Adoption v.s. Breeder?

[Cloudk]

Well, first off, hello everyone. My question, I'm looking to get my second bullmastiff. Had one a few years ago (now passed) my mom rescued from a BYB. Had to fight her neighbor for her food, all the fun stuff. Anyways, she was honestly one of the best dogs we've ever had. Did her bullmastiff job and scared the crap out of a guy who tried to break in! Anyways, so I was wondering if it's better to get from a good breeder or an adoption? I've owned rotties, and a bullmastiff (all perfect examples of the breed), so I know that they aren't easy, need excersize, good food, socialization, obedience training, good yard and so on. I don't forget the drool! I don't have a problem with quality breeders but obviously adoption is a great thing. Looking for a younger dog, female,(she'll be spayed), color isn't REALLY important, but it would be nice to have a few options. About me: I'm 22, had big dogs all my life, (first rottie puppy at 2) and money isn't really a problem, but nor do I want to spend thousands on just getting the dog. My husband is in the Army and I need a perfect compainion, and daily walking partner, yet will protect me while he's gone, all bullmastiffs i've met have been exactly that. Family dogs, yet will protect (very well), because of my experinces, I decided a bullmastiff would be the perfect dog for me. I also like rotties and pitbull-type dogs, but breed restricions will almost certainly cause problems. But I've wanted all three, so a bullmastiff is just great! I have alot of good obedience training, and work best w/ the bully breeds (gotta love their independance!) This will be my first dog to GET myself! I know it's ultimatly my decision, but I want opinions. If you have anything else you want to know about me just ask. I'll be happy to answer any questions! Thanks guys!

 

[Bentley]

I have a 2yr old adopted Bullmastiff/Dogue De Bordeaux cross who was rescued from a bad home which starved him and damaged his jaw. I got him at five months old and the starvation was such he struggled to walk across the room without becoming exhausted. I say all of this because it gives a history to the problems we had with him. We got hime socialized (eventually) and dealt with the health and dvelopmental problems that occurred from the dietary issues (he'd been eating grass to sruvive). I only say this because adoption can lead to unexpected issues and costs that getting a dog from a breeder may not. Saying that, however, the satisfaction I gain on a daily basis from seeing how well he's turned out is fantastic. I would overall recommend adoption or rescue but the impact can be higher than if you went to a breeder. Also, I don't know how things are in the USA but here in the UK you really have to watch for unscroupulous breeders when it comes to the mastiff breeds.

 

[lavajeep]

We bought both our Dogues De Bordeaux from breeders. The reasons we purchased from breeders rather than rescuing were multiple. First off, we couldn't find a puppy to rescue. Second, both times we were adding to our family, we had an older female dog who was picky about her dog siblings. Also, there are relatively few DDBs in rescue (thankfully!) and the ones that are wouldn't fit into our home (cats, multiple dogs, a small child, etc). On the other hand, we've adopted two pit bulls from a rescue group.

I don't think my family will be rescuing any more because we now have our (human) son. We can't risk bringing in a dog whose background we don't know, especially with the breeds of dogs that my husband and I enjoy having around. I'd love to be able to rescue all the homeless dogues and bullies in the world, but unfortunately, it seems that the bigger the dog, the more likely it wasn't raised/trained properly as a pup if it's in a rescue situation.

Our first DDB required bilateral TPLO surgeries which cost several thousand dollars. It just happened. It wouldn't have mattered if he was a rescue or bought from a breeder. We have had expensive issues with our rescues. One ended up having cancer and dying after several thousand dollars worth of treatment (unfortunately, cancer can happen to any dog, regardless of breeding). Amber, our current pit bull, has some psychological issues from her past and we've been working on them for over a year now. Lots of training, multiple vet visits to pin point the problem, behaviorist visits, different obedience classes, trying to find the right trainer and technique that works for her without causing her to shut down completely. She frustrates me on a daily basis, but I love her to bits and continue to hope someday she'll get her CGC.

I guess I'm just trying to say it's completely up to you what you want to do. There are pros and cons to both ways of acquiring a dog. Do your homework and learn as much as you can about the breeder or the rescue group you choose. Good luck!

 

[spiderbitten]

I do believe that any dog can develop issues, whether you've bought them from a breeder as a puppy, reputable or not, or get them from a rescue.

I have three rescued dogs right now - my pit bull is from a kill shelter, got him when he was a year old, and he is near angelic. He is people friendly, dog friendly, super obedient, and perfectly healthy. My male CC is from a no-kill shelter, I adopted him when he was 5 months old. He is people friendly, has mild DA issues, and is a bit neurotic and suffers badly from separation anxiety. My female CC was in a Cane Corso Rescue for a few months before I adopted her at about 2 years old. The rescue noticed no signs of aggression while she was there and said she was the sweetest thing ever - and she is, as long as you are not a man. The rescue is very reputable and all the volunteers and workers were awesome, but my point is that you really won't know about a dog's quirks until they've been in your home for at least 3 months. I love my girl to pieces and will do everything I can for the rest of her life to make sure she lives a safe and healthy life, but it's not what a lot of people would have signed up for.

I have often thought about buying my perfect 'dream dog' from a breeder, and I may yet someday, but I'm a rescuer at heart and do have a lot of personal satisfaction knowing that I saved my dog's lives.

On the other hand - my brother bought his Akita from a breeder, and that poor dog is just a mess. At 3 years old, she has very serious hip and leg issues so that sometimes she can barely walk, and is nervous-aggressive. She has literally broken out of his place twice (once she busted through a screen window and the second time the screen door) to attack dogs walking by, and has bitten one person (not attacked, but nipped hard enough to draw blood).

If you do enough research on a breeder, I do believe you can find good reputable ones that produce awesome dogs, but the bad kind of breeders are a dime a dozen, and no dog, even coming from a breeder, is going to be 100% guaranteed to be healthy, physically and mentally.

My personal preference is to adopt adult dogs - you already know what they look like as an adult, and what their personalities are like, for the most part. But, you will really never know how a dog will react in a situation until they are exposed to it. On the other hand, I do often look at breeders online and drool over their beautiful dogs.

Good luck, either way!

 

[Cloudk]

A very good friend of mine used to breed bullmastiffs, and still has all of her contacts. So if I was to buy from a breeder, it would be one of her friends. She wouldn't let me get a crappy dog. I have known her litarally since I was in my mamas tummy. I definatly trust her judgement. Still haven't decided yet. Found a rescue in my state, who has a dog that is exactly what I want but, it says she has mild DA. I am in the process of rescuing a mild mannered pit mix. No agression twords anything. Been attacked and ran away. Prey drive kicks in around cats, but most dogs do, so i'm not worried. But a "mildly" DA pup, wouldn't be the best companion for her in my opinion. So back to looking for someone else. She was very cute though.

 

[lavajeep]

I just want to share with you that the pit bull rescue I got Amber from was convinced she's DA (and they didn't even put "mildly" with it). Turns out Amber won't tolerate rude dogs and is great off-leash with dogs (and my dogs--I had 3 of my own when we started fostering her for the rescue). Amber was diagnosed with leash-reactivity by a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Minnesota. Reactive dogs are a lot of work and need lots of training, so even if the bull mastiff is just reactive and not DA, it still might not be a good match. I just wanted to point out that it's often hard to differentiate between reactivity and aggression.

 

[LisaLongw]

Sometimes getting a dog from a breeder is saving a dog. I got my Cane Corso from a lady who was a breeder. She kept him in a crate all night while she was at work and almost all day while she slept. He was 8 months old when we got him. He was skinny and scared to death. He barked at us the whole time we were there to look at him.It broke my heart. We have had him for 2 years now. He is still very scared of men especially. Kane follows me everywhere. In public he shakes like crazy but is slowly getting better. He actually lets people pet him sometimes. Our vet said that he may never fully recover. Time will tell. At home he is an AMAZING dog. He loves my kids and our other dogs. He is great with our jack russell and so gentle. We also have a 5 month old pitbull that he plays with. It is so sad that 8 months in one breeders care made him so scared!

 

[lavajeep]

It is so sad that 8 months in one breeders care made him so scared!

That sounds like an awful breeder. I'd check into reporting them. I don't know anything about Cane Corsos but I do know that the Dogue de Bordeaux society of the United States will provide a list of breeders who have been barred or suspended from their society, hopefully preventing people from supporting those breeders. Also the AKC and UKC has lists of barred/suspended breeders. If the breeder you got your baby from registers with either of those kennel clubs, I'd definitely share the news about them.