French Bulldog

[Manyandyoucanwalkover]

I was very sad to see a poor flat faced dog win the utilities section. There were so many lovely dogs in that section, with long faces. A dog who can actually breathe properly with the right shaped face, should have won. Crufts is the biggest dog show in the world and it’s utterly shameful that they are promoting dogs who can’t breathe properly.

It’s a shame that any dog isn’t healthy.

It's genuinely great that your dogs are healthy.

But you're in denial about the breed in general The average life expectancy for a French Bulldog is now a very depressing four years old.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2318084-french-bulldogs-are-the-shortest-lived-dog-breed-in-the-uk/

Agreed :( We we’re just moving past the hype and the public was becoming more educated

In fairness, a lot of the stuff I've read online about the Crufts win has been pretty negative - most people don't seem to agree with it, which is quite refreshing.

You are the one being ridiculous in the face of overwhelming evidence about the horrible health problems brachycephalic dogs endure.

So you've struck lucky and have a couple that you say can run around on the beach for 2 hours. That's not a very big sample size now is it?

Why on earth would anyone support the on going breeding to dogs with significant health problems with breathing, in my opinion it is cruel to do that to another living breed and subjecting them to a life where they can't even breath.
To clarify I do have a dog myself but, with a nose.

I was shocked when it won too. I wonder if the judge's reasoning for the win was that there are so many deformed backyard bred frenchies out there, cherry eye, giant heads on tiny bodies, buckled legs, merle bred in etc. and compared to them this one seemed healthy. But it does have a completely flat face, which is a major deformity in itself.

I realize that this dog passed a vet check, but I am still horrified that this dog will be coming forward on Sunday for the best in show line up.

The vet checks they have introduced make me so angry. How many dogs are continuing to be breed that don't pass the breathing test? Why is it continuing to promote dogs being bred that might struggle to do the most basic of things - breathe! All the deformed dogs should be banned and removed from any public displays and the health of dogs promoted first and foremost.

frenchies, pugs, bulldogs, GSD with sloping backs, CKC, dachshunds, basset hounds, ridiculously impractical hairy dogs.............the list is endless, should all be banned from the shows.

But then their freak show for the pretend dog lovers would be a bit boring wouldn't it.

Judge breeds brachys. Theres also been a decline in registration and popularity of some of the brachy breeds…coincidence?

A good frenchie is still a terrible example of a normal dog. The spine, overcrowded mouth, that horrible ‘nose rope’ for infection to get trapped in, 0 nostrils at all, not even a hint of a tail.

I was disappointed to see Frenchie with barely visible nose, I'd have liked to have seen others in Eltons class as to whether this is typical as years have passed since BOAS issues were raised about pugs, bulldogs, frenchies and Pekingese and for this one to win suggests breeders/judges still opting for very flat faced dogs, so what is the incentive for breeding longer muzzles?

I caught the C4 interview with the vet doing the airway check which Kennel club will be making compulsory but not sure why this isn't a welfare check already. I assume they have to declare any BOAS surgery. Elton had passed that test at least, but I don't see how such a flat face isn't still detrimental to health.
My dogs physio/hydrotherapist sees loads of frenchies for spinal issues, the lucky ones get ops so perhaps they should also be keeping an eye on that. Only other in such high numbers is the Dachshund sadly another deformed breed to become very popular ☹️. It's the shape of them that predisposes issues, the short, screw tail or long back in daxie.

A lot frenchies public buy aren't KC reg like the fashion for rope noses, fluffy, bald, in range of non KC allowable colours. Loads of these are then end up rescue when owners can't afford the inevitable vet bills. I know quite few people who have taken frenchies on as rescues, some as pups as had cleft palate and needed hand raising. Some of the prob non pure frenchies sometimes lucky with longer muzzles and better body shape

The vet presenter did an interesting bit about body scoring and the 5 or so show dogs used as examples unsurprisingly looked to be a healthy weight. The Goldie in gundogs looked bit podgy to me, I was glad the Weimaraner won as he looked in great physical condition.

I agree OP, it’s wrong. I’m not surprised though. Crufts/The Kennel Club are an irresponsible organisation with dodgy people and decision making. They’ve managed to convince people they’re not.

Theres also been a decline in registration and popularity of some of the brachy breeds…coincidence?

It has been great to see the registrations of Frenchie's have halved over the last couple of years (from 54k in 2021 to 26k in 2023), Pugs (<2k in 2023, from the peak 10k in 2017) but they still have a long way to go.

Hopefully that means the followers of fashion have moved onto something equally ridiculous but less cruel such as bleaching their own eyebrows!

I agree, but I don't think Crufts exactly celebrates good dog ownerships in general. When I went, most dogs had choke chains, were pulling their owners around, and a significant proportion of the owners looked like they'd struggle to walk for an hour.

We have 3 and they all run about for hours in the woods , no issues with breathing! Currently snoring on the sofa happy as Larry! I know a fair few people who own , now and previously very healthy dogs. The sad part is that the breed has been changed so much over the years and bred for greed and people buy them without research. It's sad and needs to be regulated more. Upsets me that people like you and me are tarred with the same brush as irresponsible/ uneducated owners. The dogs health is paramount. I just wish potential owners were more deserning , did their research so that the breed can continue with healthy dogs and that backyard breeders out to make money are weeded out.

If French Bulldogs were healthy then vets wouldn’t need to do the amount of surgeries they do to help them breathe.

I find it hard to believe that owners of these breeds are the animal lovers they claim to be. If you genuinely loved animals you wouldn’t get a breed that suffers. There are so many other breeds to choose from.

The Crufts Frenchie didn’t shock me, just sad. But people believe KC=health and quality when that’s just not true. Working versions of breeds are far healthier than show standards.

Very few owners, if any, admit their French bulldog has breathing difficulties. They can all run around for hours without issues. 🙄

I find it hard to believe that owners of these breeds are the animal lovers they claim to be. If you genuinely loved animals you wouldn’t get a breed that suffers. There are so many other breeds to choose from.

I agree.

The RVC did some research about brachycephalic dogs and their owners and the cognitive dissonance was quite something.

They surveyed over 2000 owners and over 70% of them believed their dog to be in "very good health", despite quite clear evidence to the contrary. It's scary.

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/research-centres-and-facilities/rvc-animal-welfare-science-and-ethics/news/love-is-blind-many-owners-of-short-muzzled-dogs-are-strongly-bonded-to-their-pets-but-unaware-of-health-problems

@babybirdsmomma
It's sad and needs to be regulated more. Upsets me that people like you and me are tarred with the same brush as irresponsible/ uneducated owners

I think if you truly care about dogs health, then you wouldn't own a frenchie or any other brachycephalic and extremely deformed dog breed.

There is plenty to choose from that are similar in size, wight and temperament.

I find it hard to believe that owners of these breeds are the animal lovers they claim to be. If you genuinely loved animals you wouldn’t get a breed that suffers. There are so many other breeds to choose from.

This, this and this again. Honestly it's beyond ridiculous that people who own these dogs think they are animal lovers. These dogs live short miserable lives and anyone who owns one is part of the problem.

It's scary, but I can absolutely believe they're in denial about their dogs. I have a relative who had shih tzus. Neither dog lived past 7. She thought the noises they made were cute. Oh and the fact they couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes without needing a rest was apparently a good thing, because she didn't want to spend hours a day walking a dog.

This, this and this again. The unbelievable denial/ ignorance/ turning a blind eye of the owners of these breeds is absolutely staggering.

But then admitting you’ve bought a dog that’s a genetic freak, is admitting that you are part of the problem 🤷🏽‍♀️

Yes, and obstructed airways snoring is just so cute!

The level of delusion about Frenchie's as a breed and their health issue in the face of irrefutable evidence is perplexing. It is comparable to XL bully owners who otherwise appear as reasonable people but are deluded about the dangers their dogs pose.

Both believe they are the dog experts and know more about dogs than the professionals. I wonder if French bulldog owners stand shoulder to shoulder with XL bully dog owners or if their loyalty only extends to their own mutant breed?

I don’t show my dogs, but I do show and compete my horses both at local and national level.

If someone walked a horse into a ring that was snorting, snuffling and gurgling along whilst it tried to breathe; or trotted in with it’s back end collapsing under it- they’d be sent straight out of there post haste. It absolutely bemuses me that dogs like this are allowed the time of day on a national public platform.