Everyone loves French Bulldogs. But behind those bat ears and flattened faces lies a reality many people never see: countless dogs struggling to breathe, regulate their body temperature, exercise normally, or even sleep without distress.
In this episode of The Animal Advocate, host Penny Ellison examines how selective breeding for appearance—rather than health or function—has reshaped some of our most popular dog breeds in ways that cause lifelong suffering. Using French Bulldogs as a case study, the episode connects history, genetics, shelter dynamics, and law to ask a difficult question: when does “cute” cross the line into cruelty?
This is not an episode about shaming dog owners. It’s about understanding how we got here—and how informed choices can begin to reverse the trend.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What selective breeding is and how the shift from breeding for function to breeding for looks has harmed dogs.
- Why flat-faced breeds suffer from Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and what those “cute” breathing sounds really indicate.
- The cascade of related health problems, including eye injuries, dental disease, heat intolerance, sleep apnea, and reproductive failure.
- How bulldogs looked in the mid-1800s compared to today—and what that transformation reveals.
- How other popular breeds, including Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Dachshunds, are also paying the price of exaggerated traits.
- The shelter paradox: why flat-faced dogs are adopted immediately while healthy mixed-breed dogs wait months.
- How countries like Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK are responding with stronger legal and regulatory tools.
- What individual dog lovers can do—right now—to reduce demand for harmful breeding practices.
Key Takeaway
We created these breeds, and we can change their future. Every time we choose health over appearance, share accurate information, support responsible breeding practices, or choose to adopt, we help move toward a world where loving dogs doesn’t mean condemning them to struggle.
Episode Highlights
00:00 – The French Bulldog crisis and why popularity hides widespread suffering
01:25 – Why flat-faced breeds appeal to us and what their daily struggle looks like
02:11 – Selective breeding explained and how exaggerated traits take hold
03:40 – The historical shift from breeding dogs for function to breeding for appearance
04:34 – Genetic consequences for purebred dogs, including disease and shorter lifespans
05:04 – What Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is and why breathing is compromised
05:38 – Health problems beyond breathing, from eye injuries to heat intolerance
06:21 – Why many bulldogs cannot mate or give birth without surgical intervention
07:23 – Serious inherited disorders affecting other popular breeds
08:12 – The shelter paradox and its role in overcrowding and euthanasia
09:06 – What U.S. law does—and does not—regulate when it comes to breeding
10:12 – How other countries are addressing harmful breeding practices
11:09 – Why awareness and consumer choice can shift demand
12:53 – Q&A: Guidance for people who already love a French Bulldog
14:23 – Practical advocacy actions anyone can take
Resources Mentioned
British Veterinary Association — Breed to Breathe campaign
UK End the Trend campaign addressing brachycephalic dogs in advertising
Can the Bulldog Be Saved? — New York Times Magazine feature on the historical transformation of bulldogs
Transcript
What if I told you that America’s most popular dog breed can’t breathe properly, can’t mate without assistance, and can’t give birth without surgery? And that we did this to them on purpose because we thought it looked cute?
Welcome to the Animal Advocate, where we arm animal lovers with the information and inspiration you need to become effective advocates. I’m your host, Penny Ellison, and I’ve taught animal and advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania since 2006. If you’ve ever thought someone should do something about that, I’m here to guide you on your journey to being that someone. You can find us on the web at animaladvocacyacademy.com and that’s where you’ll find show notes and resources. And you can send us your comments on episodes and ideas for topics you’d like to hear on future shows. So, on to today’s topic.
Today, I want to talk to you about something that might make you a little uncomfortable. If you’ve ever stopped to admire a French bulldog on the street, or cooed over a pug’s wrinkly face, or thought about adding a flat faced dog to your family, this episode is for you. Because what I’m about to share changed how I think about these dogs and the choices we make when we bring them into our lives.
The French bulldog just claimed the title of America’s most popular dog breed for the third year running. Now, this is according to the AKC, so it excludes shelter and rescue dogs, but among dogs registered with the AKC, they are the most popular. They dethroned the Labrador Retriever who held that spot for 31 years. And I understand the appeal. Those bat ears, that compact size, that goofy personality. But here’s what most people don’t know when they fall in love with that face: many of these dogs struggle to breathe every single day.
We’re going to talk about selective breeding. What it is, how it’s created dogs that suffer because of the way they look and what we can do about it. And I promise, by the end of the episode, you’ll have concrete actions you can take to be part of the solution. \
Let’s start with the basics. What is selective breeding? It’s the process of intentionally mating dogs with specific traits to reproduce those characteristics in their offspring. Humans have been doing this for thousands of years. We bred dogs to help us hunt, to guard our homes, to herd our livestock. We selected for speed, strength, intelligence and stamina.
I’ll be honest, for most of my life, I assumed that all these dog breeds that we know about today just always existed. I thought a bulldog was always a bulldog. A German shepherd was always a German shepherd. And when different breeds got together, that’s when you got a mixed breed or a mutt. It really surprised me and made me feel maybe a little bit dumb to learn that it’s actually the other way around. Dogs used to be much more similar to each other. They were just dogs. All these distinct breeds we recognize today were created by humans over the past few hundred years, deliberately selecting and breeding dogs with particular traits until those traits became exaggerated and fixed.
And for most of that history, we bred dogs for function, for jobs they needed to do. But something changed about 200 years ago. We started breeding dogs primarily for how they look. And that shift has created serious problems.
So something about genetics that most people don’t realize is when you select for one trait like a shorter snout, you can’t do it in isolation. You bring along other genes too, including ones that cause disease. And when breeders use a champion show dog repeatedly because he has the perfect look, any genetic problems he carries spread through the entire breed before anyone even knows there’s an issue. The result? Purebred dogs have dramatically higher rates of inherited disorders than mixed breeds.
They also live significantly shorter lives. Research from the UK found that brachycephalic breeds, that’s the scientific name for flat faced dogs like Bulldogs, Pugs and French bulldogs, live an average of 8.6 years, compared to 12.7 years for dogs with normal length snouts. That’s four fewer years with your best friend.
Let’s talk specifically about these flat faced breeds because they’re a perfect example of selective breeding. Taken too far, the condition they suffer from has a name, Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, or BOAS. It means their airways are compressed, their nostrils are too narrow, their soft palates are too long and their windpipes are too small. You know those snorting and snuffling sounds that people think are cute? That’s the sound of a dog struggling to breathe. These dogs aren’t making happy noises, they’re fighting for air.
And breathing problems are just the beginning. These dogs suffer from eye problems because their skulls are too shallow to properly protect their eyes. You know, you see how their eyes kind of bug out of their heads. They have dental issues because their teeth are crowded into shortened jaws. They can’t regulate their body temperature properly because panting – a dog’s primary way that they cool themselves – doesn’t work well when you can barely breathe. Many of them can’t exercise normally. Some have such difficulty breathing that they adopt unusual sleeping positions to keep their airways open. Sitting up, elevating their chins, or even sleeping with a toy in their mouth to prop their airway open. Research shows that about a third of flat faced dogs actually stop breathing for multiple seconds during sleep.
And reproduction? Bulldogs have been so altered that most can’t mate naturally. The females birth canals are too narrow for puppies, oversized heads, so the majority require cesarean sections. We’ve created dogs that literally cannot reproduce without human surgical intervention. If you look at photographs of bulldogs from the 1850s, and there was a great article about this in the New York Times Magazine years ago that I’ll link to in the show notes, you’ll see a very different animal. They were athletic, energetic dogs with elongated muzzles. More like what we now call a pit bull terrier. The squat, struggling dog we know today was deliberately created over generations of breeding for increasingly extreme features.
And it’s not just the flat faced breeds. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have a 50% chance of developing a debilitating neurological condition called syringomyelia, where the skulls are too small for their brains. And a lot of people know that German shepherds are plagued by hip dysplasia. Dachshunds frequently develop spinal problems that can leave them paralyzed. And Great Danes have an average lifespan of only seven to 10 years, with some studies suggesting that the real average is closer to six and a half years, about half the lifespan of many smaller breeds.
And something that really gets me. Watch what happens when a shelter posts a bulldog or a French bulldog on social media. The applications pour in. That dog will be adopted out within days, if not hours. Meanwhile, a perfectly healthy pit bull mix, athletic, friendly, with a body that works exactly the way it should, will sit in that same shelter for weeks or months. Think about that for a second. We’re racing to adopt dogs that have been bred to struggle while passing over healthy dogs who would make wonderful companions. Our obsession with certain looks isn’t just driving irresponsible breeding. It’s contributing to shelter overcrowding and euthanasia. And the dogs paying the price are the ones whose only flaw is not being trendy enough.
So since we usually talk about advocacy around here, what does the law say about all this in the United States? Almost nothing. There are no federal or state laws that specifically regulate breeding practices. State kennel laws and the Animal Welfare Act cover a lot of breeding operations, but they focus on basic care – shelter, food, water – not on whether it’s ethical to breed those dogs. In the first place.
Now other countries have moved further. Germany has integrated animal welfare into its constitution and specifically prohibits breeding animals likely to produce offspring with hereditary problems. The UK requires breeders to consider whether breeding from a dog could have a detrimental effect on its health or on the health of its offspring. And in 2022, Norway made headlines when a court ruled that breeding English Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels violates the country’s animal welfare laws because of the severe health issues these breeds face. The Netherlands has gone even further, banning the breeding of dogs whose snouts are shorter than one third the length of their skulls.
And they’re now considering bans on ownership and even public display of images promoting these breeds.
The UK’s Kennel Club has also taken steps. Starting in 2025, Pugs, Bulldogs and French Bulldogs must pass a respiratory function test to compete at Crufts, the world’s largest dog show. Dogs that fail – those graded as having severe breathing problems – can’t enter the competition. So hopefully that changes the ideal conformation that breeders are looking for.
So what can we do? Well, the solution isn’t simple or straightforward, but it starts with something that is – just awareness. Research shows that most people who buy brachycephalic dogs have no idea about the health problems until they’re dealing with veterinary emergencies and thousands of dollars in medical bills. And that’s no joke. It happens all the time. Three quarters of owners weren’t aware of breed related health issues before they made their purchase.
So that’s where you come in. Every time you share information about these issues, you might reach someone who’s thinking about getting a flat faced dog -thinking about patronizing one of these breeders that’s creating dogs that suffer and you might help them make a more informed choice. And collectively, of course, it’s a supply and demand issue. When consumer demand shifts, breeding practices have to follow if they want to keep making money.
We also need better breeder accountability. Many advocates are pushing for mandatory genetic screening before breeding, education requirements for breeders, and extended warranty periods that would make breeders financially responsible for inherited health problems. Right now, most so-called puppy lemon laws only cover issues that show up within days of purchase. But many inherited disorders don’t appear until later in a dog’s life.
The good news is that breeders can make a difference when they commit to health over appearance. One geneticist spent decades crossbreeding Dalmatians to eliminate a gene that caused painful urinary problems in that breed. After 15 generations, he produced healthy Dalmatians that still had their distinctive spots. So it’s definitely possible to improve breed health, but it takes commitment and time.
So now for our Q and A.
Today’s question comes from Jessica. Jessica writes, “I already own a French Bulldog and I love him. Does that make me a bad person? What should I do now?” Jessica, absolutely not. Loving the dog you have is exactly what you should do. The dogs that already exist need homes and care and they deserve owners who adore them. The issue isn’t with people who love their pets or already have French Bulldogs or other flat faced breeds. It’s with a system that keeps producing dogs predisposed to suffer.
So here’s what I’d suggest. Work closely with your vet to monitor for breed related health issues. Learn to recognize signs of respiratory distress. Keep your dog at a healthy weight because extra pounds make breathing even harder. Be careful in hot weather since these dogs overheat easily. And, if your dog does need corrective surgery to breathe better, know that you’re not alone. About one in five owners of flat faced dogs report their pets have needed surgery related to their physical features. Going forward, when people maybe compliment your dog, you have an opportunity to gently educate them about the health challenges these breeds face. Not to shame anyone, just to spread awareness.
Now for today’s Be the Change segment. I have one simple action that takes about 15 minutes. I’m dropping a link to the British Veterinary Association’s Breed to Breathe campaign. Read through their materials about brachycephalic health issues, then share one thing you learned on social media. Maybe tag a friend who might be thinking about getting a dog. Here’s another idea. If you see a flat faced breed in an advertisement, whether it’s selling cars, insurance or anything else, consider reaching out to that company. Let them know that using these breeds in advertising normalizes their suffering and contributes to demand. The UK’s End the Trend campaign has successfully gotten major brands to stop using these breeds in their marketing.
And if someone you know is thinking about buying one of these breeds, share what you’ve learned today. Not to judge their choice, but to make sure they have the information they need. Point them toward breed specific health resources so they understand what they might be signing up for and can find a breeder who prioritizes health testing if they still decide to buy one. Or better yet, of course you know what I’m going to say, invite them to visit your local shelter. Introduce them to one of those healthy, overlooked dogs waiting for a home. Sometimes meeting the right dog in person changes what they thought they wanted.
Change happens one conversation at a time and your voice can be part of shifting the tide. Hey, we created these breeds. We can uncreate the suffering that comes with them. It won’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen without a lot of us speaking up. But every time we choose health and personality over appearance, every time we share information about these issues, every time we support breeders who prioritize welfare, we move closer to a world where loving dogs doesn’t mean condemning them to lives of struggle. Our dogs, we all know, they give us everything they have. They deserve bodies that let them breathe freely, run joyfully, and live long, healthy lives. Let’s be the advocates they need.
That’s it for today. The Animal Advocate Podcast is brought to you brought to you by the Animal Advocacy Academy. You can find episodes and show notes at animaladvocacyacademy.com along with a link to our Facebook and LinkedIn pages where we discuss our podcasts, and we’d love to discuss your thoughts and experiences there. If you’re interested in learning more about protecting animals, subscribe to the show so you get every episode when it comes out. If you have any questions on this or any other topic related to animal law, email them to podcast@animaladvocacyacademy.com and we’ll make sure to get them answered. We’ll either email you back or feature them in a future episode, or both.
And remember, compassion is great, but compassionate action is infinitely better. Until next week, Live with Compassion.
