviously, everyone falls
in love with the infant puppies and wants to take them home as young as possible. This deprives the puppy of the proper
nutrition, guidance, training and maturation that more time with their mother (and, ideally, also with their father) provides.
Think about this in simple human time frames. If the proverbial "dog-year" is the equivalent of seven human
years, do you realize that taking a six week old puppy away from their mother is the equivalent of taking a human infant
away from their mother at the age of 42 weeks (10 months)!! Even societies that arrange marriages for their children
only make the arrangements at such a young age; they do NOT take the young infant children away from their parents until at
least their teen years. If human beings were truly concerned for the health and happiness of their pets, they would
purchase their puppies from the breeder of their choice at a young age and breeders would arrange for visitation rights for
the new puppy's owners to spend large amounts of time visiting with their pup, while the puppy was allowed to remain with
its parents and with its playful litter mates.
I know of people who cared for dogs whose parents (the dog's parents) lived nearby.
Just like humans, they were all able to occasionally visit each other. Please don't be selfish. Consider
that such options are beneficial for everyone involved. You cannot begin to comprehend how good you will feel when you
bring your adopted "baby" back to see their natural mom and dad and you watch them interact. It is indescribably
beautiful.
I'm just sayin...
Many breeders are members of the Bulldog Club of America (BCA). While
such membership is not a guarantee that a breeder will be ethical and his puppies healthy, the vast majority of BCA members
strive for beautiful, healthy puppies that they can be proud of.
