The American bully is an extroverted, gentle, and loyal pet that is famous for its trustworthiness and patience with the children. The best thing about this dog is that it is a guard dog and would love to give its life in defense of the owner. American bully is available in several types and sizes, as it depends on the needs of the ones who want to adopt them. Micro bully is the most famous type that can have different coat patterns.
Although it is popular for its looks and miniature size, the chocolate Merle micro bully has a unique coat pattern that many people find attractive. There is no doubt that the chocolate merle coat is desired by many dog owners as well as breeders. Unfortunately, this type of coat pattern can be associated with numerous health issues, and this is the reason why the American Bully Kennel Club and other associations have not accepted it.
What is the Chocolate Merle Micro Bully Color?
The chocolate merle micro bully resembles quite a bit with the lilac tri merle, but keep in mind that its patches are much darker throughout the coat of the pup. Normally, a micro bully with a chocolate merle color comes with beige, lilac, and brown patches, but these are in the mottled pattern. It is worth mentioning that normally this type of dog has a brown nose with small patches of pink color, and the eyes can either be brown or blue.
It is an established fact that the chances of health-related issues with the chocolate merle dog can be quite high, and some breeders can have a hard time selling them. Some dogs are culled, and it happens a lot more than we can imagine. There are many who consider it to be a defective animal, but there are numerous enthusiasts who still go for it, and the unreputable breeders are always ready to sell it.
What Causes the Micro Bully to Have a Chocolate Merle Coat?
There are a number of experts who consider the chocolate merle to be a color, but one should understand that it is a specific gene mutation that actually alters the pigment of the micro bully’s coat. The main reason why the Merle coat is preferred by many dog owners is that this color is quite unique to each dog, and you will not be able to find two micro bullies with the same pattern if they come with the mutated Merle gene.
When the American bully dog containing the mutated merle gene is bred with the one that doesn’t have it, then the resulting pup can either be a chocolate, blue, or lilac merle and even a non-merle. When you breed one chocolate merle micro bully with another one, then, as a result, you will have many pups that would be chocolate merles, while some may also be called double-merles.
Although the situation is quite unfortunate, there are some breeders out there who are practicing it and providing what the chocolate merle dog enthusiasts expect from them. They don’t care about the consequences of creating such a breed and the health problems that such a dog would suffer from. One can find the American bully community having a raging debate because the Merle mutation is very dangerous for the micro bully.
Why Breeders Still Go for the Chocolate Merle Micro Bully?
Normally, a chocolate merle micro bully is created when two merles are bred in an accidental manner. Keep in mind that ignorance can never be an excuse, and the information that we get may not be complete. The majority of unethical breeders knowingly breed the merles so that they are able to produce the chocolate merle puppies of the micro bully for the coveted and unique coat color.
The breeders already know that the chocolate merle can have a great chance of having different health issues right from birth, and these include deafness, blindness, and other problems. This practice still persists, and the micro bully puppies that are born with disabilities are culled or sold to those who are not aware of the genetic predisposition to health issues.
Health Problems Associated with the Merle Coat
One of the main reasons why the chocolate merle micro bully is not acceptable is that the mutation and lack of pigmentation can lead to different health issues that you will see in this type of American bully. When a dog is born with the mutated Merle gene, there are sections of the coat that can be diluted because of lack of pigment, and it leaves patches on the original color of the dog.
An individual can locate these patches anywhere on the pup, as compared to the piebald canine that comes with patches on the body and head. Phaeomelanin and eumelanin are two pigments in the coat of a dog. When we talk about the eumelanin pigment, it affects colors like blue, black, and liver, which means that any part of the dog’s body can be affected, and therefore, it is merled.
It is important that the majority of merles don’t have any underlying health problems because of the merle gene, but the chocolate merles can be affected by many problems like sun sensitivity, skeletal abnormalities, cardiac abnormalities, and blindness. Some of these micro bullies may have little pigment, and because of this they can appear albino or white, and the unethical breeders sometimes sell them as special dogs to clients who don’t have much knowledge.
Final Thoughts
Although the chocolate merle micro bully is popping up as rare colored and unique dog, the merle color with any combination can be quite dangerous for any American bully. Some people believe this color is short-lived and will disappear shortly. Other than that, there are a number of responsible micro bully breeders who deliberately refuse to breed chocolate merle and don’t like to stud their pups to the American bullies that come with the merle mutation.
