Sister-in-law is getting a french bulldog puppy and am feeling very judgemental about it!

[Playmat]

From all I’ve read, this breed is riddled with health problems. And the mothers can’t give birth, they have to have c-sections.

I think my sister-in-law is being superficial to get such a breed. I think she likes them because celebrities have them.

I’m being a judgey cow, aren’t I? But who would get such a breed? It must be a vanity thing, right?

The problem is that these people aren't lifelong dog lovers. The obsession with sharing photos of their 'fashionable' pet tells you everything you need to know.

How can you tell someone has a dog as a fashion statement rather than being a lifelong dog lover and why does how long they've loved dogs matter?

I'm in my 30s and have only just been able to buy my first dog (toy breed but not pug nor dax nor French bulldog). I take/share pictures of her constantly because I absolutely adore her - do people only share photos of their children because they're fashion accessories too

I didnt get a rescue not because I'm a bad person but because I'd researched thoroughly what breed was best for my lifestyle and as a first time owner. I also wanted to avoid pugs and other dogs with issues as above.

So what should happen to the breed then? Let them die out?

Outcross to eliminate the brachy problems. Pretty straightforward solution, much like the purine issue in dalmatians.

I don’t understand why someone would deliberately choose a breed with known issues that renders it unfit for function. Surely it’s very distressing for the poor animal? And it’s not just dogs, but bunnies and cats.

Elbow and hip x rays ratings are available for a pp who mentioned dysplasia. This at least might help to eliminate a whole litter suffering. If the risk can be removed/reduced, then it should be. Deliberately breeding pups that will almost certainly encounter health problems in the future strikes me as cruel.

I think some breeders of brachy dogs are in it for the money (like other breeders) and aren’t in it for the improvement of the breed, which, imo, is the only reason anyone should breed.

Perhaps she doesn't know about the issues and you could mention it - in a non judgey way!

And unless all these "responsible breeders" on this thread have their puppies neutered before they sell them, then they're adding to the problem and encouraging puppy farming

If people discussed children like having breeds of dogs...no we don’t want a mixed race child, because you never know what you’ll get & I don’t want to deal with my mixed race child’s potential problems.

You say you aren’t comparing children and dogs, but this post says that you are and it’s a ridiculous comparison.

For those of you proudly declaring you bred your Frenchie, just why? I mean, why breed any dog? They don’t need to have a litter for their health and you risk them every time you breed. I just don’t understand why you would risk your pet. Oh, hang on, was it something to do with the ‘unaffordable’ price?

I’m very happy to pay for an extremely well bred puppy with health tested parents; the breed I like is about £1k for this, I’d happily pay more to try to ensure a healthy pup that could live a fabulous pain free life, doing what dogs love to do ie run round the woods like a loony.

LizB62A Most vets do no recommend dogs are neutered at a young age as they need to go through puberty and get all those hormones released into their system to develop in proper, mature adults. I'm sure there is a much better way of explaining that!

@krustykittens you are correct I think.

I know for girls you are supposed to wait for their first season.

I didn’t get a pet -I rehomed a dog who was going to be destroyed as pounds full and no room for him. Don’t actually like dogs that much but truly believe there is a very small line between feeling no empathy for animals and ultimately humans.

@krustykittens there's got to be a way though of stopping them breeding from the puppies.
You can imagine the thought process: "I've just paid 2 grand for this puppy, I may as well breed it to make some money"....

For all those that are saying it’s difficult to get a rescue dog, I don’t think it is unless you have really young children and/or work full time.

My youngest is 5 and I decided I either wanted a french bulldog or a pug (either full breed or cross) and it only took me 1 month of searching to get one through a rescue. It would take far longer to find a reputable breeder and wait for a suitable litter.

To be brutally honest, dog breeding as a whole regardless of breed is a disgrace in this country.

There is very little, if any, emphasis on creating temperamentally sound dogs which is in my opinion the most important thing.

The priority appears to be looks.

The poodle mixes are a great example.
Bred in droves for nothing more than their looks and the vast majority I have met are very unsound animals.
Alarmingly hyperactive with no off switch whatsoever at best, nervous and vicious at worst.

Most of the formerly generally healthy and of sound temperament working breeds have been completely ruined and are caricatures of the 'real' dog.

They don't look like the real deal and they sure don't have the real temperament in many cases but they are peddled as ideal family pets because the real version is apparently too wild and needs to work and unsuited for family environments despite a good working dog needing the ability to switch off and be of good stable temperament...

The flat faced breeds are in a league of their own.
They should all be neutered and allowed to die out in my opinion.

krusty, you’re right. Vets now almost all agree that dogs should be neutered once sexually mature as a normal doggy adolescence releases lot of growth hormones and it is thought that neutering interferes with this and can cause problems developmentally in terms of growth plates and final adult conformation.

How can you tell someone has a dog as a fashion statement rather than being a lifelong dog lover
Easy, ask them if their dog has health insurance and a regular vet and see how fast they block you.
See if they still have the dog and the same enthusiasm for it when its over 2 years old. Fashion statements don't usually make it that long.

With rehoming centres so full, I'd never buy a bred puppy. There's always a suitable pet if you take the time to choose carefully and put just as much work into socialising a rescue dog as a new puppy. I almost got talked into it by my husband as he was keen on a specific breed, but then a homeless cat turned up at our door the day we moved into our house almost four years ago, became part of the family and he doesn't like dogs at all so it'd be unfair to have a dog now.

A few friends have bought bred dogs and several of them have issues - dodgy stomachs that can't take anything other than freshly-cooked skinless chicken, skin problems galore, tiny, thick-as-shit 'designer' dogs with bollocks for brains and so on. It keeps the local vets gainfully employed, for sure!

@Krustykittens Most vets do no recommend dogs are neutered at a young age as they need to go through puberty and get all those hormones released into their system to develop in proper, mature adults. I'm sure there is a much better way of explaining that!

Testosterone in males helps to close the growth plates. Early neutering therefore may result in over leggy adults and may bring about cruciate problems. You don’t want this, TPLOs (operation to repair) is about £3k, then the second one usually goes too. Obviously, the dog may encounter cruciate problems anyway, but best to do what you can to keep them healthy/upright!

I've just checked my local RSPCA rehoming centre and they do allow people with children to adopt dogs - all the dogs are assessed to see if THE DOG would cope with being around children of a young age.

The breathing difficulties these breeds experience would warrant seeking urgent medical help in humans. Urgent as in 999, blue lights and sirens urgent. If you think it's acceptable to intentionally breed such animals - and that includes buying them - you're a twat, no other words for it.

To the defensive posters who PURPOSELY buy brachy dogs:
Do you not care that your pet has been bred to have breathing problems?

Easy, ask them if their dog has health insurance and a regular vet and see how fast they block you.

I was surprised when my vet asked me if I had insurance for my dog - it didn't occur to me that it was anything but a core cost of dog ownership.

They should all be neutered and allowed to die out in my opinion.

That’s ridiculously extreme. Outcross, as I previously posted, to make them healthier and able to breathe. The pug X beagle appears to be increasingly popular, aka the puggle. Bonkers cross, a scent dog that loves to gallop everywhere crossed with something that can’t breathe, but I see the point.

What happens to 'puggles' that dont inherit the longer snout of the beagles but get the flat pug face instead?

What cost is this tinkering for certain characteristics having on the dogs themselves?

That’s ridiculously extreme. Outcross, as I previously posted, to make them healthier and able to breathe. The pug X beagle appears to be increasingly popular, aka the puggle. Bonkers cross, a scent dog that loves to gallop everywhere crossed with something that can’t breathe, but I see the point

In their current format, most flat faced dogs are incapable of living as a 'normal' dog.

They can't breathe adequately, as a result of that they can't exercise to the extent they should be able to and their physiology puts them at direct risk of harm from others.

The eye placement means other dogs can misinterpret friendly expression as 'staring', the build of the body can make them appear to have a confrontational stance, the curled or practically non existent tails mean a vital visual barometer of mood is lost etc

Yes I absolutely think the flat faced dogs currently alive should be loved and cherished but they should all be neutered so when those dogs die no more replace them.

I am a big supporter of outcross but frankly, in order to outcross to remove the health issues in these dogs you'd end up changing the aesthetic of the breeds so deeply they would look like entirely different breeds.

I love dogs and for that reason I'll admit that I it saddens me whenever I see people buying "fashionable" puppies (any puppies for that matter) whilst there are so many gorgeous dogs sitting in kennels just waiting to be given a chance. I have young children and worked with a greyhound rescue to find two retired dogs who needed a home and could cope with kids. The breed wouldn't have been my first choice but they deserved a chance at a good life after the awful life they had before.

@LizB62A a reputable breeder will make you sign a contract to neuter / spay your pet. I did this with both my pugs. Such breeders do it as a vocation and out of a love for the breed, they don't earn money from it.

Generally I look down worse on people who don't neuter/spay than those who have pedigree dogs (or cats, I had Persians in the past too)

A while ago they had a feature on This Morning about brachy dogs. A "repetual" breeder sat with her dogs snuffling and snoring while a vet explained to her the dogs were suffering - he could hear it. She would not accept there was anything wrong with her dogs.

So I'm a bit jubiouse of all the posters who have managed to find the few frenchies without health problems.