FORGIATI
AMERICAN BULLIES
Commonly Asked Questions
Information can be found below on the process of purchasing a puppy from us, our values, and information on the American Bully breed.
Interested in a Forgiati pup?
If you are interested in a puppy from us, here is what the process is typically like.
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You will typically be asked to fill out our puppy questionnaire. It will include questions about you and your family, goals for your breeding program (if applicable) and why you want an American Bully. If we feel like our puppies will be a good fit for you, we would then proceed to add you to our waitlist for a specific litter or just our contact list to inform you of any unannounced/planned breedings. (If we have already had a conversation with you, then an application may not be needed)
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Our waiting lists are now paid waitlists, and we ask for a minimum of $200 to reserve your spot on our waitlist for your pick of the litter. Once pregnancy is confirmed, a total sum of $500 down would be paid to continue reserving your pick (So if you initially put $200, a remaining $300 would be given at the time pregnancy is confirmed). All deposits/money paid towards your puppy are refundable if the dam does not take to pregnancy or your pick isn't born. (If you're on the waitlist for 3rd pick male and only 2 males are born, this would be when you are able to be refunded) This is to ensure seriousness and to guarantee we aren't turning away potential amazing homes for our puppies while your pick is reserved.
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Weekly pictures are posted via social media of the puppies. Videos will be sent to you at that time. Puppy picks are made at 6-8 weeks of age. If your pick puppy is not born/viable by 6 weeks of age, your deposit may be transferred to another breeding if your choice or refunded. (For example, if you have a deposit on 3rd pick female and only 2 females are born, you may choose to be put on the waitlist for a different breeding or refunded your deposit)
If you decide to have your puppy's ear crop done with us before he/she goes home to you, the total purchase price would be due at the time of ear crop service along with additional ear cropping fees (typically at 6 weeks of age). Puppies go home at 8-10 weeks of age.
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You are welcome to reach out for updates or if you have any questions, whenever you like. We like to remain on the same page as our buyers, so please do not hesitate to ask for clarification if something does not make sense or you'd like more detailed information.
Our Go Home Day Process
The night before you pick up your puppy, we will email you our "Go Home Day" email which will include a copy of our contract, a puppy socialization check list, several puppy raising documents to help you with potty training, trick/obedience training, and helpful information like what over the counter medication dogs can take and how much your puppy is eating everyday (and how often). We will typically plan to meet somewhere public close to Surprise, AZ 85374 (or in areas surrounding Phoenix if agreed upon otherwise)
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All of our puppies come with 30 days of Trupanion Insurance (health insurance), a "Go Home Day" (as mentioned above), link to our private Facebook group exclusive to Forgiati puppy owners to post their puppies and meet their puppy's family, a Go Home Gift bag which includes their registration papers (if applicable), insurance papers, vaccination information, a blanket that smells like mom and siblings, their favorite toy, food to last a few days, and a few other goodies!
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And last but certainly not least, life long support from us to you in raising and adding this precious member to your family. We are here for you with any questions or concerns you may have!
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We can't thank our "Forgiati Family" enough for trusting our breeding program and giving our puppies the best furever homes.
Is an American Bully the Right Breed for You?
American Bullies are described as confident and outgoing dogs who hold great strength for their size. They're typically very family oriented and versatile. It is important to ask your breeding questions about their bullies' bloodlines, because the breed has such a large gene pool many different bloodlines exhibit different traits. While still being the same breed, some lines may be more laid back and lazy couch potatoes while others may be more highly driven and require daily exercise to fulfill their needs. At Forgiati Bullies, we strive to breed for both. A versatile dog who can work and play then wind down with you when you want. Our dogs are athletic while still holding breeding type and proper physical bully traits. The goals for our productions is not to compromise breed type for athleticism.
Forgiati Bullies are bred with the goal of having sound temperaments around all people and family dogs. Although it is against the ABKC breed standard for a bully to have any dog aggression/same sex aggression, since this breed is still developing and in its infancy it is not uncommon for an American Bully to exhibit same sex aggression or become dog selective in stranger dogs they meet. The American Bully breed was created using foundational breeds who were genetically prone to dog aggression, so it would only make sense that many bully bloodlines still carry similar behaviors. American Bullies are a medium-large size dog but usually carry greater strength than their size. They require a natural human leader and experienced dog owner. They're prone to hip dysplasia, cardiac problems, allergies, and typically have a shorter live span compared to many other dog breeds.
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If this is not something you are comfortable with, we do not believe an American Bully would be the right fit for you.
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*Forgiati Bullies does not breed dog aggressive dogs/same sex aggressive dogs. However, we cannot guarantee your Dog will befriend all stranger dogs they meet. Genetics may play a role in a dog's temperament and behavior, but proper owner handling and socializing is just as important.
Transportation Options
Driving or flying with your new baby are the two options for transportation.
We are located near Phoenix, Arizona and the nearest airport is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
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We have a preferred transportation service we use, but if you choose to hire someone else or personally pick up your puppy, that works with us too!
Most airlines will charge a feee for your pup to fly back home with you, it's typically around $100 in addition to your round-trip ticket.
Your puppy will need to fly by 8 weeks of age as they will not fit under your seat in the cabin. We do not recommend shipping dogs in cargo.
What is a "Puppy Pick"?
A "puppy pick" is the order in which you and other buyers are going to choose your puppy. As the litter's breeder, we will help you choose a puppy that seems to best fit your lifestyle and needs based on your application initially submitted. At the end of the day, we do allow buyers to choose their own puppy though.
If you are on our waitlist for third pick male, this means you would get the 3rd overall pick of all of the males. So the person that has first pick male will be the first to choose out of all of the males, once their pick is done, the person that has reserved 2nd pick male will make their choice, and so on.
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Our puppy picks are done at 6-8 weeks of age, waiting this long gives you a better idea on what temperament and structure will be like with the puppy you have chosen.
What do Forgiati puppies come with?
When you purchase a dog from Forgiati Bullies, you know that your future family member was always our top priority. Our puppies are raised with the tools and resources that set them up for success. As their breeder, it is our job to try to produce the best puppy we can. This means a well rounded, nicely tempered, family oriented dog.
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Our puppies come from health tested parents who have some variation of OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) testing. This helps ensure we're only breeding to better the breed and plan to only produce offspring we anticipate will be healthy for years to come.
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Our puppies will come with their age appropriate vaccinations, deworming done several times, microchipped, 30 days of Trupanion health insurance, a Go Home Gift Bag, a contract that will include several guarantees, and optional ear cropping. Some puppies may also already be genetically health tested themselves.
The American Bully Breed Standard
"The American Bully should give the impression of great strength for its size. It is compact and medium/large size dog with a muscular body and blocky head. The American Bully should have the appearance of heavy bone structure with a bulky build and look.
The American Bully is a companion breed exhibiting confidence, a zest for life, along with an exuberant willingness to please and bond with their family, thus making the American Bully an excellent family companion. Despite the American Bully's fierce and powerful appearance, their demeanor is gentle." - ABKCDOGS.NET
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The American Bully comes in 4 recognized classes with ABKC. The pocket, classic, standard, and XL. At Forgiati Bullies we plan to breed Classics, Standards, and XLs. Contrary to popular belief, your bully's class is determined by their height, not by their weight. With the except of the classic vs standard bullies. Classic bullies are an amendment to the standard. They are within the same height as the Standard class, but hold less mass and lighter body frames while still exhibiting bully features.
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More in-depth information the American Bully breed standard can be found at https://abkcdogs.net/breeds/breed-1/
What is Health Testing?
In short, health testing are tests performed on prospective breeding dogs before they are bred to ensure we are not breeding any known health conditions not accepted for the breed that can be inherited and that we can test for.
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Breeders health test to ensure they are doing all they can to create a strong and healthy bloodline. The Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) is a health database sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).
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The American Bully breed does not have a breed club, which would give us a list of recommended health screenings to check for breed-specific health concerns. In general though, at this time it is recommended to do genetic health testing along with hips, elbows, and cardiac testing.
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Overall, health testing is a tool. It is not black and white. With a new and under developed breed like the American Bully, currently out of the 555 bullies with OFA hip testing, 42.9% are abnormal/dysplastic and out of the 508 with OFA elbow testing, 38.4% are abnormal/dysplastic, according to Orthopedic Foundation for Animals https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=AB
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This is why you may see many bully breeders continue to breed a dog with "failed" scores. The sad truth is, the American Bully breed is still in its infancy. Meaning, most of the kennels who have health tested are still the first generation in the pedigree who have begun testing. If we eliminated all bullies who failed OFA testing, this would diminish our breeding pool incredibly. The most important thing is that breeders are being responsible in how they breed their dogs whose tests are less than desired. All breeders should be breeding to better the breed. This means only breeding to dogs who have hip/elbow testing themselves, or studying the pedigree to see if the dog who is not health tested is more prone to genetic dysplasia. Also, we believe that a dog whose health scores are considered "failures" should check the boxes in mostly all other aspects. They must contribute something the gene pool lacks, because while it is still technically "acceptable" to breed failures, it does not mean all dogs should be bred.
At Forgiati Bullies, we choose not to breed dogs whose PennHIP scores are anything over .67 or Grade II Elbow Dysplasia.
*All information in this section was last updated as of 07/17/2023. Please reference to other reputable sources for health testing information if this content is outdated, although we work hard in keeping all information up to date at all times
Guardian Home Program
To give our breeding dogs the best lives possible, we decided it was necessary to limit how many dogs we keep in house. This ensures all of the dogs in our care are given the proper amount of attention and exercise needed on a daily basis. However, to continue our breeding program we also understand we need to keep more dogs within our breeding program.
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This is the reason we offered our guardian home program. A guardian home family is essentially a person/family who receives a Forgiati puppy at no cost. In return, we retain breeding rights on this male/female for 1-3 litters (or as needed for stud services). This guardian dog will stay with you as your family companion and pet for their entire life, and we may breed the dog when he/she reaches sexual maturity and is evaluated to see if they are what we could consider breeding quality.
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Guardian home families would be responsible for any of the dog's non-reproductive related care. This would be routine vaccinations, grooming, and food. We would be responsible for any and all reproductive related cotsts. Once the female is bred, she will stay with her guardian family until 10 days prior to her due date. She will then give birth and raise her puppies in our home, and will be returned to her family once puppies are weaned/8 weeks of age.
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Guardian homes are a great opportunity to own a wonderful dog at a more affordable rate, and you'll also be able to see how your own dog has blessed the lives of other people, who get to share a piece of your beloved family member while keeping our breeding program going with the next generation of Forgiati Bullies. Once your guardian dog's breeding "career" has been completed, we will spay/neuter them at no cost to you.