How to Choose a Boerboel Breeder (and Avoid Scams)
A verification checklist you can actually run: registry lookups, OFA database checks, live video calls, and the red flags that mark a puppy scam. Written by a registered Texas breeder who would rather you verify everyone, including us.
Updated July 2026
The Short Answer
Choosing a Boerboel breeder comes down to verification, not trust. A reputable breeder holds a registry membership you can confirm yourself (SABBS or NABBR), shares health-test results you can check in the public OFA database at ofa.org, gets on a live video call before any money moves, and shows you the full contract before taking a deposit. And the fastest scam filter there is: a purebred, registered Boerboel puppy priced under about $1,500 in the US is almost always a scam.
Every check below runs in an afternoon, and each step uses our own program as the worked example so you can see what a passing grade looks like. Still deciding whether the breed (also called the South African Mastiff) fits your home? Start with our Boerboel breed guide.
The 6-Step Boerboel Breeder Verification Checklist
Run these in order. A legitimate breeder passes all six without friction; a scam usually dies at step one or two. None of them require anything more than a browser and a phone.
- 1
Look the breeder up in the registry
The two registries American buyers see most are SABBS (the South African Boerboel Breeders' Society, the breed's registry of origin, at sabbs.co.za) and NABBR (the North American Boerboel Breeders Registry, at nabbr.org). Ask the breeder for their membership number, then confirm it with the registry itself, not on the breeder's own website. Our SABBS member number is #0697860 and our NABBR number is #20135344; anyone can ask the registries to confirm them. A breeder who claims to be "registered" but cannot produce a checkable number has failed the very first test.
- 2
Demand health-test documents, then verify them at ofa.org
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals runs a free, public, searchable database at ofa.org. A real OFA certificate shows the dog's registered name and registration number, an OFA number, the specific test (hips, elbows, cardiac), the result or grade (normal hips come back Excellent, Good, or Fair), and the report date. Search the sire's and dam's registered names yourself. We publish our dogs' certificates as downloadable PDFs on each dog's page (see our males and females); every reputable breeder can at least email the documents on request. "Vet checked" is not health testing.
- 3
Get on a live video call, or visit, before any money moves
Photos and pre-recorded clips prove nothing. Ask for a live video call where the breeder shows you the puppy and its dam and responds in real time: have them say your name, or show the puppy next to an object you pick. Scammers stall or offer another recording; real breeders are glad a buyer is careful. Better still, visit in person; serious buyers are welcome at our place in Livingston, Texas.
- 4
Cross-check the pedigree
Ask for the sire's and dam's registered names, registration numbers, and appraisal scores if appraised, then confirm those details with the registry and in public pedigree records. Names and numbers should match everywhere they appear, including on the website of the kennel that bred the parents. Our stud Black Iron Amari (SABBS #435679, appraised 86.1%) was bred by Black Iron Boerboels, so his story can be checked against a second kennel's records, not just ours. Our bloodlines page lays out those connections dog by dog.
- 5
Read the contract before you pay the deposit
A deposit without a contract is a donation. The contract should spell out the price, the deposit terms, the health guarantee, what records come with the puppy, and what happens if something goes wrong. Ours is public at /puppy-contract and includes a 24-month health guarantee, and you can read every word of it before you send us a dollar. A breeder who will not show you a contract before taking money is a red flag, full stop.
- 6
Reverse-image-search the puppy photos
Stolen photos are the number one scam pattern: fraud sites lift pictures from real kennels and social media, attach a too-good price, and collect deposits for puppies that do not exist. Run two or three of the listing photos through Google Lens or TinEye. If the same puppy shows up on another website under a different name, location, or price, walk away and report the site.
One more free check: read past-buyer reviews under the kennel's name on Google. Ours are collected at /reviews, and our 4.9-star Google rating is verifiable on Google itself.
Boerboel Breeder Red Flags
Any single one of these deserves hard questions. Two or more together means walk away.
- Prices far below market: a purebred, SABBS-registered Boerboel puppy priced under about $1,500 in the US is almost always a scam, and some scam sites advertise puppies at $850. Health testing, quality food, and vet care make prices like that impossible for a real program.
- Payment only by Zelle, CashApp, or gift cards with no contract: those payments are effectively irreversible, and no legitimate breeder is paid in gift cards. Insist on a written contract before any payment.
- No health documentation: if the breeder cannot show hip, elbow, and cardiac results you can verify at ofa.org, the honest translation is that the testing was never done.
- Refuses video calls: broken camera, bad signal, "we only do photos," travel excuses. A breeder with a real litter can point a phone at it. A scammer cannot.
- Website photos that do not match: the same puppy at impossible ages, watermarks from other kennels, or photos that reverse-image-search back to someone else's site. Stolen photos end the conversation.
- Pressure to pay a deposit today: manufactured urgency ("another family is coming this afternoon") exists to stop you from doing the checks on this page. A good breeder wants you certain, not fast.
The price flag does the most work. Most well-bred Boerboel picks in the US run $2,500-$5,500, and the costs behind that number (health testing, registration, quality food, vet care) are why an $850 puppy cannot be real. Our Boerboel price guide shows exactly where the money goes.
6 Questions to Ask a Boerboel Breeder
Ask these on your first call. You are listening for specifics, documents, and numbers; vagueness anywhere on this list is information too.
1. "Can I see the parents' health-test results?"
A good answer is documents on the spot: certificate PDFs or OFA numbers you can look up yourself. Hesitation, or a story about results being "with the vet," is your answer too.
2. "What registry are you with, and what is your membership number?"
A good answer is a specific registry and a number, given without hesitation. Ours are SABBS #0697860 and NABBR #20135344.
3. "Can we do a live video call with the puppy and its dam?"
A good answer is yes, plus a concrete time. The dam should be on the property; if the breeder cannot show her, ask why.
4. "Can I read the full contract before I put down a deposit?"
A good answer is a link or a PDF within minutes, because the contract already exists and does not change per buyer.
5. "What happens if I can no longer keep the dog?"
A good answer includes a return or take-back clause. Reputable breeders do not let dogs they bred end up in shelters.
6. "Why did you choose this pairing?"
A good answer talks about temperament, health results, appraisal scores, and what the pairing is meant to improve, not just color and size.
What Health Testing a Boerboel Breeder Must Do
A Boerboel is a giant breed, and the testing below is the minimum a serious program runs on its breeding dogs. Each item produces a certificate with the dog's registration number on it, which is what makes it checkable.
- Hips (OFA or FCI evaluation): a radiographic screen for hip dysplasia, the best-known orthopedic problem in large and giant breeds.
- Elbows (OFA or FCI evaluation): the companion X-ray screen for elbow dysplasia, graded from the same imaging visit as the hips.
- Cardiac with an echocardiogram (OFA advanced cardiac): an ultrasound of the heart read by a cardiologist, which catches structural disease that a stethoscope-only exam can miss.
- DNA panel (Embark or equivalent): a genetic screen for breed-relevant inherited conditions that also helps a breeder avoid pairing two carriers of the same mutation.
This is the program we run: hips and elbows (OFA or FCI), OFA advanced cardiac with echocardiogram, and Embark DNA panels, with the certificates published as downloadable PDFs on each dog's page under our males and our females. Publishing the documents is rare in this breed; demanding to see them should not be. Whoever you buy from, verify the results at ofa.org before the deposit. If anything in the paperwork confuses you, our FAQ and phone line, (713) 817-4120, are open to any buyer.
Boerboel Breeder & Scam FAQ
How much should a Boerboel puppy cost?
In the US, Boerboel puppies from reputable breeders generally cost $1,000 to $7,000 depending on pedigree, health testing, and appraisal scores. Our own picks run $2,500-$5,500 with a flat $500 deposit applied to the price, occasional specials from $2,500, and rare colors above $6,000. Our price guide breaks down what drives the number.
Is a cheap Boerboel puppy a scam?
Below a certain line, almost always yes. A purebred, registered Boerboel puppy priced under about $1,500 in the US should be treated as a scam until proven otherwise, and some scam sites advertise puppies at $850. A legitimate program's health-testing, registration, and vet costs make that price impossible.
What is SABBS?
SABBS is the South African Boerboel Breeders' Society, the Boerboel's registry of origin in South Africa. It maintains the breed's studbook and runs the linear appraisal system, in which trained appraisers score adult dogs against the breed standard as a percentage. The Boerboel is also called the South African Mastiff. You can verify a breeder's SABBS membership number with the registry at sabbs.co.za.
Do reputable Boerboel breeders ship puppies?
Yes. Shipping by flight nanny or ground transport is completely normal and typically costs $500 to $1,500. Shipping itself is not a red flag; using distance as the excuse for why you cannot see the puppy live on video before paying is. Our shipping guide covers how safe transport actually works.
What should be in a Boerboel purchase contract?
At minimum: the price and deposit terms, a written health guarantee with its length and remedies (ours runs 24 months), the vaccination and vet records that come with the puppy, registration paperwork terms, and a return or take-back clause. Ours is published in full at /puppy-contract so you can read it before paying anything.
How do I verify a Boerboel's appraisal score?
Ask for the dog's SABBS registration number and its appraisal certificate, then confirm the details with SABBS. A linear appraisal score is a percentage awarded by a registry-trained appraiser who evaluates the adult dog in person against the breed standard; our foundation female Afrika Zimbie, for example, appraised at 87.7%. A score quoted with no registration number or certificate behind it is unverified marketing.
What is the most common Boerboel puppy scam?
The fake-website deposit scam: a site built on photos stolen from real kennels, prices far below market such as $850, payment demanded by Zelle, CashApp, or gift cards, and a puppy that never existed. A reverse image search on the photos plus a live video call before any payment defeats it almost every time.
Run the Checklist on Us
SABBS #0697860, NABBR #20135344, health certificates as PDFs on every dog's page, a public contract with a 24-month guarantee, and live video calls whenever you want one. Check everything, then see who's available.