flower, knny, you're 100% right about those concerns.
however, the first thing i did was ask about that kind of thing. i will get his registration, his papers, medical history, his pedigree, and have about two weeks to have him fully checked out after i take him home to make sure he's in good shape.
i called the breeders at home, and they said i can swing by if i want to and meet the parents as it were, so i'll do that at probably in the next month or so if i can get the time. they don't breed their bitches more than once a year, and each one only does a few litters before they get retired, so they aren't overbred.
it's a "store" yeah, but trust me it's far from, like, a pet city USA with dogs in little cages scratching at the glass. each one gets its own 5-6 foot wide open-top fencing area (with a few exceptions, usually the smaller guys). the dude who works there (a friend of the breeders) comes in at 10am, five hours before they open, so he can clean up all the areas, bathe the ones that need it, take them out, let them out for a while, etc.
i almost didn't go to these guys (go back to my other thread), but after talking to a few people who had worked with them including my cousin, i was convinced to give them a second shot. i grilled them, they grilled me (it turns out they're VERY proud of the purebred bullies), and i was impressed enough.
they aren't the only place to get a bulldog and at $2000 i'm not exactly bargain shopping. believe you me if it looked like this was a mill with those shitty surroundings i'd be taking my money elsewhere. that's far too much money to just drop down on a whim.
so yes, flower, the parents do live with the parents, as well as the puppies for the first 7-12 weeks of their lives. that was important to me too. but again, i won't know that for sure until i see it, so at some point i'll have to make that trip.
