Choosing a Breeder
Why It Matters
Before we started breeding Frenchies, our family always adopted. We truly believed it was the only “right” way to welcome a dog home. What we didn’t realize was that by only supporting rescues—and not also supporting ethical breeders—we were indirectly feeding the same cycle of irresponsible breeding that sends so many dogs to shelters.
Unethical breeders and puppy mills exist because there’s a demand for cheap puppies and a lack of education. Real change happens when both breeders and buyers raise their standards.
Poor breeding practices are a major reason so many animals end up unwanted. Some breeders overuse and abandon their dogs, some breed unhealthy or unstable animals, and some owners surrender puppies from accidental litters.
As responsible breeders, we at PEERLESS choose to be part of the solution. We breed to improve our own program and the Frenchie breed—not to chase demand. We whelp no more than two litters a year and often skip years entirely. Our females are bred three times or less. This means fewer puppies, but far more time, care, and love for each one.
We are deeply committed to placing every puppy in a safe, permanent home. The Frenchies we produce will NEVER be allowed to end up in shelters or rescues. Breeders who take back their dogs when a home can’t keep them are one of the fastest ways to make rescue less necessary.
Where you get your dog matters. We want our puppy families to understand that supporting good breeders is essential to the well-being of all dogs. Shelter and rescue animals absolutely need homes, but they shouldn’t be the only option. The best approach is to “adopt AND shop responsibly.”
To learn more about the different types of breeders, please continue reading below.
Why isnt PEERLESS a member of the FBDCA?
FBDCA VS FBDFA
The French Bulldog Club of America (FBDCA) is the oldest French Bulldog club in the world and sets the official American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard for conformation shows.
That standard does not currently recognize some recessive colors we occasionally produce, even though these colors have always existed in the breed. Changes to the standard tend to follow the political climate within the club. Until that changes, we cannot join the FBDCA while remaining committed to breeding without color prejudice.
Peerless French Bulldogs is instead a proud member of the French Bulldog Foundation of America (FBDFA), an organization we consider far more valuable to the breed. The FBDFA provides education, health testing clinics, and outreach that support both breeders and owners. They do not discriminate based on color; their motto is “Include, Improve, Inspire.”
A true breed club should represent the entire breed, not only dogs of certain colors. Years ago, the FBDCA began an "anti-color" campaign and harsh policies for their members forbidding even any association with non-breed standard colors. Their policy has been dictated entirely by bias, as there are no health concerns tied to non-breed standard recessive coat colors that cannot also be found in standard coat colors (e.g. alopecia, digestive issues, BOAS, etc.). Today, AKC registrations from FBDCA members account for only about 1% of all French Bulldog registrations each year. French Bulldogs have been the most popular breed in the U.S. for multiple years, and most of these dogs are non-standard or non-recognized colors. As a result of their discriminatory policies, the FBDCA has limited connection with, and influence over, what has now become the majority of the breed, effectively abandoning any hope of managing it or improving it in any meaningful way.
The French Bulldog Foundation of America excels where the FBDCA falls short. By embracing the full spectrum of the breed, regardless of color, they help guide French Bulldogs toward better health and longevity. We strongly support their advocacy for ethical, health-focused breeding and are honored to belong to an organization that prioritizes the long-term well-being of the breed without color bias.
Puppy Mill
A puppy mill is what the Humane Society accurately describes as an “inhumane high‑volume dog breeding facility that churns out puppies for profit, ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers.” Dogs from puppy mills are often sick, poorly socialized, and raised in substandard conditions.
Puppies sold in pet stores almost exclusively from these facilities. Their parents are typically neglected for their entire lives, and the puppies are offered with no meaningful health testing or health guarantees. Reputable breeders will NEVER sell puppies to pet stores.
Puppy mills periodically make headlines when they are shut down and the severe overcrowding and filthy conditions endured by these dogs are brought to light.
Backyard Breeder
Backyard breeders are only a small step above puppy mills. While they may not face the same overcrowding issues, their dogs often fare little better in terms of health and overall welfare.
Backyard breeders typically have little to no knowledge of the breed standard, do not health test or show their dogs, rarely conduct thorough screening of potential homes, and make breeding decisions without regard to health, temperament, structure, or long‑term impact on the breed.
Backyard breeders are breeding for the wrong reasons—for example:
- Wanting a female dog to “experience motherhood”
- Producing “oops” litters from intact pets
- “Color chasing,” where breeding choices are based mainly on producing certain colors
“Fad breeders,” also known as “greeders,” are a subset of backyard breeders whose primary motivation is profit. They chase whatever trend commands higher prices, often engaging in unethical crossbreeding and falsifying pedigrees (for example, marketing “hairless,” “floodles,” “wire hair” Frenchies, “big rope,” “velvet,” “koi,” and similar gimmicks). They also frequently sell breeding rights irresponsibly to maximize income.
Their disregard for correct conformation and health is usually obvious. It often appears as “extreme” body types—muzzles, legs, or backs that are so short they impair function, or so long that the dog is barely recognizable as a French Bulldog. At one extreme, “overdone” dogs may show clear issues such as BOAS, limb deformities, hydrocephalus, wry mouth, or severe strabismus (wall eye), which are ignored in favor of a certain “look.” At the other extreme, some may health test but produce dogs so lacking in true breed type that they no longer reflect the defining traits of the French Bulldog.
Commercial Kennel
Commercial kennels can, in many cases, be well‑run facilities. Dogs are typically healthy, housed in clean conditions, groomed, well fed, and provided with regular veterinary care. The breeders who operate these kennels are often experienced, knowledgeable, and capable of producing quality animals.
However, commercial kennels frequently fall short in terms of environment and daily life. Dogs stil spend most of their days kennelled and may receive limited one‑on‑one interaction beyond grooming, basic care, and occasional handling for conformation shows. In some working or sporting breeds, staff may provide regular training, but this is not the same as living in a home.
Compared with dogs raised “underfoot” by a hobby breeder, kennel‑raised dogs may miss out on the consistent socialization and family integration that support stable temperaments. Ultimately, in a commercial setting, breeding dogs are often treated primarily as business assets rather than true family members.
Hobby Breeder
This is the category Peerless French Bulldogs is proud to belong to. As the term “hobby” suggests, hobby breeders do not rely on breeding as a primary source of income; they breed out of passion. This matters because we are never pressured to breed to “pay the bills” and can make decisions based solely on what is best for our dogs and the breed.
Hobby breeders invest time in understanding pedigrees and the official breed standard. We work to follow the “blueprint” for how the breed should look, move, and behave—aiming for a balanced dog where no single feature is exaggerated and all traits work in harmony.
Hobby breeders also tend to keep a small number of dogs, usually living in their homes as family members, as we do. A responsible hobby breeder will provide health guarantees and clear contracts to protect the long‑term well‑being of every puppy they produce.
At Peerless, we provide a one‑year health guarantee against life‑threatening congenital diseases and conditions that severely affect quality of life. We carefully screen all prospective pet homes, and if any of our families are ever unable to keep their Frenchie, our contract requires that the dog be returned to us so we can place them in another excellent home.
We also encourage our buyers to stay in touch and share updates throughout their dog’s life. Our goal at Peerless is not only to produce the highest‑quality French Bulldogs we can, but also to offer lifelong support to all who join our family by welcoming one of our puppies into their home.
Do Certain Coat Colors Reflect on a Breeder’s Ethics?
Although we agree that prioritizing color over all else is unethical, we do not believe that producing or breeding a dog in a naturally occurring, but non‑standard, color is inherently “unethical.” That view is narrow and does not serve the long‑term interests of the breed. Ethical breeding must place health first.
It is short‑sighted to discard excellent dogs—who could significantly improve the breed—based solely on coat color, a trait that does not affect health in French Bulldogs and can be brought back into standard within a single generation.
Coat color is largely a matter of breed politics. The standard has changed many times in this area and will continue to evolve. It is one of the least consequential traits and should never be the primary focus or a barrier to preserving and improving the breed.
While we do occasionally produce colors outside the current standard, color is never our priority. It does not deter us from our core goal: producing the healthiest, soundest French Bulldogs we possibly can.
