<p>This is going to be such a hot-button issue because it’s truly a personal choice. And I’d hate for people to feel that they can’t be pet owners because they don’t meet someone else’s criteria for what it means to be a responsible pet owner. </p>
<p>On the one hand: our family’s personal philosophy is that we take on that fiscal responsibility to take care of our pets when it’s in the animal’s best interests. In practice that’s meant paying thousands for operations for younger animals, but not paying big bucks for treatment that might add lifetime but not quality of life. </p>
<p>Other people might choose differently. Someone else might’ve paid for chemo for the cat who had terminal throat cancer, or found the exotic animals vet to treat the respiratory illness that eventually claimed the 2.5 year old rat. And another family might not have paid the $3k for the operation to excise the tumor on the cat’s back a few years earlier, and also might not have bothered taking the pet rats in to a vet to be put to sleep. </p>
<p>A veterinarian friend always tries to talk compassionately with people who are facing expensive options for their pets. Because if you’ve been out of work, or or facing other significant financial stresses, you might not be able to pay for pet insurance let alone treatment. He doesn’t want people to feel guilty if they truly cannot afford to take all possible medical steps for their animals. On the other hand, the pet owner who wanted his young healthy dog put down because that was cheaper than spending $500 to get a foxtail removed from the poor dog’s ear? That guy was refused service. :mad:</p>
<p>Each of our pets got one big bill( not counting teeth cleaning! Lol)
Our calico had laser surgery for a nasal sarcoma, our lab had her spleen removed, when she was 14.
Our other cat died at the age of 19 before incurring big vet bills.
( this is not including the daily sub-q fluids I gave our cat for four years or the thyroid & other meds & supplements our lab was on)</p>
<p>This new one is starting out on dog food that is $4 a can & he eats three cans a day.
But he is a boxer mix & apparently they have tummy trouble.
Which I didn’t realize beforehand.
It isn’t a make or break item though & I expect his tummy will settle down eventually.
Thank goodness he doesn’t have the propensity to grab whole chicken carcasses out of the garbage to eat like our previous dog .</p>
<p>I disagree with this for one major reason: NO well bred dog will be available for this kind of mating, except accidentally. My first golden’s contract actually had a clause that if we bred him without the permission of his breeders, we had to pay them several thousand dollars to compensate for their loss of reputation. (He was a show dog, and so not neutered. Otherwise he would have been sold on a spay/neuter contract.) That means that you are mating a random-bred golden and a random-bred poodle whose only qualification for breeding is that they have intact genitalia to get a “goldendoodle.” A “goldendoodle” is a mutt that is not worth one cent more than any golden mix from the shelter, yet innocent people are being taken for thousands of dollars by these charlatans. The only possible exception to this that I know of is the strain of “labradoodles” bred in Australia in an effort to produce better service dogs. This has nothing to do with how nice or beloved any particular dog may be. Mutts are great. It has everything to do with fraud. The likelihood that any of the people deliberately selling mutts is breeding from stock with generations of health testing behind them–and generations of such breeding is how health problems are reduced–is virtually nil. The puppies they produce can easily inherit the health issues of BOTH of the breeds. Yet they are charging more that responsible breeders charge for well bred puppies from carefully selected breedings. (Breeders who have spent thousands of dollars and hours training and showing their dogs to prove their breedworthiness.)</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the tips everyone, I didn’t even think of going to a breed-specific show, I’ll have to look into everything I possibly can!</p>
<p>Just a couple of responses:
-I am looking at rescue bulldogs, but so far I’ve found that most either require the adopter to have bulldog experience (which I don’t) or are special needs, which isn’t something I’m ready to take on at this point in my life. I’m keeping an eye on the rescue groups in the mid-Atlantic area though in case a dog comes along that is a good fit for me.
-I’m definitely going to look into pet insurance since bulldogs do have more breathing/health problems. I have several friends with other breeds who have called it a lifesaver.
-Some of you have mentioned that you’d never get a flat-faced breed, and I completely accept that. Certainly there are other breeds that I would also fall in love with, but right now I live in an apartment and can’t have a dog that’s big or needs a yard to run around in all day. I’m also not a fan of the teacup breeds (think: Yorkie, Maltese, Havanese, Chihuahua), so that knocks a lot of the other ones out of the picture. I’ll look into a bigger, more energetic breed as a second dog when I have a townhome or a house in the future</p>
<p>Dogs left out in a yard usually do not run around. They just hang out. (And become nuisance barkers, and dig, but that’s another story. ) Juat about all dogs need to be taken for walks, or have a ball thrown for them, or some kind of interaction to actually get exercise.</p>
<p>You might want to look into Bichon Frise and Portugese Water Dogs, both of which are small but not tiny and which are tend to be better for people with allergies. A poodle of some size is another possibility. You should spend some time with them to see if you react. BTW, there are some measures you can take that are supposed to reduce the likelihood of having a reaction: get a vacuum with a HEPA filter, don’t let the dog up on the furniture or on your bed, better yet don’t let it into your bedroom.</p>
<p>Have you looked at pugs at all? they are a big dog in a little dog’s body. One thing that you might keep in mind is that often the “pet quality” puppies are the ones with LESS flat faces–that is their “flaw”–which might possibly help with the breathing issues.</p>
<p>I think that almost any dog can be trained to save the rambunctious behavior for outdoors. The major thing in an apartment dog for me is that it needs to be QUIET. :D</p>
<p>I think if you want the bulldog, are aware of the potential medical costs and are prepared for them, you should go for it. I think all dogs are great, but when you really want a particular breed, sometimes nothing else will do! I grew up with an affenpinscher with a flat, sticky trachea and he was a great dog, I don’t regret owning him-- in the end he did get expensive due to diabetes that had nothing to do with his smushed face or flat trachea, which ultimately were never issues besides needing to be aware not to leave him out in the sun too long-- which I would be doing with any other dog. My dalmatians will sunburn if they aren’t looked after similarly, and they’ll need a special diet and crap tons of exercise-- but I’m prepared for that and I just have to have them. All breeds have pros and cons. If you are comfortable with the cons and looking forward to the pros, I am happy for you and your choice!</p>
<p>I would suggest you contact the breed clubs. They are a wealth of information. Bulldogclubofamerica.org and the frenchbulldogclub.org. These organizations will have breeder lists as well as give you pros and cons on the breeds.</p>
) Juat about all dogs need to be taken for walks, or have a ball thrown for them, or some kind of interaction to actually get exercise.</p>