making deposit on Frenchie pup?

sounds like you have an iffy breeder...no papers? Any AKC/UKc breeder, worth their salt is going to give you LIMITED AKC papers on a puppy they sell you as a pet...along with a spay neuter contract and some sort of guarantee.

FCI? I mean that's a legit registry if they are international...more likely tho? They imported their dogs from some third world country that doesn't know any better and don't want to spend the $$ required to get them papered with a registry here.

I wouldn't get involved with this breeder..Go back to the AKC Parent clubs webpage HERE and contact their breeder referral person...you can also ask them about this breeder...I am sure they could give you some insight.

the last thing you need to do when you buy a puppy...esp one of a breed that is as common with scammers as Frenchies...is to be in any sort of hurry to part with ANY money until you have seen some real hoop jumping by the breeder and they have seen the same, from you. Hope this helps.

ETA: I also want to reinterate...scammers LOVE Bulldogs of both kinds...they have no puppies...no dogs...many are not even in this COUNTRY...they only want your money and since Bulldogs tend to be high dollar animals they scam the living daylights out of people...seriously.

PM our member/Admin Jaime...her signin name is Amstaffy....she has Frenchies and can direct you further.

 Sounds VERY iffy. The main reason the bitch wouldn't be registerable if she's an import would be if she was Russian. There ARE some nice Russian dogs out there, but there are many more coming from scumbag puppy millers.

Take a look at http://bullmarketfrogs.com/blog/ - and contact her about breeder recs. 

Wow this is all wonderful responses. thank you very much. I have been careful I think about avoiding scumbag unethical breeders. The sire is from the Ukraine. She said she didnt register the litter but I could register her for about $100. This breeder is on Cape Cod and I sort of felt like I had found an good one. I was just surprised by the price. Also, she has copied the sires paperwork online and is available to see, its a Ukraine Kennel Union certified pedigree.. Someone made mention of a way to run the breeder through a "check" and i think I will do that.

Their site, does not impress...I see NO mention of Health Clearances or THEY actually doing anything besides importing Ch from other countries? I mean...what do THEY do personally to ensure the dogs are worthy specimens to be passing on genes? Health testing is a minimum requirement, really...and I don't even see mention of that? The sire if that is him...the male listed? He does not look to be a show type to me...and I am wondering what the other dogs pictures are there for...do they OWN those dogs or are those dogs related to the one they have or what?

I see a lot of coat tail riding going on....makes me wonder.

 $1600, really? Tootsie, a purebred corgi, AKC registered, parents were both Health Certified was only $800. I'd run.

 Considering French Bulldogs are a breed prone to health problems (right? or is that just English Bulldogs?), I would certainly want a breeder that did health certifications on its breeding stock. Not just "yes this dog is healthy," but tests for hereditary problems that could potentially be passed on to the puppies. For me, that would be the absolute minimum requirement for a breeder (but chances are, if they do health testing, they probably do other stuff, too).

If it were me setting out to get a purebred puppy, I would start at the AKC website and work my way from there.

What you (probably?) want is a show-quality breeder who is selling their not-quite-as-spectacular (too big, wrong color, whatever) dogs to pet-only homes. That way you get the rigorous, careful breeding practices (and excellent puppy-rearing practices) of a show breeder, without the price of a show dog. Plus, in the (ethical) breeder, you have a mentor for life if you need any help with the puppy.

tiffy

 $1600, really? Tootsie, a purebred corgi, AKC registered, parents were both Health Certified was only $800. I'd run.

French Bulldogs are much more expensive than most breeds. They usually can't breed or whelp naturally so the costs really add up. $1,600 is actually pretty cheap for a Frenchie.

The fact that the parents aren't registered and are imported are big red flags to me. Not that importing dogs is normally a problem, but with French Bulldogs there is a widespread problem with people importing unhealthy dogs from Eastern Europe. The article below is very informative and is written by a reputable French Bulldog breeder.

http://www.bullmarketfrogs.com/files_/puppy_brokers.html 

They have lots of other articles with really good information. French Bulldogs are prone to A LOT of health problems and there's no way I would buy one from somebody that didn't health test the parents. Here's an article with info on their health problems.

 http://frenchbulldogz.org/purchasing/health.htm

Edited to add, Jenparsons I think you have A LOT more research to do on French Bulldogs if you're surprised by the price tag. The going price of Frenchies is something that's general knowledge about the breed.

Luvntzus,

Thank you for those links, helpful articles. Sureis hard makng sure your doing the right thing when your heart is set on something. I am not buying a Frenchie at a pet store.I am not surprised that the price is $1600, just surprised a few things aren't a given at that price. like micro-chip,and AKC registration. She does offer a 2 year guurantee.

Why did my comment abover stike out like that? anyway, like I said, thanks for sharing those articles. I am not surprised at the price, just a few things not being included in that price made me feel uncertain. I have no experience with purebred dogs, except I know to stay clear of pet stores and mass production breeders.

That's weird that your post was crossed out, I've never seen that before! I hope the articles help and you're right that more should be included with buying the Frenchie pupy that you mentioned.

tiffy

 $1600, really? Tootsie, a purebred corgi, AKC registered, parents were both Health Certified was only $800. I'd run.

  The average price of purebred puppies varies greatly from breed to breed. It depends on a lot of things - average stud fees, how much health testing is done and how difficult it is to get the dogs bred and litters whelped. There are many breeds that you could not find a puppy anywhere for $800 and others where that is about the norm.

  I would suggest pasisng on this breeder though because of the lack of registation and lack of health clearances on the parents (if the breeder hasn't had that done). If you are going to spend that kind of money on a puppy, you should be getting a quality registered dog from a health tested background. I'd suggest you go with your gut on this, as you seem to have hesitations about the breeder yourself. You have gotten some good infomation on this thread as to how to find a breeder. Good luck with your search!

Hi Jenn,

I am a frenchie breeder. My average price for a pet puppy is $1200.00. That pup would be AKC registered, from parents that are champions, health tested and come with a guarantee. Pups I sell as pet pups MUST be spayed/neutered and are on limited registration. Limited would allow you to compete in AKC performance events.

A responsible breeder would have sent in the FCI paper work to AKC to have the dog registered as an AKC dog. Since she "does" breed she should have taken the time to do this to be able to sell her pups as AKC for the amount of money she is charging.

 I've looked at her site. The sire "Edgar" should be neutered and never bred again. He has NOTHING to contribute to the breed and does not come close to the breed standard.

 My suggestion, run and run fast!

If I can help you locate a breeder please let me know. Also have you checked into  http://www.frenchbulldogrescue.org/htdocs/available.html

Everyone,

We are definately moving on with patience until we find the right one. It took a close comparison to what other breeders are offering to see that this breeder's dogs fall very short. It's so easy to get caught up in the new litter excitement and feel lucky for getting first pick. Thanks all for your comments. We are in Seacoast New Hampshire if anyone has any suggestions.

Jennifer

Jen - my BFF lives in Manchester, NH and is a volunteer for the French Bulldog Rescue Network (the link that Jamie mentioned above), if you're interested in a rescue I can get you two in touch if you want.  I know you said you wanted a puppy, which can be relatively rare in rescue, but an 8 or 9 month old will have almost as much growing up with your kids time as a 2 month old.  I can see two in Maine, and two in Mass just at first glance... the two in CT are biters, and not reco'd for homes with kids.

Just to reitterate - this breed can have quite a number of health issues with indiscriminate breeding.  I'd def avoid a breeder who isn't health testing their Frenchies.