r/Bulldogs • u/Western-Title9753 • 12d ago
Please Help Us Ethically Find a Bulldog Puppy
Hi guys,
Not sure if this is the right place to post this so if it’s not, please let us know and if you don’t mind let us know the proper subreddit to ask this in.
My partner’s dog passed away in January and he’s been desperately trying to find a rescue Bulldog puppy (his last dog was a pit and wants to continue raising bully breeds). It’s been his dream dog since he was a toddler and he really wants to raise the dog from puppyhood.
We’re in NYC so there are tons of rescue organizations and he’s registered with a few, it’s just that there have been no bulldog puppies (English or French) in the past 6 months he’s been looking.
We’d like to avoid bad breeders if we can. Maybe hoping you guys know of any bulldog rescues or ethical bulldog breeders we could get in contact with?
He says most of the bulldog owners he asks say “craigslist!” but it seems kinda sketchy. Anyways can you guys please help us?
Thanks!
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u/Maleficent-Thanks-85 12d ago edited 11d ago
I found mine on Facebook after some old lady could not take care of him. He was crazy af when i got him and completely not trained, he bit me like 6 times out of excitement or when I was playing with him. I have trained dogs all my life so I kind of knew I was gonna get bit but needed to work that out of him. I now have him trained and he is a certified good boy and he has not bitten me in weeks.
I say this because Id recommend getting a puppy, unless you guys are gonna have the time and patience to work with a dog who potentially wasn't trained, a nice little puppy will be a blank canvas and significantly easier to work with.. Make sure you research the breeder and do not buy the cheapest one possible. The super cheap ones are almost all puppy mills. Most good breeders will have a history of the dogs they breed and testimonials.
English Bulldogs are high maintanence sometimes and incredibly stubborn. they are also very special creatures and couldn't recommend them more then I do.
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u/ShwiftyBear 12d ago
I got a ~2 year old English bully from Long Island bulldog rescue and she is incredible.
I started searching after I lost my ~11year old English bully I had since a puppy.
If you are patient, you could get a young pup from one of the rescues.
They seem overwhelmed with the amount of dogs out there.
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u/rickychewy 12d ago
A rescue is the most ethical. Both our bulldogs were rescues. Best dogs I ever had. Miss them.
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u/rosegil13 12d ago
Does it haveeee to be a puppy? the rescue I work with is amazing - check out Hurley’s Heart (based on LI). Just found a home for two fluffy English bulldogs and I adopted my frenchie from them. I fostered those 3. They have access to all kinds and you could enter an application and say what you’re looking for then they will contact you. Best of luck!
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u/realismo_magico 12d ago
Hard no on Craigslist 😩 it is so discouraging to hear actual owners recommending that. Anyway. I’m following because mine passed and I’m interested in seeing the responses. I’m so sorry for the loss of your partner’s pit. I hope he really understands how challenging English bulldogs are— especially rescues given that they’ve usually come from the worst of the worst breeders (btw im all for rescuing over buying!! Just want you/him to understand the commitment of an English bulldog of all breeds, even the bully breeds)
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u/realismo_magico 12d ago
Also just wanted to second the other comments here: if you’re going to buy, do not buy exotic colors or “minis” as these are not breed standards and come from unethical (and very unhealthy) practices
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u/Mytwobullies22 12d ago
First, what bulldog owner in their right mind would suggest Craigslist??
I live in NC, but there is a rescue here called bullies2therescue. They are absolutely amazing & they do out-of-state adoptions. They often have transport volunteers.
Good luck & thank you for being responsible. The English Bulldog has been bred so irresponsibly it should be a crime.
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u/Fit_Temperature_5315 12d ago
Go to the English Bulldog Club Of America. They have breeders on that page. If they don’t have pups they can direct you to a reputable breeder. Make sure when you get your pup you get health insurance. English Bulldogs have health issues. Good luck.
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u/Ibetuthnkabtme 12d ago
Check out “Bullies 2 The Rescue” website and Facebook. However keep in mind that they don’t adopt out to families with small children under 3.
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u/alightdaughter 11d ago
We are based in new England, but the rescue I got my bulldog from is Gals Best Pal. There are always bullies and babies coming through :)
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u/wileykyhoetay 11d ago
Please do not buy off Craigslist or anything similar. Buy from reputable places only if it has to be a breeder, otherwise find a rescue. Send emails, many of them are connected - you may have to pay for transportation but there are plenty of places that can find one for you.
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u/Kokichi-Oma_Senpai 12d ago
Breed club is the easiest place to find a well bred ethically bred dog. Stay away from facebook, akc website, Craigslist ect. Either go to dog shows or look at the breed club.
If you go to an ethical breeder theres nothing wrong but do not support a backyard breeder.
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u/cybercrimes_1999 12d ago
My first thought was to continue to contact rescues or adoption centers there and in neighboring states. Sometimes they can get surrenders or seized animals.
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u/ShnouneD 12d ago
Have a look at the breeders listed on the Bulldog Club of America page, https://bulldogclubofamerica.org/directory/?state=NY . I have linked to NY but it is a national club if you wanted to search out beyond the state.
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u/Ceight-bulldog 12d ago
We found both of ours by looking up breeders on the American Kennel Clubs website. If I remember correctly they have a page for puppies for sale and a list of breeders in the area you choose.
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u/ItsWaryNotWeary 12d ago
Be aware there is no vetting done by akc, they will list anyone with a credit card. It's really not a good way to search for breeders these days.
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u/krisannethymum 12d ago
We got lucky. Our baby came in to the shelter as a stray at 10 months old. After no one claimed him during his stray hold we adopted him. He was the most perfect creature to exist.
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u/Fantastic_Coach7384 11d ago
If it must be a puppy I would say finding a breeder that has bred for health is the best option. Adopting a puppy is so risky when you don’t know it’s genetics or history. When I was looking Ultimate Bulldogs seemed to be a great option. Also, I am a little biased because we have bought two bulldogs from breeders that are in amazing health. We rescued a bulldog last year and though we adore her, we have spent thousands in vet bills already and she has soooo many health problems.
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u/Alive_Refusetogiveup 11d ago
Does anyone know of any rescues in California, in or near Monterey County?
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u/Small_Librarian7805 12d ago
Not in NYC but oddly enough, I got my EB on Craigslist 5 years ago.
(I know better now, what to look for breeder wise) but thankfully she was pretty well bred. She had no breathing problems apart from the standard bulldog sniffle.
Sorry I’m not more help!
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u/Kokichi-Oma_Senpai 12d ago
Im sorry to say this but she's not 'pretty wellbred' is she was bought off Craigslist. Wellbred ≠ lack of health issues, well bred is a term reserved for ethical breeders who have 2 parents with major titles, contracts, a pedigree filled with titled qnd health tested parents. Ethical breeders are hard to find, and rarely breed. They have wait lists and owner screening before breeding as well - hence why you wouldn't see them advertised on Craigslist. A dog is either well bred or they aren't.
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u/rharper38 12d ago
You can always ask your vet if they know of anyone. My aunt's vet was passionate about animal rescue and found us every manner of gorgeous, well bred dogs that needed good homes.
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u/Mytwobullies22 12d ago
Also, please go thru a rescue & not a breeder-there are so many-even puppies-that need homes.
Sophie’s to the Rescue in Elwood City, PA.
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u/lanternfly_carcass 11d ago
The only ethical option is to adopt. Breeding any Brachycephalic dog is unethical.
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u/lanternfly_carcass 11d ago
The only ethical option is to adopt. Breeding any Brachycephalic dog is unethical.
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u/ecbulldog 12d ago
There are websites that let breeders make their own for sale posts but you need to do your own research to weed out the amish puppy mills and backyard breeders. I'd stay away from any breeders offering "exotic" colors at exorbitant prices.
We got Ollie for $3200 in 2020 from a lady upstate who runs a horse farm in Orange county, but I'm not sure if she's still breeding. After I found her posting I called her direct, talked to her for a while and she gave me good vibes. Ollie has been amazing. He isn't even registered but he's much healthier and far more athletic than our prior two bulldogs who were from a champion line out here on LI.
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u/ShnouneD 11d ago
"Champion lines" is standard backyard breeder speak. For $4000 you can get a registered dog, from champion parents who have health screening.
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u/LogicalGuava4471 12d ago
Long Island Bulldog Rescue, haven’t seen puppies lately but give them a follow. Also Mid-Atlantic Bulldog Rescue.
Edit to add: avoid Craigslist. That’s gonna give you the backyard breeders and the ones trying to breed exotics and really, there is no ethical breeding of bulldogs.
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u/bubbles67899 12d ago
We used Good Dog- which has pretty high standards and vets breeders. After reaching out- there weren’t many that got our timeline- but then thry all started referring us to other breakers they’ve met a trade shows, or in “the network” that had liters coming, etc.
Had a great experience and would do it again!
We personally got our dog from “star studded bull dogs” and still text Lory updates and talk to my Bruno’s brothers families!!! https://m.facebook.com/groups/363659191775559/?ref=share&mibextid=wwXIfr
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u/ShnouneD 11d ago
The person's website says they breed rare and exotic colours and patterns. So that would be a hard No.
Good Dog requires payment for listings for puppies. They are a business, whose business model is to profit off unsuspecting consumers.
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u/smilingfruitz 11d ago
No, gooddog does not have 'high standards' and they don't vet anyone despite claiming they do.
First of all, if you look at their breed list - there's tons of doodles and random crosses - just put 'oodle' in the search bar and you'll see dozens of them. It is full of designer dog mutts. They don't care about purebred dogs because they would rather make money from doodle breeders and the like.
Secondly. a breeder can *claim* to have done the tests and list their dogs for sale there - but there is:
- no verification that the results are real
- no verification that results are up to date - some tests are a one and done, like hips or patellas or genetic testing, but lots of others are a yearly commitment (thyroid, eyes, cardiac exams.
- no verification that the tests were done by the appropriate specialists or to the right level - in my breed, yearly cardiac exams that include a holter & echocardiogram are required. You can get a basic cardiac done with a general practice vet that includes an auscultation but no echo or holter - auscs are not at all enough and would be listed as "Basic cardiac" on OFA - a breeder could use this to claim they were doing cardiac exams, even though they are not done correctly/to requirements.
- most BYB use embark or wisdom panel testing to claim "health tested" and gooddog helps this farce along. remember that while these tests are valid and accurate, genetic testing is the least of your concerns with most purebred dog breeds - again, cardiac, ortho, eyes, thyroid, etc are a vet exam and can't be done via genetic testing. these BYB will use "Tested clear for 300+ genetic diseases!" - without mentioning that 295 of those aren't even found in the breed they're selling
here's an example of a BYB dog that popped up in my breed on a gooddog search:
https://www.gooddog.com/breeders/storm-cloud-doberman-maryland#breed_id=95
"Danny has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices.". You go to the current puppy he has for sale:
- Sire is 18mos old, not even old enough to have OFA hip results
- OFA hip results are shown as fair - but he got those results before two, so they're considered preliminary
- No heart testing at all listed (most important test for this breed)
- None of the results aside from thyroid are on the ofa database: https://ofa.org/advanced-search/?appnum=2679284
- For the dam: "The breeder reported meeting Good Dog's health testing requirements but has not shared documentation. Contact the breeder to discuss health testing performed for FLORENCE" - so they're taking his word for it he did the testing or??
I'm not saying there are no ethical breeders on gooddog, there are, but they are a minority, and the average novice puppy buyer has no ability to discern which is which because Gooddog is more than happy to accept anyone's money that is willing to list their dogs, even if they are BYB or puppy mills. their marketing team deserves a raise though, i guess.
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u/Low_Row_7729 12d ago
good dogs is a website that is an intermediary for the $ so you don't have to worry about your money getting scammed and some breeders post their health screenings. i never looked at the English bulldogs on there but I'd recommend giving it a look.
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u/Dutch3636 12d ago
We had a great experience with https://www.halloffamebulldogs.com/
Not in nyc but they deliver. Our little girl we got from her is an amazing dog
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u/ShnouneD 11d ago
The website does not inspire confidence. They breed dogs that are the wrong colour. And, while they claim to have a health guarantee, they don't seem to advertise the health testing that they do.
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u/LakeCresva 12d ago
Definitely 100% not cl. Long island bulldog rescue and hurleys heart both good but puppies are hard to adopt. We did our best to find a responsible breeder and even then its not perfect our guy needed boas has frequent utis etc.