I have been lucky enough to have had several breeds of dogs over the years and each one of them was a true blessing. i first saw a French bulldog in the mid 1980's and I was immediately captivated. I vowed that I would eventually get one, it took a lot longer than I expected but this breed  was definitely worth the wait. I meet many people who would love to get a Frenchie but it's simpy not within their budget to do so. There are honest, legitimate reasons why this special breed is so expensive, adding any dog to your life is a serious commitment. I urge people to not overextend themselves and to think about not only the cost of purchase but also that every dog deserves high quality food and vet care so please take those factors into account when making the decision to get a dog. There are often older Frenchies and rescued Frenchies that are much lower priced, every Frenchie is wonderful so keep an open mind if you truly want this breed but a puppy is out of reach.

The French bulldog has a very distinctive look that is irresistable to many of us. All purebred dogs have been manipulated by the hand of man to produce a certain look or to be able to perform a certain function. A Frenchie's sole purpose is to be the ultimate companion dog that comes in a wonderful small package. The creators of the breed wanted a smaller version of the English bulldog, a lap sized bulldog. English bulldogs were bred initially with the now extinct white terrier, other breeds were incorporated along the way. Frenchies are a brachycephalic breed which means that they have a flattened face. That affects many things from their breathing to their ability to cool themselves off. It also makes giving birth naturally nearly impossible. All the physical features that make the Frenchie so adorable are also responsible for making them very hard to breed and to whelp. They have to be bred through artificial insemination, that requires numerous progesterone tests to be sure that the timing of the breeding is right. It's expensive. When it's time for the puppies to arrive, a vaginal birth is rarely possible so it's time for a c-section. That's VERY expensive. Because of their head structure, Frenchie puppies are prone to certain problems during the first few weeks and that can be very expensive.

At Starlit Mesa we care very much about this breed and about the health and quality of the puppies that we produce. We don't take their price lightly and we care very much about pricing our puppies fairly. We have invested a great deal of money in top bloodlines that have produced excellence for many generations. We test for the six recomended genetic diseases, DM-SOD1-A, HU, CHG, CMR-1, Hereditary Cataract and Type 3 Cystinuria. We also test for Von Willebrands disease and Hemophilia A and B. We x-ray hips, spines and patellas and we also do yearly blood panels to insure that all internal functions are working correctly.  Every penny spent on our dogs give us peace of mind in knowing that we are creating puppies that are beautiful and healthy and will bring many years of happiness to their families. All of our puppies are fully guaranteed!

Our puppy prices start at $3000, show puppies are the highest priced and can go up to $5000. There are occasions when our prices are lower, older puppies may be under $3000, retired adult start at $500 and go up depending on their age. Our Frenchies are well worth every penny!

We would like to educate people about what determines a dog's value. There are 3 basic factors that should dictate value and prices. First is the dog's heritage, (bloodlines) top quality dogs come from generations of excellence. Second is a dog's health and the track record of health in it's bloodlines. Health tested dogs that are disease free and physically sound have greater value. Third is how closely the dog's physical structure and temperment adhere to the breed standard for their breed. A breed standard describes what each breed should look like and how they are built. It points out flaws that are undesirable and tells us about their temperament.

Too many people that are breeding French bulldogs have never even read the breed standard which is apalling and very irresponsible. It's not possible to make something correctly when you have no idea how it's supposed to be built. These are the kind of people that buy the cheapest dogs they can find and then breed them, never doing any kind of health testing. They have no idea what they are doing and they don't care, all they see are dollar signs. If the puppies that they sell get sick or have some kind of problem, buyers are on their own. These people often charge the same or even higher prices than I do!

The worst kind of breeders in this breed are "color" breeders. They breed to produce fur colors that are disqualified by our breed standard such as blue, chocolate, lilac, fawns and pieds of those varieties as well as solid black, black and tan, chocolate and tan and the very worst, merles. There is not a merle gene in French bulldogs so that color has to be created by breeding other breeds into their Frenchie lines. Merle Frenchies are never purebred, if they are papered, the papers are falsified. Color breeders are breeding solely for money. They must breed generation after generation of recessive genes to produce these colors. Recessive genes are weak genes and are responsible for most of the health problems in the breed. Colored dogs often suffer from skin disorders and auto immune diseases, they are ticking time bombs. If there is one thing every buyer should never forget its this: FUR COLOR NEVER DETERMINES A DOG'S VALUE AND SHOULD NEVER DICTATE IT'S PRICE. These colors are NOT rare, they are NOT valuable. These colors are dangerous to breed, the deliberate breeding of unhealthy dogs is immoral and cruel. All of the people that have had their heart broken watching their Frenchie get sick and die because of recessive genetic diseases can attest to that.

We urge buyers to choose their breeder and puppy carefully. Bargains in French bulldogs are rarely bargains, you get what you pay for. Be an educated consumer, be particular and expect the best. You'll want your Frenchie to live forever, of course dogs never live long enough but you can greatly improve the amount of time you have with your dog by investing in quality.

Frenchie fun!