06/12/2017
This is for everyone that has ever wondered why English Bulldogs are so expensive You are correct. Bulldogs are expensive. Have you ever stopped and considered why? Because it takes a whole lot more than a tryst set up by Mother Nature to even get started on a litter of EB pups. The majority of Bulldogs cannot live cover, so the breeding is done by some means of AI (Artifical Insemenation). This required the female be tested several times to see when the optimum time is to breed her. This is usually $75 up per trip to the vet and the average is 3 times ($225). Unless you own your own stud dog, there is the breeding fee, which for a dog that you'd want to be passing along his genetics is NEVER less than $500 and that's on a good day. Then there is the shipping fees or travel costs to take the Lady to meet her Prince. Let's say $150 (again on the low range of things) You are now up to $800 and you don't even know you have a pregnancy yet. But you hope for the best and wait for the correct amount of time to pass and back you go to the vet for ultrasounds/x-rays to the tune of another $150. Then, if the Bulldog Gods are smiling down on you, you have a confirmed pregnancy for a mere $950. And you are still NOT guaranteed to have a litter. They could be asorbed, aborted or end up with a single pup. So you wait your 58 to 63 days and anxiously await the magic moment and since your girl will probably not be in the 2% that can free whelp, you schedule time to bring her in for a C-section. Now depending on where you live ( I live in the central VA area) you will pay any where from $1200 to $2500 to deliver them. The total is now $2150 to $3450 just to get them into the world. It is not unsual to loose a pup or more from a litter after they are born either. So now comes the fun part. For the next 3 weeks these helpless creatures require 24hr care/7 days a week with feedings every 2 hours and assistance to Mom to make sure they are all getting enough to eat, not getting squashed and pooping an peeing normally. I doubt there are many breeders out there that hire someone to help out, I certainly don't (can't afford to) so that mean it gets done by lil ole me, on top of trying to stay on top of family everyday living needs and hold down a part time job. So to say the least sleep deprivation and exhaustion is the name of the game. And I'm lucky; I can take them with me to work so I don't have to take my vacation time to take care of them. It is exactly llike taking care of a human child times how ever many puppies there are in the litter. Then after 4 weeks, if everybody is doing well you might be lucky enough to grab 4 hours of sleep or so between feedings. After they are strong enough and their eyes and ears open they begin to waddle around. Then you have to keep their nursery area clean and safe which continues until they all go on to their new Mommys and Daddys. And don't get me wrong, I love every minute I spend with them, but it is NOT easy nor for the faint of heart because along with the good times, there can be heartbreak. So before you think we do it because its easy, or say we charge too much stop to consider how much money, effort and time goes into each puppy before it is even offered for sale.
