adopting

[Lisa Marie Mayer]

If I am posting to the wrong area give me a nudge in the proper direction please. My home currently has a 2 year old english bulldog and a 3 year old boston terrier, both males/neutered. Igor, my bully, purchased from a breeder as a pup. Bonsey we adopted from a family member because of odd issues. We have been discussing adding a third. A local breeder has a 5 year old female who was involved in show and breeding that they have up for adoption. I am wondering if you fine folks could let me know what issues I should watch for health and temperament wise. I realize each dog has its own history so I will need to gauge for myself. I want to make sure Im seeing the full picture.

Please and thank you
Lisas

 

[Texas Carol]

Cami is my 5 y/o retired breeder, here with me almost 5 months, she's fabulous!

She came from a loving home so was a tad reserved (still sweet & loving tho) and
got a little depressed from leaving a bully brother and a young boy behind. She
initially ate well but about a month later stopped eating and would crate herself
for long periods of time. Took her to the vet and had blood work done, etc but all
was good so I just gave her lots of love and patience and let her come to me on her
terms. I have a older cat that she loved on right away even tho her former home had
no cats. Cami is completely home here and loves us as we love her...totally!

My 1st bully was Brutus, 4 y/o and had just been passed on & on even tho he was a great
bully. Just people who had no time for him so he lived in his crate for looooong hours all his
life. I got him from a nurse (yep...no time for him) who'd got him off CraigsList. Brutus had
great manners but didn't know how to play...with toys or people and had potty issues. In
the 7 short months I had him, he learned and loved, to play and to go on rides, to be a bully!
We fell deeply in love with each other and from the moment we left that dumb nurse we felt
like we'd always been together. I lost him during dental surgery to heart arrythmia, he is
buried under my window under a big tree in his furever home I promised him.

I say...GO FOR IT! GOD bless!!

 

[2BullyMama]

I tagged a few members that have adopted older females or retired brreeder.... they can give some insight on the different personalities or expectations to add to what carol has provided.

best of luck and if you decide yes, be sure to introduce all the pups on netrual grounds and take them for a walk... each pup being leashed/walked by another human,

 

[LariP]

We got HRH as a 3 1/2 year old retired breeder. We don't know her whole story. We were told she was kept indoors in a separate room in the house that was "her room". She is very timid and has MAJOR fear issues to sudden noises, storms, wind etc. She hates going outside to potty, but knows if she resists going out we will just carry her anyway, so she'll go twice a day Morning and late afternoon.

She prefers being in "her throne room" here at our house. It took us a year to get her to venture into the kitchen apart from when she was forced to go through to go to the dreaded outside. We feed her out in the kitchen now, but that took a while too, and she still prefers it if I sit with her until she's finished.

She loves us both, but does tend to want to stay with me a bit more than Bruce. We do a lot of activities in a routine and she loves that routine and doesn't like to switch it up much. She does get excited when I come home from work at night and will even run outside to greet me. Bruce says she starts watching for me about the time I'm due home.

She has always stoically tolerated other dogs when we take her to bully meet ups and other doggy activities. She occasionally checks another dog out, and does seem happier in the company of other bully's compared to other types of dogs. Mostly though she just sticks with mom and dad.

She loves to go "bye bye" but really doesn't like it when we actually get anywhere. She just wants to go home. So basically she loves car rides..It's all about the journey not the destination.

She did not appreciate getting a little sister when Amelia popped into our lives 3 months ago. But she has learned to tolerate her, and even seems to enjoy playing with her and "fighting" over the same toy. She knows she's queen princess and makes sure Amy knows it too.

She's mostly just awesome all around though.

 

[ChrisRN]

Without knowing more about the breeder it is hard to say. I adopted Mabel from a rescue after a disreputable breeder was finished with her and left her outside. She had a lot of health issues and never should have been bred--skin and respiratory issues. If this is a reputable breeder who breeds healthy dogs for show, they may just be trying to make room for another show puppy. This dog may have no major health problems. There are also "bad" breeders who breed to show. There are some questions you can ask with answers that may raise a red flag for you. (1) Where was this dog kept? Was it she kept in a kennel or crate most of the time, or was she one of the breeder's house dogs? (2) What health problems has this breeder noticed in her line? Are you willing to assume the responsibility of tackling those health issues? (3) How does she get along with other dogs? Although most show dogs are well socialized, there is an occasional diva who wants to be large and in charge--and you have other dogs to think about.

For me, the answers to these questions were all wrong. However, I wouldn't trade our little Mabel for anything in the world. That said, we can never get another bulldog (she IS that diva) and have spent countless hours worrying about this little dog, who has given us so much in return. When I contacted the rescue about her health problems, I think they were worried I was going to return her. If you are like me, that is NOT an option. So make sure you make this decision with the blinders off--know what you are getting yourself into.

 

[marianne]

I also adopted a adult bulldog Jenna was 3 when I adopted her. She was a breeder in a puppy mill. She's owned us about a 1 1/2 years now...she good with the grandkids...great with the cat and other dogs she comes in contact with. Took a little time to housebreak her, still to this day she's a little head shy and certain noises make her nervous. But she a great dog...loves my partner but is my shadow she makes us laugh everyday. She seems healthy now seem to have food allergies under control but i think she has a few environmental allergies but nothing to bad. She still loves to chew on things she shouldn't even though her bottom teeth are down to the gums from chewing on the cage she was kept in....but we're all coming along...I think she'll keep us.

 

[mcraven2]

Both of my females we adopted also happen to be retired breeders. My english was 9 when we adopted her (Jan 2013), she was in a foster home for 3 years so we didn't adopt her from the people who used her for breeding. Her foster mother was very helpful answering questions and telling us everything we needed to know before adopting her. Her health is pretty good except for her having heartworm, but we were not aware at the time of adoption that she had it. Her temperament is amazing, sweet but VERY sassy lol! Since she's older she doesn't really care too much to play with my other 2, she just cares about when her next meal or snack is! Now my other adopted female, my Frenchie, is another story! We got her when she was 4 (Feb 2012) and when we got her she was very underweight and all of her teeth were shaved down from living in a cage. She was not socialized at all so she is still a work in progress. She got attached to us immediately but she does not like strangers. She is so attached to us that when people come over she feels the need to go into protection mode, we actually had an incident this week with her biting my neighbor (I wrote a thread about this on EBN's sister forum FrenchBulldogNews, I'll attach that at the bottom). She will once in awhile attack my senior female but again this is something we are working on. Her and my male are attached at the hip, she loves him and treats him as if he is one of her puppies. I think you bringing in a female when you already have two males who get along will be easier than if you already had a female, but all dogs are different. I would definitely ask the breeder any questions you have, especially questions regarding how she gets along with other dogs and people. 3 dogs is definitely different from 2 but I wouldn't have it any other way, I love the interactions they all have with each other; the little fights that the two females have once in awhile are just small bumps in the road. Keep us posted with everything, and of course we need pics!!

http://frenchbulldognews.com/showthread.php/423-Diva-bit-my-neighbor-today!

 

[brutus77]

Cami is my 5 y/o retired breeder, here with me almost 5 months, she's fabulous!

She came from a loving home so was a tad reserved (still sweet & loving tho) and
got a little depressed from leaving a bully brother and a young boy behind. She
initially ate well but about a month later stopped eating and would crate herself
for long periods of time. Took her to the vet and had blood work done, etc but all
was good so I just gave her lots of love and patience and let her come to me on her
terms. I have a older cat that she loved on right away even tho her former home had
no cats. Cami is completely home here and loves us as we love her...totally!

My 1st bully was Brutus, 4 y/o and had just been passed on & on even tho he was a great
bully. Just people who had no time for him so he lived in his crate for looooong hours all his
life. I got him from a nurse (yep...no time for him) who'd got him off CraigsList. Brutus had
great manners but didn't know how to play...with toys or people and had potty issues. In
the 7 short months I had him, he learned and loved, to play and to go on rides, to be a bully!
We fell deeply in love with each other and from the moment we left that dumb nurse we felt
like we'd always been together. I lost him during dental surgery to heart arrythmia, he is
buried under my window under a big tree in his furever home I promised him.

I say...GO FOR IT! GOD bless!!

Oh my what a story. poor Brutus. At least he lived the last part of his life knowing what it meant to be loved. God bless you for showing him that. I am sitting crying at my work computer. Not good.

 

[JeannieCO]

Hi there. That was like you have a wonderful crew already. How great to possibly adopt an older girl. I'm a little short on time right now but I just wanted to stop and rub quick. I'll be back to fill you in on Sally. She's just wonderful.

 

[Lisa Marie Mayer]

thanks everyone for the insight. this pretty much covers what i was looking for. health issues or not if shes a good fit for us shes coming home. i just wanted to be armed with what to look for. when we got igor we researched breeders but i wasnt sure how much of the same data would apply for an older dog used for those breeding purposes. im waiting for the folks to get back with me so we can confirm out sunday visit. ill make sure to provide an update. lisa

 

[Texas Carol]

Oh my what a story. poor Brutus. At least he lived the last part of his life knowing what it meant to be loved. God bless you for showing him that. I am sitting crying at my work computer. Not good.

Thank you Rosalie Yes, it was just 7 months but the BEST 7 months of our lives.

We packed a whole lot of living in there, Brutus was never crated, was always with me,
slept with me, went with me...I'm disabled so was at home with him always and when
went out...he went too. He knew he was loved & treasured, he blossomed like a gorgeous
flower. The vet said he felt no pain, just went to sleep.

It did break my heart and I will always miss him but I thank GOD I was blessed to give him
so much love and a real home filled with trust, play and fun...all things he so deserved.

May you be blessed of GOD, today & everyday, Rosalie.

 

[Lisa Marie Mayer]

quick update - the breeder hasnt responded to our emails re a meet up. we thought we would be going today but that doesnt seem like it will happen. if things change ill let you know. again thanks for the feedback. happy sunday.