BTW: I didn't direct the statement towards you being unprepared or irresponsible.
I'll give you that they do have more than their fair share of issues and they aren't for everybody.
But to generalize that they were bred to have issues is a slippery slope.
I don't want to put words into your mouth, but to state that they are purposely bred with issues, is kind of saying that the breed should be outlawed or at the very least the breeders should be charged with cruelty to animals?
Other than Ross, how many other bulldogs did you have to be able to come to that conclusion?
I have seen many (100's) of pedigrees and not one rated the health of each stud and dam, nor stated if they were deceased and what they died from.
All it basically tells you is how many champions is in it's lineage. When you say it came from great lines, what do you mean by that exactly?
When someone tells me that they came from great lines, to me it means that they came from show lines (let me guess... in the bloodline it had Marinebull, Verdona or Hetherbull). The more champions in a pedigree, the greater chances that you will get a dog with issues (not just bulldogs but for all dogs of pedigree).
Unfortunately show dog breeders focus on the standard of the breed more than the overall health. What breed doesn't have issues?
Selective breeding and human influence is to blame.
We do it with our chameleons.
Most breeders I noticed are more focused on outer appearance.
Let's take for example Veileds. You hear it all the time about the morphs (sunburst, high yellow, turquoise, trans, etc) that breeders are striving for, but how many times do you hear a breeder breeding for temperament or for hardiness? Wouldn't you think by now, that someone could've or should've bred the 'aggressive' trait out or the feared word 'domesticated' the breed?
That would be wrong of me to generalize that all veileds have nasty dispositions. I know that's not the case and there are exceptions.
Same goes that not all bulldogs were bred to have issues. It's not impossible to breed a litter of healthy bulldogs, one just have to be VERY selective.
Why do we shoot up females that have trouble laying with Oxy and incubate the eggs, instead of letting nature take its course? Maybe for the same reasons why bulldogs are artificially inseminated and have C-sections. To insure life from the complications we have imposed on them. How can we justify one from the other?
I'm sure there are plenty more that would condemn chameleon keeping for not only the bad experience they had with one, but for also what they have read. Never a day goes by on this site were there isn't a chameleon with an issue.
Comparing bulldogs to chameleons is like comparing apples and oranges. But comparing the numerous issues they both can have, it's like the pot calling the kettle black.
*Note: just so you know I am not coming from left field. I have shown, bred and trained bulldogs for over 15 years. I currently don't own any but wouldn't be opposed to owning one. Through those years I have observed over 1,000, either through the shows, training or breeding. I can tell the quality of the dog if it is a show or a pet. I can even go as far as being able to distinguish what lineage the dog has by just looking at the confirmation of the dog.
My first bulldog was pet quality and lived for 15 years. Had no issues other than being allergic to pig ears.
As many bulldogs that has been in my life one way or another, I can't say I ever had one as bad as yours. The worse I've had maybe was a wry jaw, cherry eye or on one of the males I bred (I forget the scientific terminology) his testicles did not drop.
Who can say that this dog was bred with issues?
Sorry to OP for going off topic... but hey this is a cham site
