Florence, my 10-year-old rescue dog tears around the garden; a flash of white curls and high-pitched barks.
I can’t help but laugh as she zooms around the flower beds.
I love that the simplest of things bring her so much joy: running, playing and snoozing in the sun.
For some dogs, however, these simple daily activities are laborious tasks.
Dogs such as pugs, French bulldogs and British bulldogs find that simply breathing is difficult, uncomfortable and can be very distressing.
And yet, this week, we will see these dogs coming together to trot around a showring at the ‘world’s greatest dog show’, Crufts.
Our desire for cuteness and the popularity of shorter, flatter faces – known as brachycephaly – has resulted in dogs who struggle to breathe.
Excessive soft tissue causes obstruction in their airways and their abnormally narrowed nostrils and windpipes leave them gasping for air.
And it’s not just breathing difficulties that affect flat-faced dogs.
The French bulldog, who remains a hugely popular pet, faces a high rate of issues that can seriously affect their health.
Eye problems are common due to the shape of their heads as well as skin problems from excessive wrinkles and painful back conditions caused by very short corkscrew tails.
At Crufts, flat-faced dogs will line-up to be judged on how they look with the one who best matches their breed standard, crowned best in breed, and possibly even best in show.
Over the years, the RSPCA has, like many others, called for urgent revision of breed standards to ensure they protect and improve dog welfare.
To be fair, there have been changes.
For dogs such as pugs and bulldogs simply breathing is difficult, uncomfortable and can be very distressing.
For example, the Kennel Club (which runs Crufts) recently committed to updating the standards for Frenchies, which stresses the importance of the length of the dog’s muzzle as well as having wider nostrils.
But is this enough when there are so many other serious health issues affecting this breed?
Recently a landmark ruling in Norway found the breeding of British bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels breached their animal protection laws.
If upheld, this will have a significant impact on the way in which these dogs can be bred in the future, and will worry those in the UK who breed these dogs.
I understand that there’s a lot of love out there for these dogs, but frankly it’s wrong that we’re knowingly aiming for features, which compromise their basic health and, in my view, even worse that we celebrate them.
In our pursuit for extreme body shapes and dogs with shorter, flatter faces, we’ve created generations of dogs who struggle to breathe, struggle with heat regulation, are chronically tired and can’t exercise without collapsing, and dogs who have to sleep with their head propped up on a pillow or with a toy in their mouth, just to help them breathe.
Dogs like two-year-old RSPCA rescue British bulldog Brutus; one of a growing number who are being signed over to charities when owners can’t afford the expensive and complex veterinary needs.
Brutus is playful, sociable, full of character – but he’s living a half-life; and his new owners will need to commit to his expensive ongoing medical needs.
He can only manage 10-minute walks due to his breathing, and he needs a face-lift to remove the excess skin around his head that causes him problems.
Thousands of videos on social media of snoring flat-faced dogs are seen as cute or funny; but it isn’t; it’s a clear clinical sign they’re struggling for breath.
Celebrities plaster pictures of their flat-faced dogs all over social media; a search for #puglove will present you with more than 7.5million posts on Instagram alone.
Companies use these dogs – with their bulbous eyes and squishy faces – to advertise everything from insurance to technology; and brands print them on items from socks to pencil cases, while characters like Patrick the Pug get their own movies and merchandise.
The Kennel Club’s registrations of British bulldogs leapt 149%, between 2011 and 2020 while the number of French bulldogs being registered jumped 1,317%!
Even more are bred by non Kennel Club-registered breeders and many by people who want to take advantage of their popularity without any regard to their health and welfare.
That’s tens of thousands of dogs being born every year, selected to look cute and appealing but at a huge cost to their health and happiness, with many of them unable to ever live a normal life.
The RSPCA believes that urgent intervention is absolutely critical for these types of dogs.
But we, as individuals, also have an important role to play. We need to stop seeing these dogs as cute and recognise the serious health issues they face.
This week the RSPCA has launched a campaign – Save Our Breath – in a bid to educate the public about the impact of this type of breeding on dog welfare.
We will be urging people to stop and think before they buy a flat-faced dog and to consider an alternative breed or crossbreed with a lower risk of health problems.
But even non-owners can help.
When you’re watching dogs parading around the ring during Crufts, don’t coo over the squishy faces of the Frenchie, skin rolls of the bulldog, or bulbous eyes of the pug.
These are signs of dogs who are likely to struggle because of how they look. For too long we have been blind to their suffering and it’s time we opened our eyes and did something about it; for the love of dogs.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
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