The card collecting community is in an uproar after two dog breeders were caught offering to trade their French Bulldog puppies in exchange for Pokémon cards, highlighting a growing issue within the space.
One such breeder shown on a live stream at a convention and posted online by PICKLEQW33N, a trading card collector with Crimson Card Co. based in South Florida.
During the broadcast, Pickleqw33n remarked to her viewers that some collectors were so desperate to get an edge on the card market that they were even trading their dogs for the chance of scoring rare and profitable Pokémon cards.
Not long after saying this, an attendee walked up to her booth with a gaggle of French Bulldog Puppies, prompting her to give him a free Snubbull sticker.
“It’s for sale,” he told her, referring to the puppies. “I’ll trade ‘em for a card.”
“That’s crazy,” she replied. “Out of curiosity, what do you have them priced at?”
“$4,000,” the collector responded.
After turning down his offer, Pickleqw33n returned to her stream in shock, telling another person who was helping her run the booth, “What did I just tell you?”
“Dog breeders are bringing dogs to trade for Pokémon cards,” the other booth-runner explained.
“I think it’s unethical,” Pickleqw33n added. “Selling a dog like that — how do you know the person you’re giving the dog to is a good home? You’re trading cardboard for a living, breathing animal.”
As noted by Dexerto, this isn’t the only instance of dog owners offering to sell their pets for Pokémon cards; another incident has also sparked backlash online, captured by a card seller during a convention in late August.
French Bulldogs seem to be the prime target for this particular trend, as a seller with B&B Collectibles was also approached by a customer offering to trade a fluffy French Bulldog puppy in exchange for cards, or sell it for a whopping $10,000.
“I do them at every collector con. I got $12,000 in New Jersey,” the collector said.
These videos have sparked calls from players for conventions to ban dog breeders from bringing their pets into the venue, as well as concern from animal rights activists that this trend could compound unethical breeding practices and put the puppies in abusive situations.
“I hope he goes to a good home, because that is a horribly bred dog. Totally unethical breeding practices are required to get a dog like that,” one viewer wrote on YouTube.
“This is genuinely disturbing and disgusting that the guy wants vendors to blindly contribute to his backyard breeding,” another wrote.
“I’m sorry, but how are any decent show organizers also allowing this? Simply don’t let dogs into your card shows (except assistance dogs, obviously). Sure, it won’t stop dodgy dealings elsewhere, but this shouldn’t be happening at shows!” another urged on Instagram.
The Pokémon card craze is continuing to sweep the world, prompting card shops and even The Pokémon Company itself to take extreme measures against theft and scalping. Some Pokémon stores in Japan have implemented facial recognition software to discourage thieves, while some independent card shops have begun quizzing buyers to separate the real fans from those looking to make a quick buck.
Japan has even limited the purchase of certain Pokémon card packs to residents only, requiring a digital ID to get them in one of the first instances of such a protection in the TCG space within the country.
Image Credit: Unsplash.com: Karsten Winegeart / The Pokemon Company
Virginia Glaze
News Editor
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.