Should breeders be held accountable for the bullies they raise even after selling?

[Bulldogg]

I believe so. If you want to breed bulldogs, you should keep in contact with your buyers, see how things are going. Make it clear and part of the contract that if for any reason they need to give up the dog, they will not sell it --and bring it back to you! I could not imagine selling any puppies and not keeping contact with the owners.

Also, breeders should get all of their puppies microchipped, and put their names on the registry as the backup contact person. This way, if the dog ever ends up in rescue, the rescue can contact you.

I wonder how other breeders feel about this? I am curious because this became quite a topic on Facebook, and so I just wanted to put it out there!

 

[Jefferson bulldogs]

Yes I believe that breeders should take a dog back if the new owner cant take care of it anymore. I also believe that as far as the health of a puppy your selling the breeder should offer some sort of health guarantee atleast for the puppy's first year of life.

 

[HighDesertBulldogs]

You raise some really good points Bulldog! One I had not considered and that is if one of my pups ever ended up in a rescue down the line for whatever reason. I try my hardest to pre-screen and keep in touch with families that get pups from us but maybe microchipping them with my name and number to contact as backup would ensure they never end up in a rescue. Something I'm going to consider seriously! Thanks! My male is microchipped. Also I might add another thought, when you sell your pups, sell them with limited AKC registration. That gives the buyer AKC registration of their pup that he/she is purebred...but not for breeding purposes. If they breed their dog they cannot register their pups with AKC. This discourages breeders from trying to buy your pups. Those are usually the ones that end up in rescue, breeding dogs. I sell all my pups with 'limited AKC registratiion' so I am pretty confident my pups are going to good pet homes and not puppy mills.

 

[Mugzilla]

i strongly feel that they should be. i can't imagine any RESPONSIBLE breeder that wouldn't have a contract in place with new owners. i capsed the word 'responsible' bc i think there are two clear cut types of breeders. responsible and irresponsible. i have 0 understanding and tolerance for the later. i feel the only reason to breed should be for the love of and to improve the breed. if the only goal behind a breeding is the power of the almighty dollar, then i find it incredibly tragic as well as infuriating.

shelters and rescues are filled with animals in need of forever homes. if you're not going to contribute something to improving a breed, then you're likely contributing to the population of dogs in shelters, recues, and on death row.

as much as i advocate and have a passion for rescues and fostering, etc, i also understand that if all of our canine companions were spayed/neutered, we'd soon no longer have canine companions. so responsible breeding is a necessity. especially with breeds like the EB that typically cannot breed easily naturally or easily give birth naturally. this incredible breed would likely be exctinct if it were not for breeders.

however, i also feel that a lot of the health problems eb's have today are a direct result of irresponsible breeding. breeders who do not pay to have their breeding stock tested, examined, x-rayed, etc prior to breeding to ensure they are not passing on gentic health issues after gentic health issues. my wonderful female eb came from an irresponsible breeder and though i love her like no other, she has suffered terribly bc of irresponsible breeding. and i know that not every person that had an eb with the health issues she's had would've been willing or finacially capable of ensuring she has the best health treatment available. many unsuspecting new eb owners don't educate themselves on the breed and the special issues they might have. i feel that's one reason so many end up in shelters and rescues. owners don't know what they're getting into and aren't willing or are not able to deal with all of the issues some eb's have. especially those brought on by irresponsible breeding.

wow. what a vent. sorry!

my point is, yes, i think any truly responsible breeder would not only require a contract that mandates the return of the dog/pup in the event the new owner can no longer keep them for whatever reason, but that they would also WANT to be an active part of the pup/dog's future. i believe a responsible breeder would want to not only screen potential new homes, but would also want to help educate and guide the new home throughout the dog's life to ensure the eb has the best chance for as good a life as possible.

the sad reality is, far too many breeders only care about their pups until the money is in their hands. then they're happy to forget and let whatever happens, happen. that sickens me and i feel irresponsible breeders are just as responsible for the over populated shelters/rescues as are irresponsible pet owners...if not more so.

i don't have strong feelings on the subject at all, do i?

 

[bullmama]

I agree 100% with eveything above. Bulldog and I have learned a lot about rescue since we got into this, and you cannot blame the rescues for getting so angry! I just cannot imagine seeing the neglect day after day and how hard it is on them! Socal bulldog rescue posted this subject on facebook and if we had not been friends with them there, we never would have even thought about putting our names on backup for the microchip. I am so glad they pointed that out, bcuz now not only will we do this, but hopefully more breeders will.

If you have to do more for the chip and registry, so what. The extra step will probably eventually help save a bully.

 

[Mugzilla]

i love the backup name on the microchip idea.

 

[froggz]

I also agree with the above. I've actually been a bit emotional the past two days because I read in our local newspaper that the animal shelter euthanized 365 animals in 09, and adopted out only 228. I feel a bit harsh saying it but I also wish that there were legislation in place to prevent people from breeding mixed breed dogs for that "one litter." I really wish people had to get a license to breed animals for pets. Even with cats.

It also breaks my heart when people have pet quality dogs that they breed for profit, not the joy of keeping the breed true. A close friend purchased an $800.00 golden retriever puppy only to have him put to sleep at 9 months of age from severe hip displasia after surgery failed.

My friend breeds boxers and her puppies go to their new homes with a contract in place, a microchip as well as a registered tattoo.

 

[Bulldogg]

Another thing breeders can do to help rescues is to personally register the paperwork and their microchips before the buyers ever take the puppy home. Or at least after their vet contractual return time expires. Example, if you contract states this: "you can return puppy within 2 days of purchase if you take it to the vet and find any health issues" ect. Then the breeder would file their microchip and paperwork after that time frame has passed. It does not cost much to add this extra service in, and then you have peice of mind that the dog will be recovered if something ever happens.

I have seen and know many people who do not ever register their microchips. What good does it do the rescues and vets if the chip is not registered? Why even have it if you are not going to use it? *sigh*