Need advice

[Kosmo's Mom]

Last night I found out that my husbands neice & her fiance are comtemplating buying a bulldog puppy from a pet store.
No offense to the young members out there but she is only 18 so I am almost positive that she has no idea about puppy mills and backyard breeders that supply animals to these places.
Don't get me wrong I hope this pet store is different but what are the chances.
The worst part is that this pet store is asking $3,000 for this puppy. Can that be right? I heard the story second hand so I am not sure if that price is accurate.
I have not spoken to her yet but I'm sure she probably has her heart set on this puppy (who can blame her everytime I go by a pet store window I melt). Since joining BW I have found out alot about puppy mills and backyard breeders and I don't want to rain on her parade but I don't know if I can just sit back and not say anything.

What should I do?

 

[boxer]

How about printing out this page http://www.boxerworld.com/rescue/commercial/ to show her, and ask if she's *sure* that her puppy doesn't come from that sort of background.

You could also get her to take a look at this site http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm and check that the puppy's parents had the appropriate health testing to screen for genetically inheritable disorders.

Seeing as it's a pet shop puppy, I doubt that she'll be able to get a positive answer on either question. Might be enough to give her cause for thought though, and you don't have to come across as 'preaching' either.

 

[abradbury.5]

I would emphasize to her all of the potential/probably health problems the puppy would experience. It's going to be easier for her to walk away from the puppy now than it will be to deal with the heartbreak of having to pay for treatment, watch the puppy suffer, and probably watch the pup die early because of health problems. Be graphic.

 

[SoleilBxrs]

you could also let her know that bulldogs, esp. if they are not bred well, come w/ a VAST number of different health problems.. breathing, eyes, skin allergies... i think they are one of the worst breeds out there when it comes to health problems. is she prepared to possibly spend thousands more after she brings home the $3k puppy? and she knows that having a puppy is like having a kid right? which means, no more going out when ever you want, no more leaving for roadtrips at the drop of a dime, no more hanging out til the wee hours.. its a HUGE responsibility. (im 23, i know this..) Unless she's prepared to not have a social life for a while, and have large sums of extra money laying around, i would suggest against it. more research first. and if she is truly committed to the responsibility, take her to a dog show, let her meet breeders there.. the price of the puppy will be about the same, perhaps even a bit less... AND most importantly you have a health tested dog that is a fantastic example of the breed. (also you have a responsible breeder that will help you out w/ the puppy, unlike a petshop where you have a very minimal health guarantee, and you have no clue where the pup came from, nor do you have any breed expert that is willing to help you.) good luck, i hope you can show her the light let us know how it goes.

-Kat

 

[TYS0NSM0MMA]

my sable girl was bought from a pet store (NOT BY ME! I adopted her) and she is fairly healthy although they didnt sell her with papers and the pet store wanted $1500 cdn for her I think he paid less. No offence to her but she looks like she was maybe *whisper* imbread she has a really weird looking face and just doesn't look like a boxer should. I adopted her because I wanted a friend for my Tyson boy. My dad bought a bulldog from a breeder and paid $1700 for her and then bought another one from a guy who got it from a breeder (he adopted it) it had papers as well and he was $1500 cdn (of course). So I think $3000 is quite high... tell her to look into a breeder atleast she can get papers and a health guarentee and probably save $$$

Colly

p.s Im only 22 but I know about puppy mills and byb's I found that some people try to convince themselves that the petstore they favor wouldnt possibly do that... denial is a very powerful thing. Get her to do her research on it first, ultimately it is her decision and you can only do so much, just know you did what you could, and she will have to deal with the consequences of the health issues, etc. And TRUST me I know first hand Bulldogs are very prone to health issues even my dad's purebreads have MAJOR issues the first one he got has developed epilepsy and has seizures so often they cant put her under to spay her, and the other one woke up one morning (at only 8 months old) paralyzed from the waist down. It turns out his spine was all twisted around and it would cost over 15000 to fix it and it was only 50/50 it would work. Do what you can but as I say it is her decision and if she is that determined maybe she should ask the petstore to contact the breeder of her dog she is interested in? she could go and visit where it was bread. just a thought

 

[2BoxersnOhio]

It sounds like a "whim" type of thing. Doesn't sound like she's done much homework. Is she sure this is the right type of dog for her? Is she going to have enough time for it? Etc.. etc.

Also.. if she's dead-set on getting a bulldog, she can save herself about HALF the money if she'd look in the Sunday paper. OR, look up either rescue sites for bulldogs or try to find a local breeder herself. $3,000 is asking about double what I normally see them sell for. $1,000 to $1,500 is a normal asking price around here. They sell for that amount mainly because every bulldog mommy has to have c-section in order to deliver so it's costly for the breeder.

I would definitely explain things to her and try to get her to change her mind. 1 less person to buy from these places the better.

 

[Melissa18]

I think $3k for that bulldog is outrageous!!! Typically bulldogs cost more, but I don't think I've ever heard of one even from petstores and newspapers costing more than $1,500.00. First of all, its coming from a pet store, but that price alone would be enough to make me run away...FAST.