and the questions you as the buyer should ask!
It is our belief that a well bred, happy, healthy Bull Terrier comes from responsible, caring & ethical breeders who, on an ongoing basis, regularly Health Test their breeding stock. These same breeders will be involved in dog related activities such as conformation showing, obedience, agility, Rescue, & are members of their Local, Regional or National Breed Club. Their dogs will have obtained their Championship, to show that other people who have studied the Breed Standard agrees that this particular dog is worthy to breed, as set forth by the AKC breed Standard. Puppies are generally less expensive when buying from a responsible breeder & the money you save in the long run when buying a well bred pup is icing on the cake!
A responsible breeder will never sell a pup over the internet. Responsible breeders will always have you come to their house, meet the Dam (Sire almost always will be owned by somebody other than the breeders of the new pups), ask questions and will expect you , the prospective owner to ask questions also.
THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK!
1. Are the Sire and Dam Heart Dopplered
clear? Heart Disease is prevalent in
the breed. It's also hereditary.
2. Have the Sire and Dam had their UPC
test and what was the number? The
Sire and Dam should be tested every 6 months and the UPC test should read
below .3 A UPC test (also known as Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio)
is for Kidney disease, which is
also prevalant in the
breed, hereditary and which takes these Bullies lives at a real early age.
3.
Have the Sire and Dam had their Patellas looked at by a vet?
Luxating Patellas are painful and hereditary. These should be cleared by
a vet before the Sire and Dam are bred.
4. Do you actively participate in a breed club and actively show your Bullies
in AKC events? Breeders who do this are making sure their dogs live up to
the Breed Standard as set forth by the AKC. If they are being shown and
winning, making their Championships, then rest assured that these dogs
have been deemed worthy to breed, if all other Health tests have been
done.
a. These are some questions that should be asked and remember, whoever you
buy from should have a contract, which protects both the Buyer and the
Seller and if at any time during the dogs life the buyer can not keep the
dog, they must return it to the breeder. The breeder should be more than
amicable about willing to supply the buyer with all copies of the Health
tests on the Sire and Dam. Also, the pup should be Baer tested (for
hearing) before it leaves the breeders, approx at 6 weeks of age the test
should be done. These papers should also be supplied.
b. Your breeder should also invite you to become a member of the breed club in your area
or set you up with someone in your area who is a member of a breed club.
Breed Clubs have a diverse membership,
from pet, to Rescue to Show dogs. One thing they have in common, they all LOVE
their Bullies :)
There are responsible and caring breeders out there, make sure you choose
wisely.
Please go to the BTCA , send an email to the
corresponding secretary located at the top of the list and ask about
breeders who have pups in your area.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me. Hopefully,
by now you can see the difference
between a well bred dog and one from a puppy mill or worse yet, some one
just looking to make money.
It is our attempt to educate the public and hopefully help those people
make wise choices, who are really interested in the breed.
Please go to our Bull Terrier Health
Page to read up on studies that are being done & explanations on the Health
Tests.
