frenchtons (boston terrier/french bulldog mix)

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

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Kahuna

Only my cover is- scary. Read my- book.

Barked: Tue Apr 27, '10 7:52pm PST


	"Of course, the heart of the designer dog beats as true as that of a purebred or a traditional type mutt. It's the ethics behind the breeding that we frown upon, not the dogs themselves". Exactly. Thank you Gir

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Bunny

I am Bunny! Hear- me SNORT!

Barked: Thu Apr 29, '10 7:06am PST


	Beautifully put, Gir! ETA: Did Lily's owner actually leave? Awe. That's sad. Edited by author Thu Apr 29, '10 7:07am PST

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Lucille

I am the Sock- Bandit!!!

Barked: Thu Apr 29, '10 7:24am PST


	I think if you want to have a balanced debate, why not mention some of the awful health problems that 'responsible' breeders have bred into purebred AKC when selecting for specific traits? "In the same way that inbreeding among human populations can increase the frequency of normally rare genes that cause diseases, the selective breeding that created the hundreds of modern dog breeds has put purebred dogs at risk for a large number of health problems, affecting both body and behavior. Some conditions are directly related to the features breeders have sought to perpetuate among their dogs. As they deliberately manipulated the appearance of dogs to create or accentuate physical characteristics that were considered aesthetically pleasing, like the flat face of a bulldog or low-slung eyelids of a Bloodhound, breeders also created physical disabilities. The excessively wrinkled skin of the Chinese Shar-Pei causes frequent skin infection; Bulldogs and other flat-faced (or brachycephalic) breeds such as the Pekingese have breathing problems because of their set-back noses and shortened air passages; Bloodhounds suffer chronic eye irritation and infection. The unnaturally large and small sizes of other breeds encourage different problems. For example, toy and miniature breeds often suffer from dislocating kneecaps and heart problems are more common among small dogs. Giant dogs such as Mastiffs, Saint Bernards, and Great Danes are nearly too big for their own good. Researchers have found a striking correlation between a dog’s large size and a frequency of orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia. Large dogs are often prone to heat prostration because they can’t cool down their bodies (tiny dogs, by contrast, have a hard time staying warm), and because of the massive weight they must support, these breeds are prone to malignant bone tumors in their legs. Meanwhile, the huge head and narrow hips of the Bulldog can necessitate that their pups must be born by Caesarean section." from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/dogs-that-changed-the-world/ selective-breeding-problems/1281/ Some conditions are directly related to what breeders have selected for...I think it's incredibly sad that some dogs can no longer even give birth naturally, but through C sections due to breeding. I'm no fan of the designer trend, either, I think it's mostly a scam...but so called responsible AKC breeders don't exactly have the best track record, either. Thankfully, things are getting better with more knowledge of DNA and trait selection.

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Chandler

Code name:- Farmcollie

Barked: Thu Apr 29, '10 8:35am PST


	Oh, don't worry Lucille, we also complain and worry about inbred genetic problems in purebreds.

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Chandler

Code name:- Farmcollie

Barked: Thu Apr 29, '10 9:03am PST


	Addentum: ...of course, acknowledging the problems in the purebreds does not negate the fact that it is practically impossible to find a breeder of designer dogs (outside some of the doodle breeders) that does appropriate health tests for the breeds of dogs they are mixing.

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Gir

All that lives- is holy.

Barked: Thu Apr 29, '10 11:10am PST


	The quotation by Lucille states that 'bloodhounds have' eye problems. SOME bloodhounds have eye problems. Not all. SOME purebreds have these problems. That's why scrupulously bred dogs with all the proper parental testing in place are the safest buy. Two breeds, such as a Boston Terrier and a French Bulldog, which are known 'problem breeds' for health, from an untested background crossed together are NOT likely to be healther than either true random-bred dogs (think the sandy yellow, prick-eared pi dogs you see after the dogs have been feral for several generations) or well-bred purebreds.

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Keiko

944267

Barked: Fri Jul 2, '10 11:11am PST


	hello, i was just doing some research and noticed that the forum has gotten alot of responses. I am "samantha" and after posting the forum and reading some of the responses decided to make a decision on my own. everyone has their opinion and i appreciate all of them but it did feel like i was being a little "bullied" instead of being "tought" things but thats ok i did some of my own research and ended up getting a pure bred boston terrier. it was from a local breeder who does it as a hobby and i haven't had any problems with him, and he didn't cost me an arm and a leg to get either i think i will be sticking with the boston terrier breed afterall, but thanks again for the forum responses. after reading a few i left and just realized how big it has gotten.

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Gir

All that lives- is holy.

Barked: Fri Jul 2, '10 6:35pm PST


	Hey Keiko- just remember, it's a public forum. People here a) strongly believe in what they're talking about and b) aren't face to face to convey emotion. I don't think anyone meant to come across as harsh, but we also didn't want you to get taken in and ripped off by an unscrupulous breeder who would've told you anything to get you to buy a pup and we didn't want someone who would do that to profit off the life of a pet. We would love for you to stick around and be a part of Dogster. Remember, it's not a shame to not know something. We were all born as ignorant as eggplants- it's only by learning that we better ourselves. Anything that one of us doesn't know, once upon a time even those of us who do know...didn't know either. When you work in the dog industry, as many of us do, you see the real damage done to the lives of people and pets by people who breed for the wrong reasons and misrepresent the dogs they sell, often at exorbitant prices. We see people who overpaid for a dog they honestly thought would grow up to be a certain way and be healthy and happy, but who grew up to be completely different, which although it's not the dog's fault, is very disappointing, and who is very sickly and expensive to keep alive. If that dog's person can't afford treatment- surgery to fix cruciate ligaments or hips, entroption or ectroption, a bad heart- then oftentimes, they have to watch their pet die. Sometimes, no amount of money can fix the dog. Not all designer mix dogs turn out that way, but when you've helped owners and pets who have been unfortunate like that, you really, really want to make sure it doesn't happen again, and people can get overzealous in their quest to prevent it. I remember one lady who bought a litter of purebreds from a mill- a poorly bred dog is a poorly bred dog, regardless of breed- one of them died of kidney failure at 3 months. One had stenotic nares, where every time he breathed in, his nose closed, causing him to have to have surgeries to fix his nose, and one had a hole in her head that never closed. I know a lady with a designer havanese/bichon mix and its back legs are so deformed that the hock joints locked and the dog can barely get around. When you see things like that, you feel so sad that it makes you mad, and sometimes you come across as mad when you're not mad at the person you're talking to but at the injustice of what you've seen. So stick around, we'd love to have you, and learn all you can- and teach us what you know, too. Every man is my superior in some way. In that, I learn from him.