They’ve caused violent crime to rise. Their production and sale is morally debatable. Some go for tens of thousands of dollars, and they’re banned from some airlines. It isn’t illicit drugs or semi-automatic firearms, but the most popular dog breed in America: the French Bulldog.
When 3-year-old Winston took the throne at this year’s National Dog Show, there is no doubt he delighted thousands of dog parents watching with their own little Frenchies. The allure of these dogs isn’t hard to understand; they’re cute, cuddly, and just fun to love. However, the exhaustive list of health problems that accompany this breed makes the French Bulldog a questionable investment from both a financial and moral standpoint.
20 Pounds of Medical Issues
When compared to other toy dogs like the Pug or the Pekingese, there isn’t anything terribly unique about the most popular dog breed in America that should give it that title. What does make this dog unique, however, is the endless list of medical problems that come with breeding such a baby-like animal who, despite what breeders may try to convince you of, cannot breathe.
French Bulldogs are snorting balls of fat and fur. They boast pig-like, squished-in snouts — the medical term for which is brachycephaly, which isn’t a good thing. Brachycephalic dogs face a lifetime of respiratory struggles. That cute honk that Frenchies produce isn’t because they’re trying to talk to you but because they’re gasping for air. This makes them more susceptible to heat stroke, chronic gastritis, and a host of other lifelong problems.
The French Bulldog has been bred to be the most cherubic of the canines. Thus, they maintain a puppy-like quality throughout their lives. This means that, incredibly, every single purebred French Bulldog results from artificial insemination of a female. Male and female Frenchies don’t have the physical capability of mating without human involvement. Moreover, pregnant female Frenchies must undergo C-sections because their hips are too narrow to give birth naturally.
A 2021 study published in Canine Medicine and Genetics found that French Bulldogs are indeed far less healthy than other breeds. Authors of the study suggest “shifting the typical conformation of French Bulldogs towards a more moderate phenotype … to reduce the health issues endemic in the French Bulldog breed.” That means longer snouts, wider hips, and not-so-purebred Frenchies.
Toy Dogs as Status Symbols
From Queen Victoria and her Pugs to Paris Hilton and her Chihuahuas, the addition of a toy dog as a wardrobe statement has been a status symbol for quite some time.
The history of purebred dog breeds — not just toy purebreds — is a questionable one. It shares roots with the same pseudo-science that bolstered the racist eugenics movement that took hold in the mid-19th century. However, the purebred dog movement wasn’t specific to white Europeans. Upper-class women across the globe touted companion dogs to stifle their loneliness and promote as a marker of wealth. Now, those same small dogs are still somehow a symbol of high social status.
A hundred years ago, the potential health issues of the dog were not taken into consideration when breeding the most pure Frenchies or other toys. Now, the potential health issues of a dog are considered even more of a reason to get it.
Increase in Health Issues Means a More Desirable Dog
Unbelievably, a 2017 Plos One study found that an increase in perceived health problems actually creates a greater desire for a dog in some people. The study concludes, “Our results indicate that prospective owners of particularly Chihuahuas and French Bulldogs do not prioritize welfare-related breed attributes, such as health, when acquiring a dog.”
The researchers then asked the next most logical question: Why on earth would you want a sick dog? It turns out that people who like brachycephalic breeds often like them because they like to caretake. “Available information about the problems in [Chihuahuas and French Bulldogs] has not served to prevent their growing popularity because fundamental emotional responses to the phenotypic attributes of these breeds are highly effective positive motivators.”
There is a lot to unpack there from a psychological standpoint, but we’re not here for that. From a humanistic standpoint, it seems as though we should not be breeding French Bulldogs. At the very least, they shouldn’t be the most popular dog breed in America.
