I've been thinking of getting a dog for some time now. I did research on several breeds that I like. I love the "ugly" dogs.. Boxers, Boston Terriers, French and English Bulldogs, etc.

Boxers are great dogs.. my mother had one as a child and always praises the breed. My friend has one and I play with her dog often and they are smart and great animals. However, they're full of energy and sometimes they need to simmer down. I don't want a dog such as a Boxer due to that fact.. that they are full of energy and always trying to play.

Boston Terriers are nice dogs, but they're a bit too small for me. If they were a little bit bigger, they would be great.

Same thing with the French Bulldog...

So the breed that I've been researching the most on is the English Bulldog . I've only seen 3 of these dogs in the US... not really a typical dog. Just about everyone else in the neighborhood has a Lab or Golden Retriever thats neutered. I'm not going to go that route either even if these dogs are smart and tame. I saw one for sale a while back(last summer).. it has perfect color markings and was a great looking pup. However, this dog was for sale at a pet store and had a whopping price of $3500... when other breeds where in the $800 range! Besides, I would not purchase a dog from a pet store, only from a breeder.

Does anyone have experience with these little giants? I've contacted a breeder here in Poland that has several of these dogs and am hoping to hear from her about the dogs. She's got a female thats really good looking and has won awards at dog shows. Hoping to get one of its pups here in the summer or so.

I have a English Bulldog, white, great little ugly sweeheart. Nice dogs you will love it.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

I had a friend with two. More accuratly his wife had two, he hated the dang things. They ate everything and were always sick. One year he had over 16k in vet bills. They always had eye and skin problems.

My advise, for what it's worth, go to the pound and get a mutt. You can love a mutt just as much as a purebreed, they cost less and are generally healthier.

If you must have a purebreed, check for a breed specific rescue club.

Just about every breed has some problems specific to it. I know about the sickness that the Bulldogs can get. I don't think paying $16k for vet bills is the norm for these dogs... same thing can be said about children(some get sicker than others).

I am not interested in mutts, eventhough I know they make great companion dogs. I am specifically interested in purebreed champion bulldogs with papers. Unfortunately dogs like that don't end up in a pound or rescue place.

Some people are interested in 300k mile w126 diesels, while others are interested in low milage w126 coupes. They're both great.. but its just a difference of taste. Thats how I view purchasing a dog.

To those who have or had these dogs... do they require a lot of excersice? Are they energetic animals or do they like to take their time and do things when they feel like it?

They like to take their time and do things when they feel like it. But they are very stubbern (?), when they put there teeth in something they won't let go!

Ours doesn't like other female dogs, specialy when our other dog (a mutt), male is around. When she attacks she won't let go! And don't touch here toys, when there is a barking dog on TV she will run upstairs to her toys to pretect them, they are not the smartest, but very funny!

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

Very true, purebreeds are not my cup of tea but there is nothing wrong with them. As with any breed, buy the breeder, not the dog. Sort of like buying an old Benz.

The med bills were unusually high that one year because one of the dogs had to have two operations to remove intenal blockage. A by product of thier tendancy to eat everything. One was a sock that wrapped up the dogs intentines if I remember right.

Unless you're planning on showing the dog, what you really want is a "pet-quality" pup from a top-quality breeder. Serious dog people won't allow a top quality dog to fall into the hands of an amateur. You can find/research breeders on the Internet and probably pick up a nice pet-quality pup for a lot less than you think. Just make sure the breeder has a good rep.

Hehe.. devouring machines. My friend has a cat that ate his mother's pantyhose years back. I think they spent roughly $1500 on the operation to get it out. You're also right about the breeder.
Now, did your friend hate these dogs because of the unusually high vet bills? I have a family member that claims he would rather give an animal away and get a new one if something was to cost that much. Not sure how serious he is with this claim.

Hmmmmm -- that could describe a Mazda RX8. I see the similarity.

buy a shovel you will need it..

__________________
2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976

AKC's 2004 Roundup

The top 10 most popular dogs in 2004 are:

Labrador Retriever (146,692)
Golden Retriever (52,550)
German Shepherd Dog (46,046)
Beagle (44,555)
Yorkshire Terrier (43,522)
Dachshund (40,770)
Boxer (37,741)
Poodle (32,671)
Shih Tzu (28,958)
Chihuahua (24,850)


At the other end of the list, the English Foxhound is again the least-registered purebred dog (17 registrations) followed by the Otterhound (23), American Foxhound (42), Sussex Spaniel (45) and Harrier (53).

In 2004, the AKC registered 153 different breeds – including the newly recognized Black Russian Terrier, Glen of Imaal Terrier and Neapolitan Mastiff – for a total of nearly one million dogs (958,272) and 437,437 litters.

Registrations increased or remained the same in 2004 for 107 breeds, including the French Bulldog (+53%), Havanese (+37%) and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (+34%). Some lesser-known breeds also saw significant increases in AKC registrations, particularly the Anatolian Shepherd (+83%), which entered the registry in 1996. The Spinone Italiano (+36%) and the Curly-Coated Retriever (+44%) also experienced substantial growth.

The popularity of small dogs has steadily risen. Breeds showing the most significant increases in registrations since 1994 are mostly small dogs such as the French Bulldog (increase of 252%), Brussels Griffon (234%), Chinese Crested (134%), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (120%), and the Papillon (122%). Conversely, some breeds with the largest declines in the past ten years are Dalmatians (-98%), Chow Chows (-93%), Rottweilers (-83%) and Akitas (-72%).

On the Other Side of the Pond
The AKC’s counterpart in the U.K., the Kennel Club, recently released their national statistics, which show that the Labrador Retriever also reigns in England. As in the U.S., there are almost three times as many Labs registered as any other breed. Together with the Lab, the English Cocker Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel – ranked 75th and 28th respectively in the U.S. – round out the top three spots.

The top 10 most popular dogs in U.K. are:

Labrador Retriever
Cocker Spaniel (English)
English Springer Spaniel
German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian)
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Golden Retriever
West Highland White Terrier
Boxer
Border Terrier

Snib, don't fall into the champion purebred pedigree pit. The last lab I bought has one of the best Lab pedigrees I've ever seen (Mother best in class Westminister + Father Best lab in Canada 3 years in a row) he is by far one of the best looking labs most people have ever seen... thanks to mom and he's also the best most loving childrens pet I've ever seen.... Thanks to MOM, then he has an unbelievable nose thanks to dad.

but he's still a ****** idiot, probably one of the dumbest dogs I've ever seen.

I don't love him any less in fact I love him even more because of is short comings but the only thing a pedigree is good for is wiping puppy chit off the kitchen floor.

Whenever you deal with pedigreed animals of any time focus on the pediGREED part.

Having enjoyed purebreds and mutts in my dog collection, going with a purebred from a responsible breeder (and paying the price for the efforts of such a breeder) get's you an animal with a higher probability of approaching the breed standards. Like a lot of human families, there are geniuses and idiots in every litter, the results of genetics and education. It's still a crapshoot.

we looked at these English Bulldogs before my wife found her Maltese, (I have a English Lab) and one breeder said MOST females have to have C-sections ....very expensive..but I would buy a purebred, they are $800 to $1200 around here

__________________
2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976

Better off with a male anyways. There's a common saying in dog show circles -- "they don't call 'em *****es for nothin'"...