When I got my first Frenchie I didn't know anything about them. After doing research I realized that they are not supposed to be merle, fluffy, big rope, hairless, etc. My dog Frances does carry merle but I only breed her with standard Frenchies because my goal is improve the breed and improve what I have. Once I become the breeder that I want to be I will start going to AKC dog shows. My goal is to be a preservation breeder so follow my difficult journey.

I took interest in the French bulldog many years ago when I first laid my eyes on one. After I finally decided to become a French bulldog mother myself, I realized I was in love. I began doing a lot of research on the breed and discovered a lot of French bulldog breeders only breed for "Fad" colors and money and don't actually care about the health and wellbeing of the dog. So, I decided to start my own journey of breeding healthy, quality, AKC French bulldogs.

It is not unusual for us, breeders, to see scandals such as fake Pedigrees, people reproducing their ill dogs, sometimes with genetic diseases to pass on, people reproducing their bitches every season nonstop, dogs that are crated 24/7 and never know what it's like to live in a family, and so on. These are people that call themselves breeders when in fact they are ruining the breed, being cruel to their dogs and thinking about profiting, not about the wellbeing of their dogs, pups and new owners. Most of the time it takes patience, time and knowledge about the breed and its breeders to get to know who a well-intentioned real breeder is and who is a puppy mill or import broker.

As some might think, breeding is not an easy way to profit. There are many costs that breeding dogs involve. Some of these costs are: health tests, stud fee, artificial inseminations, c-sections, ultrasounds, supplements, vitamins, the best kind of food possible, veterinary visits, quality shots, worming... And not to mention other costs, like being available to take care of puppies (especially in the first few days when you don't sleep at all), hours and hours and hours researching the breed, reading books, talking to other breeders about structure / health / genetics / bloodlines... And, of course, after all that, there is announcing puppies, finding owners that will not abandon the dog because "it's crying overnight" or "it pees everywhere."

Being a breeder is having a commitment to the breed, to the people that supported your work as a breeder and trusted you when they acquired one of your babies. Being a breeder is having an eternal commitment to the puppies that were born through your decisions. Being a breeder is, above all, having the dogs' interests above any kind of profit.

And that is why it's not an overstatement when we say that a good breeder tries hard to break even in the end.

If you are prepared to choose to be a breeder, be aware of the costs and risks that this decision may bring into your life. Be aware of the hard work, the terrifying situations that may arise. Dead dams, dead puppies, dead litters, endless sleepless nights, devastating veterinary bills and much studying are some of the prices you have to be prepared to pay, in order to get the breeding rewards - the puppies.

Adapted from Vixbull Frenchies

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