The bulldog market attracts brokers and scammers because the prices are high and buyers are usually buying their first one. You do not need expertise to protect yourself. You need a list of questions and the willingness to walk away from wrong answers.
Fourteen questions to ask
- May I see the mother? Not a photograph — a live video call with her and the litter in the same frame.
- What health testing has been done on both parents, and may I see the certificates?
- How many litters do you produce a year, and how many dams do you keep?
- Was this litter delivered by planned caesarean, and who performed it?
- At what age do puppies go home? Anything under eight weeks is a disqualifying answer.
- What vaccinations and deworming has this puppy had, and which veterinary practice did them?
- What does the health guarantee cover, for how long, and may I read it before I pay anything?
- What happens if I can no longer keep the dog in three years?
- Can you give me the phone numbers of two families who bought puppies from you?
- Is the microchip registered in my name, or yours?
- What is the puppy currently eating, and how much?
- What have you done for socialisation — what sounds, surfaces and people has this litter met?
- Is the merle status of both parents DNA-confirmed? (Ask this even if the puppy is not merle.)
- What is the total price, and what is not included in it?
Red flags
- Deposit demanded before you have seen the puppy live. A photograph is not proof of existence. Insist on a video call.
- Payment only by wire, gift card, Zelle, crypto or Cash App. Legitimate breeders accept methods with some buyer protection.
- Pressure and scarcity language. “Three other families are looking at her tonight” is a sales technique, not information.
- Puppies available immediately, in every colour, all year. Real programmes have gaps and waitlists.
- No questions asked of you. A breeder who does not care where the dog goes does not care about the dog.
- Reluctance to show the mother. This is the single most reliable indicator. Brokers do not have her.
- A price far below market. Nothing in this breed is cheap. If it looks like a bargain, it is a story.
- Stock photographs. Run a reverse image search on every picture before you send money.
- No written contract, or one that arrives only after payment.
- Shipping quoted by a third-party “transport company” that asks for extra fees after the deposit. This is the most common bulldog scam in the United States.
Green flags
- They ask you as many questions as you ask them, and some of them are awkward.
- They volunteer what the breed's problems are before you bring them up.
- They will show you the mother on a live call without being asked twice.
- They have a written contract and send it before any money moves.
- They take the dog back, at any age, for any reason, rather than see it rehomed by a stranger.
- They tell you when a puppy is not right for you — and occasionally decline a sale.
How to verify
Reverse image search every photograph. Ask for the veterinary practice's name and call it to confirm the litter exists. Ask for two buyer references and actually ring them — breeders who offer references expect this and almost nobody follows through. Search the breeder's name, phone number and email together; scam operations get reported quickly on breed forums and complaint databases. If any part of the story shifts between conversations, stop.
Common questions
Ask to see the mother on a live video call, ask for health testing certificates on both parents, ask how many litters they produce a year, ask what the written health guarantee covers, ask for two buyer references, and ask what the total price includes. A real breeder answers all six in a single conversation.
The clearest signals are a refusal to do a live video call with the puppy and its mother, payment demanded only by wire, Zelle, gift card or crypto, a price well below market, and pressure to send a deposit immediately. Reverse image search the photographs — stolen pictures are the most common tell of all.
Eight weeks at the earliest, and many breeders hold bulldogs to nine or ten. Puppies removed before eight weeks miss critical bite-inhibition and social learning from their littermates, and it is illegal in many US states. A breeder offering a six-week-old puppy is telling you something important about the rest of their practice.
Ideally yes, though many responsible breeders restrict in-person visits until puppies have had their second vaccination — parvovirus is a real risk to an unvaccinated litter and can be carried in on shoes. A breeder who declines a physical visit should still offer an unrestricted live video call. Declining both is a red flag.
It is common and it can be done safely, but only with verification: a live video call showing the puppy with its mother, a written contract before payment, a traceable payment method, the veterinary practice's name, and references you actually call. Never send a deposit on the strength of photographs alone.