If you adopted/rescued your dog, please do not breed your dog, no matter how much you love him/her. It is not a dog that should be used in breeding because genetic history is unknown. Responsible breeders know the genetic histories of the dogs they breed inside out through multiple generations and make pairing determinations on a very big variety of factors. Genetic defects and traits can appear in even 4th, 5th, 6th generations (and further!) of dogs without any signs in prior generations. 1st generation - 2 parents. 2nd generation - 4 grand parents. 3rd generation - 8 great grand parents. 4th generation - 16 great great grand parents. 5th generation - 32 6th generation - 64 dogs! Same goes for buyers - don't buy dogs with unknown histories no matter how cheap they are. These dogs are bred because there is a market for it. Become an informed buyer. If you can't afford a $2000-$3000 dog, please think long and hard whether you're in a financial position to actually be able to take care of the dog in case something goes really wrong, including GENETIC DISEASES. A $500 or $1000 dog appears cheaper than a $3000 dog, but in the long run the veterinary expenses have a very good chance ending up bigger than the initial cost of that "expensive" dog because of the cheap dog's unknown genetic history. But when purchasing a decently-priced dog, you still need to be extremely diligent to position yourself to be able to make an informed decision and try to minimize the risk of paying $2000 for a dog that is not worth more than $500 based on its quality and health pedigree. Properly bred dogs also may have unmatched temperament, intelligence, and even personality IF the breeder's program placed conscious emphasis on such qualities. You'll never know what it feels to have a dog with these seemingly intangible traits unless you actually end up owning one. Yes, we know, everyone thinks their own AB is a genius, but all ABs level of intelligence is of course variable and not the same. Back to affordability, see this recent poll we did in our group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/americanbulldoggers/permalink/542969669235559/ Because vet care is so damn expensive in the US but is in no way superior to other countries, vet expenses are just huge. If anything, I believe the poll results to be skewed toward less expensive vet care because some people certainly may not be willing to publicly state that they ended having to spend a whopping $10,000 or $20,000 to treat their dog. Still, based on this unscientific poll, you essentially have a 1 in 6 chance of needing to spend $5,000-$10,000 for vet care. Another 1 in 25 chance of $10,000-$20,000. Nearly 1 in 2 chance of needing to spend over $2,000. Your dog got intestinal blockage from eating some household item like a sock? Expect to spend $4,000-$6,000 for the surgery to save the dog's life. Hip Dysplasia? The dog will suffer its entire life and will cost you thousands in surgeries and medications, not to mention your nerves and despair beside the obvious fact that the dog is an invalid. Cancer is genetic, there's a reason why the doctors ask your family history with cancer when evaluating your own risk. The difference of a $1,000 dog and a $3,000 dog becomes a lot less significant even IF the two hypothetical dogs had identical health outcomes, but realistically those outcomes can be drastically different because good breeders breed for health as an absolute. Health and temperament are the very top priority.
