Meet Ari Perez | French Bulldog Breeder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ari Perez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ari, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
To breed, Frenchies takes a lot of money, time, and effort because they cannot breed naturally typically. The breeding process is lengthy and expensive and takes a lot of knowledge to work through each step. Frenchies are required to be artificially inseminated, so you have to test ovulation, with progesterone testing, and once they have the right value, you artificially inseminate them with semen from the stud. The semen has to be manually collected from the stud and then inseminated into the female. Once that process is done, you have to do an ultrasound to verify pregnancy and get a puppy count, Lastly, Frenchies have to have C-sections, so timing these is important to make sure to not pull puppies too soon. Once Frenchie puppies are born, the breeder has to get up every 2 1/2 hours for the first three weeks to help Mom get all puppies latched and make sure they are all getting nice full tummies. Puppies should be weighed at every feeding to make sure they are gaining weight.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It all started back in 2014 when I purchased my first Frenchie. She wasn’t the highest quality or the coolest color, but she was a cute, smart, playful, comical Frenchie. Over the next few years, I bought another Frenchie to give her a playmate and instantly fell in love with the breed.

By 2016, I decided that I had an interest in breeding Frenchies, but wanted to make sure I was well-informed before taking the plunge. I did research for almost 2 years to learn what went into breeding with regard to time and money. After careful consideration and really doing my homework, I pulled the trigger and started breeding in 2018.

My goal was to produce not only high-quality Frenchies with regard to physical features but also provide my customers with dogs with great temperaments and lots of colors to choose from. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars building my brand and my program, making sure to invest in very high-quality Frenchies from reputable breeders.

I strive to provide excellent customer service to my puppy families and stud clients and really be there for them to answer any questions they have or overcome any issues that may arise in the most ethical way I can. I currently have 8 dogs in my program and 7 of them live in partner homes or guardian homes to be able to live a “pet” life versus a kennel life.

I always want to make sure my dogs are getting as much love and attention as they deserve and housing them all with me, would not allow for that unfortunately, so I see this as the best way to run my program. This breed continues to evolve year after year by adding in new colors or qualities, and although certain types of Frenchies may be the new trend, I stick to only striving to produce Frenchies with health in mind first. I love Frenchies for many reasons, but the things I love most are how much they make me laugh with their clown-like behavior and how attached they are to their owners, following them around everywhere they go and just really enjoying that companionship with their families. This journey has been incredibly fulfilling for me and to me, it never feels like work because of what a strong passion I have for the breed. I intend to carry on my program and continue to improve my lines for many years to come!

It has not been a smooth road as there are all kinds of hiccups that can arise. Anything from contracts needing to be adjusted to cover certain topics more in-depth, to losing puppies unexpectedly during the whelping stages. Breeding Frenchies is very very expensive and unfortunately, no matter how much you plan ahead financially for unexpected vet bills, they can add up quickly and really put you in a tough situation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Downtown Denver is where it’s at when it comes to eating spots! From small cafés, to fancy restaurants, they have it all! There are so many different cuisines to choose from and the nightlife has a lot to offer as well. Some of the places in Denver to visit that are notable, as far as outdoor adventures are The Denver botanic Gardens, the Denver zoo, Cherry Creek Trail, and more!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The Frenchie breeding community in general is very helpful to new breeders who are excited to begin their journey in the breeding world, and are excited to learn all the ins and outs of breeding. If it weren’t for my peers, I wouldn’t know everything that I do today and I wouldn’t be able to be as successful as I have been thus far.

Website: https://Columbineridgefrenchies.com

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/columbine.ridge.frenchies