As breeders/ hobbyists/ dog owners and just being dog nuts in general, we get many many questions, assimilate a great deal of information both excellent and trivial, and certainly form our own opinions of various things related to dogs, the industry, and the people surrounding them. We are all human, and in being so we all fall prey to human feelings and shortcomings. Sometimes you have to step back, take a deep breath, and try to sort through it all. Occasionally we (myself more so than Mary) feel a need to write some of these things down in an effort to inform other people. Maybe someone might find some tidbit of useful information in these ramblings that they are in need of and it will have a positive impact. One can always hope anyways………….

Question; What is it with all of these online chat groups? Do they really serve a purpose, or are they a ridiculous waste of time?

Opinion; Oh boy, I get this question every now and again and it can be touchy, but it is my personal opinion and I have a right to state it, so here we go…. (buckle your seatbelts please)

In the beginning I agreed with the idea of these chat groups. At first I thought they were a really good idea. My wife knew better. At first I thought what better way for people searching for answers and information that have no other means of finding it than to get online and ask people in the industry from coast to coast directly! Well, since then I have certainly changed my mind about that. Now I am very suspicious of people that “live” on these groups. I have seen more fights and nastiness, political maneuvering, backstabbing, and lies on these groups than I even care to think about. I think it went from something that could have been used responsibly as a great tool to educate and boost the industry, into a cesspool of jealousy, lies, unending boasts, and ugliness. I personally know of people that post on these groups almost daily that think the other people on these groups are their friends, but so many times they are wrong. Oh so very wrong. It is a sad and miserable thing to watch. There are predators on these groups that just scour the posts for information to use against other people. There are people that set people against other people, either out of spite, as a vendetta, or purely for the entertainment value. Jeez, get a life! There are also a whole lot of more people reading all of the posts than ever post themselves. There are also people that think they are “experts” and just because they posted it that it’s true to fact, but really they are nobodies that know very little, if anything, that desire to feel self-important. There are rules on these groups, and every single time I look to see who is saying what and fighting with whom I see the rules broken over and over. Nobody is supposed to be allowed to personally attack anybody, but they do over and over. Nobody is supposed to sell puppies on the groups, but they do time and time again. I have also seen and been the victim of, and our son Josh has been a victim of, truly disgusting unsportsmanlike behavior from people on these groups. A couple of the people that perpetrated this, in no surprising way, happen to display their unsportsmanlike behavior ringside at shows as well. Believe me, I would love to give each and every one of them a lesson about what I truly think of them, but manners and sportsmanship prohibit me from such lewd behavior. They are often venomous and bitter people. They should be permanently booted from the groups. That is just a couple of things that go on. Honestly I find it distasteful, disgusting, and unethical. My advice; stay off of the online chat groups.

Question; “ I was talking to ______ and (he/she) said that anybody with a kennel license is a puppymill. Is that true?”

Answer; Absolutely not. Being licensed or not, having a kennel or not, has absolutely nothing to do with anything except that those that do have licenses are legal, inspectable, accountable, and more likely to have a better understanding of the industry, breed, and laws than those that do not. Not every place somebody lives requires a license, but these days with more and more BSL legislation, the more places you live demand you get licensed. Do I agree with all BSL legislation? No, but some of it. Besides, being legal and protecting your dogs and yourself is a good thing. Not a bad and distasteful thing. I happen to personally know other dog people that think it is a bad thing and I also know them to be hiding the illegal and unethical things they are doing. Some of them hide dogs with other people or in nooks and crannies of their own homes for example.

Having a kennel in itself could be good or bad. Depends on the actual environment in my opinion, but the word kennel is not a bad word in itself. I do know kennel dogs that are kennel sour and in unfavorable environments. Some of these dogs are so pent up and stir crazy it’s scary and sad at the same time, even if the pen is clean with fresh water and food, with good ventilation and temperature control.. The kennel is their life, and their only life. That is sad and wrong. HOWEVER, just having a kennel facility does not mean the dogs are being treated that way. We ourselves use a kennel set up, so to speak, that gives us the ability to properly maintain each dog’s environment, health, diet, and general well being. Here is the difference though….our dogs are still our pets, and are our pets before anything else. Each one gets personal attention, love, care, and play time. They also do not stay in the kennel 24/7, but come in the house on a regular basis, go on walks, go to town to the park or just for the trip to gas up the car, and go to dog shows. Without our arrangement it would be chaos because of the number of dogs we have, and would be downright unsafe for them. Why would I think it would be better to have all of the dogs running together loose to get into fights, destroy the house and property, eat the furniture or walls, or eat something else that could be unhealthy and even kill them? Guess what, I do not believe it is better. I believe that to be downright stupid and irresponsible. And yes, I know sanctimonious people that do just those things. They seem to be some of the same people that think kennels and licenses are evil and label anybody with a license or kennel facility as puppymills. We believe in proper dog management to keep them healthy, happy, and safe. Now if you just have a couple of dogs as pets it is different, but only if you still crate train your dogs and actually use the crates when you are not there to watch over them, accompanied by managing the amount of time they spend in their crates as well as everything else in their environments.

Actual breeding practices and ethics determine puppymill definitions more than anything else. Just as they also define the definition of backyard breeders. Not surprisingly to me it is usually the backyard breeder that doesn’t know much of anything at all that goes around telling people that having a license or a kennel is a terrible thing. Backyard breeders also LOVE to spew their opinions in chat groups and try to feel important. In my opinion the backyard breeder is just as bad as the puppymill in many more ways than one. There is one big difference between the two groups though. Backyard breeders tend to love to draw attention to themselves, whereas the puppymill breeders tend to hide and keep their lips zipped so as not to draw too much attention to what they are really up to

Question; Why should I be concerned with the breed standard? I’m not going to breed dogs. I’m not going to show dogs. I just want a healthy pet.

Answer; Bingo! The question answers itself. I cover this in our FAQs to a lesser degree in another portion of our site, but I get this question so much it is worth exploring some more. Let’s start with some bad faults that can be seen on poorly bred Bulldogs, and I will discuss some of the health concerns that accompany these faults. Keep in mind there is no one perfect-in-every-way specimen of a dog out there. Every dog has some kind of fault to some lesser or greater degree. The key is staying away from the faults that are accompanied by major health concerns.

• Downfaced…. Imagine if the front portion of a dog’s face were made of wax and it was a fairly warm day. Problems with these dogs tend to be respiratory, eye problems such as haw, and issues with the jaw or bite causing them digestive issues or choking. This is congenital and a dog with this should never be bred although you see them bred all of the time..
• Two-stepped Head…..imagine if you will a heavy ridge of extra thick bone along the brow line, kind of like the image you might carry in your mind of a Neanderthal head. Often a two-step head also is accompanied by being Downfaced at the same time, accompanied by all of those issues. Two-stepped by itself though brings respiratory issues. This is congenital and a dog with this should never be bred, but you see them bred all of the time.
• Wry Jaw….also known as tipped jaw. One side of the lower jaw meets the upper jaw but on the other side they do not. Thus causing problems with digestion and choking. This is congenital and should not be bred. This can also be a product of a dog habitually chewing on a stick or hard dog toy with just one side of his or her mouth and the massive power or torque in a Bulldog jaw causes it to twist.
• Stenotic or Tight Nares…..nostrils. Respiratory problems, and is congenital, but can be selectively bred away from.
• Huge heads, little or slight bodies……almost always accompanied by being Downfaced, two stepped, but usually always both. Congenital.
• Too Short of Back…..lots of problems here. Shorten the body as small as possible on purpose? Uh, why? Causes hunch backs, lameness, squishes the organs into a smaller space including reproductive organs which in turn causes smaller litters and problems for the female to carry them to full term. Lameness issues are because the spine is wrong and unhealthy, puts the shoulder blades (scapula) at the wrong angle affecting the entire front leg, and takes the angulation that you want out of the rear legs. Even is a huge part of the problems with inverted tails and in many cases a dog with an inverted tail will end up being paralyzed. Congenital. Can be selectively bred away from, eventually, if the breeder is skilled and lucky as well in breeding selections.
• Stretched or Elongated Palate….the elongation of the soft tissue where the mouth and throat meet causing major respiratory problems. Congenital or product of environment. A dog can stretch an otherwise healthy palate by running too much and overheating, causing the dog to gasp for air which in turn pulls the palate tissue farther down the throat, blocking the passage of air and even causing choking. Can be fixed by an experienced and skilled surgeon by scalpel and sutures or laser. Hard to breed away from but can be done if lucky and skilled.
• Cherry Eye….when the tear duct gland pops out of the corner of the eye. Ugly to look at, but not as serious at first as it looks. Congenital, usually in dogs that are Downfaced and have large haws under the eyes. Also can be a product of environment and accidental injury. Rough playing puppies will bite and yank hard at the skin under the eye of another pup and can cause the gland to pop out. Also a pup sometimes will run into something hard edged like the corner of a coffee table and the impact will pop the gland out. Easily fixable by a good vet by suturing or laser surgery. Some vets like to cut the gland out, but then the dog will have a dry eye for the rest of it’s life and you will be constantly and continuously be administering eye drops.
• Dishfaced….turn your hand over and cup it. Imagine the heel is the top of the head and the tips of your fingers are the tip of the jaw. Now imagine you are placing the nose at the bottom of the dish where your fingers meet your palm. This is dishfaced. This is congenital. This should not be bred. This is accompanied by eye, jaw, and respiratory problems. Now un-cup your hand but imagine the top of head, jaw, and nose are in the same locations. Now your hand/bullie head is more like what it should be.
• Huge Overdone Dogs….big dogs. Way bigger than they should be by the standard. Generally all over unhealthy. So many times is accompanied by two-step head, downfaced, haw, wry jaw, entropian, ectropian. Just big and sloppy looking animals in general. A six month old puppy often will look like it is three or four years old. By the time it is a year old it looks the best it ever will. It has reached its peak and is in the best health of its life. Did you get that? At that age it is as healthy as it is likely to ever be. Two years old and the dog is falling apart. Now the dog is three years old, and it is at the vet every week with one major health problem or another. Big surprise, besides breathing issues, there are often heart conditions, tumors, and even cancer. Big dogs dieing at a way too young age in this bread, very common. Breeding bigger and bigger with complete disregard for the Breed Standard, not such a good idea after all. I know breeders personally that breed big overdone dogs on purpose, and brag about it. Personally I think they should get out of Bulldogs and go into Mastiffs if they want big. Of course Mastiff people probably wouldn’t be happy about that. They have enough problems of their own with irresponsible breeders.

There are other faults and ailments, but these currently are the most prolific ones that the average buyer will run across.

Now that you have a little more explanation of the faults, look at the breed standard and study it. You want the closest dog to that standard you can find if you want a healthy dog. That means you have to actually find good breeders with good dogs. It is hard for most people to evaluate a puppy to tell if it is of quality, especially for people that are just looking to buy a pet. So study the parents of the pup as well. The breeder should have good quality dogs being bred to other good quality dogs. That means you will have to pay the price of a well bred dog up front, period. Well bred dogs from responsible breeders almost always cost more than dogs from backyard breeders and puppymills. Why? Because responsible and good breeders invest more money, time, research, blood, sweat, and tears into breeding good dogs. There is no such thing as a discount Bulldog from one of these breeders. They do not play the price cut game just to compete in puppy sales. If you ask them to they will get very irritated with you, and maybe even laugh at the ridiculous thought. Good breeders of good dogs know what their dogs are really worth and do charge fair prices for that quality, based on the time and money they have spent to produce quality pups for you to buy, take home, and love as a cherished companion..

If you can not afford to pay the price for a well bred dog I very strongly suggest you wait and save your money for when you can afford it. Just because you want the dog does not mean you deserve to have the dog and it is extremely unreasonable to expect the breeder to cut the price so you can have it. Yes, you can then go buy a different dog that is cheaper from a backyard breeder or puppymill, and you’ll probably feel pretty smart and smug about it. Just wait. That feeling will disappear faster than a pizza at a Weight Watchers meeting. As the saying goes, you can pay up front, or you can pay dearly for a long time after. There is a reason for that saying, and it is true. Buy a cheap dog and you will put your veterinarian’s kids through college, pay off his house for him, send him off on Caribbean vacations, and realize his dream of that seventy two foot motor yatch. If you are lucky he will send you postcards of white sandy beaches and umbrella drinks as repayment of your huge cash donations into his opulent lifestyle. You will be left taking out your third mortgage and working two jobs. Veterinarians love poorly bred dogs. They see dollar signs when they look at them.

More on canine ailments and conditions……
• Allergies….reactions to pollen, dust, mold, flea bites, flea collars, food, certain shampoos, spider bites, and bee stings.
• Hypothyroidism….dogs usually gain weight, act sluggish, chill easily, hair loss on flanks and back.
• Jaundice….yellowing skin, eyes, gums, and ears.
• Pemphigus Vulgarus….an autoimmune disease when cells destroy body tissue such as tongue, gums, lips, eyelids, vulva, nail beds, and nose.
• Ringworm…..fungal infection with circular hair loss and scaly lesions.
• Bronchitis…..persistent dry, rough cough. Also retching and foamy saliva.
• Kennel Cough….caused by several viruses and bacterium. Dry hacking cough, nasal discharge.
• Pneumonia….rapid breathing, coughing, high fever, quick pulse.
• Rhinitis…..nasal infection producing thick green and rank smelling discharge.
• Cardiomyopathy….weakened and degenerated heart muscle, sluggish blood flow, enlarged heart, heart failure. Usually appears as fatigue, coughing, distended abdomen, weight loss, swollen limbs and collapse between ages of one to six years of age.
• Congestive Heart failure….when the heart can not produce enough oxygenated blood to the body. Fluid accumulates in the lungs causing cough and shortness of breath. Tire easily, distended abdomen, swollen limbs, fluid noises in lungs.
• Heartworm….microscopic worms in a dog’s bloodstream from mosquitoes and enter dog’s tissues, then into the arteries of the lungs. Dogs tire easily, cough, lose weight.
• Bloat….acute gastric dilation or torsion which can rapidly kill an otherwise healthy dog. When it occurs it must be treated by a veterinarian immediately.
• Giardiasis…..caused by microscopic intestinal parasites living in contaminated and stagnant water such as mud puddles, ponds, low spots in lawns. Usually dogs get severe diarrhea, containing bloody mucus. Must be treated by a veterinarian.
• Cataracts…..usually in older dogs, but may be inherited and appear in younger dogs. Often is a side effect of diabetes.
• Conjunctivitis……inflammation of the pink tissue around the eye. Swelling and discharge. Clear discharge usually indicates an allergy or irritant such as a foreign body. Puslike discharge indicates a bacterial infection. Treated by eliminating the cause and administering ophthalmic antibiotic.
• Ectropian….eyelid rolls away from eyelid.
• Entropian….eyelid rolls in toward the eyeball.
• Glaucoma…..increased pressure within the eye destroying the ocular tissue, retina and optic nerve.

These are just some of the ailments, disorders, or diseases that can occur in canines.

Question; When you evaluate a dog for breeding, what do you look for?

Answer; We get this all of the time too. Is every dog worthy of being bred and/ or showing in the breed ring? Absolutely not. We look at the overall health of the animal, which means looking at the health of the animal’s lineage as well. We compare that dog to the breed standard, looking for all of its positive traits, and also faults. This includes studying temperament. Some “breeders” will argue that it is not important because temperament is a product of environment. Uh, wrong. Is temperament a product of environment? Yes. However, it is also hereditary, and that is a fact. Many breeders only look at pictures of stud dogs when choosing them. Well, you can not see the entire dog, and you certainly can not see the dog’s temperament that way. In choosing a stud dog we most definitely want to see the dog itself, and the dog’s offspring. We want to see as much of the lineage as possible before making a decision. Some dogs make our “short list” of prospects, and most do not. A stud dog having a big win record also does not mean we believe it to be a good breeding prospect. We still want to evaluate the dog. A dog that is the “popular choice” or “flavor of the month” with other breeders does not mean we believe it to be a good choice. Fortunately, we also do know other breeders and breeder/ judges that have been at this a long time, and whose opinions we value and trust. When we get the chance we do use them as sounding boards and ask for advice and information as well. Sometimes they know something about a particular bloodline that we do not. Smart breeders will at least listen to what other breeders have to say. We do know many “breeders”, especially of the backyard variety, that think they know it all and refuse to listen to anybody. Then they put horrible specimens on the ground and brag about it or blame the poor breeding on something else that is totally irrelevant. We want to see animals for breeding that are true to type, size, health, quality, and temperament in accordance with the breed standard. Any dog with known congenital defects should not be bred.

Question; Why do you sell puppies as pets under a spay/ neuter contract and limited registration when there appears to be nothing wrong with them congenitally? If it’s a healthy dog shouldn’t the buyer always be allowed to breed it if he/ she wants to?

Answer; No, just because you buy a dog as a pet it does not mean you have the right to breed it if you want to. We are not in this to provide dogs to irresponsible backyard breeders, and we definitely do not want any of our dogs going into puppymills. Many of those types of people have tried to get dogs from us, and we told them to take a hike. Breeding dogs is not for everybody and everybody should not be breeding dogs. Look at the animal shelters and rescues filled with unloved and unhealthy dogs. Then ask them how many more dogs they have to destroy each and every week. Where do you think those poor creatures come from? They do not come from responsible breeders. They come from backyard breeders and puppymills.

If somebody wants a dog from us for breeding, then they have to play by our rules. That means buying a show prospect under the show/ breeding contract. That means showing the dog in the breed ring. That means us doing our level best to train the buyer in responsible breeding practices and ethics, the same we were taught and continue to learn.

However, sometimes we have buyers come along that want to enjoy the sport of dog showing, but do not wish to breed dogs. When they come to us they come to the right place. We do not force anybody to breed dogs. We know so many breeders that require you breed that it is not funny, whether you buy a show dog from them or a pet. We find this to be distasteful, irresponsible, and unethical. That is greed rearing its ugly head. Nothing more.

Question; You seem to know a lot about dogs and what you are doing. Do you know all there is to know?

Answer; Absolutely not!! Anybody that thinks they do is an absolute fool! I will never forget the man that taught me that nobody ever knows everything about anything. I grew up in the horse industry, and when I was seven years old I was at a function with my parents. The guest speaker that night was the oldest man I had ever met in my young life at the age of one hundred and three. He was introduced as the ultimate equine authority. After his presentation, he spent time with all of us kids to “impart his wisdom” to the up and coming horseman and women of the new world. Each one of us was only allowed one question to ask him. I scurried up to him and asked him if he really did know everything. You see, I was even a bit cynical at that young age too. He smiled, tipped his battered old straw cowboy hat, looked at me, put both hands on my shoulders, and this is what he said; “Young man, I am old. Really old. In my whole life I have only learned one thing (as he held up one finger in front of my eyes), and that is that every day I learn that I do not know anything.” Then he broke into a big toothless grin, ruffled my hair, and told me to never forget that one thing. Sometimes I misplace that memory a bit as I am human and thus subject to human failings and feelings, like misplacing my car keys or the remote, but I have never forgotten.

Bottom line…..we tell all of our puppy buyers that if they run across anything or have any question that we can’t handle, we ourselves will look for the answers from other people that do know, and we will learn together.