PETA Protest At Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show To Demonstrate Cruelty, Suffering Of Flat-Faced Dog Breeds, Who Have Many Health Problems, Early Death, For “Beauty Standards”

‘Pugs’ on Oxygen to Warn Dog Show Attendees That Flat-Faced Breeds Suffer for Life

Everyone who attends this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be greeted by a pack of “dogs” who aren’t part of the competition: Due to the uproar over health problems caused by breeding flat-faced dogs, PETA supporters in pug masks and carrying oxygen tanks will be there, holding signs declaring, “Breathing-Impaired Breeds Suffer for Life.”

The action will draw attention to the multitude of health problems that pugs, boxers, and English and French bulldogs, among others, endure due to their deliberately distorted and restricted airways, which shorten their lives and cause them to pant, snort, wheeze, and struggle just to breathe—all in order to achieve a particular look.

Breeding them also exacerbates the homeless companion animal crisis, which sees around 70 million animals homeless in the U.S. at any given time.

“The AKC encourages people to breed and buy dogs who can barely breathe, knowing full well that most of them endure a lifetime of discomfort, many of them die prematurely, and millions of dogs—including “purebreds”—are homeless,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA urges everyone who truly cares about animals to reject this ugly ‘beauty pageant’ for dogs and support their local animal shelter.”

A number of countries—including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway—have banned or restricted the breeding of some or all breathing-impaired breeds.

Here is just a partial list of the many health problems caused by breeding dogs for flat faces.

• Stenotic nares: Abnormally narrowed or small nostrils, which restrict airflow
• Extended nasopharyngeal turbinates: Ridges of bone that are covered with tissue that extend into the pharynx, causing airway obstruction
• Elongated soft palate: This tissue may partially block the trachea (windpipe), contributing to difficulty breathing.
• Hypoplastic trachea: A windpipe with an abnormally small diameter, which can constrict airflow
• Everted laryngeal saccules: Sacs inside the larynx turn outward or get sucked into the airway because of increased respiratory pressure resulting from dogs’ difficulty breathing.
• Laryngeal collapse: The larynx (voice box) can’t open as wide as it should because of chronic stress on the cartilage. This can occur in dogs younger than 6 months old, and severe obstructions can even cause death from suffocation.
• Sleep apnea: Some dogs plagued by this problem resort to sleeping while sitting up with their heads propped up or with a ball between their teeth so that they can breathe.
• Heat stress and heatstroke: Because flat-faced dogs can’t breathe well, they can’t cool themselves effectively. Physical exertion, stress, or excitement can quickly escalate into a crisis for these dogs, especially in hot or humid weather or if they’re overweight, as many pugs and bulldogs are—these breeds are prone to obesity. A study by one companion animal insurance provider found that brachycephalic breeds are associated with a more than 100% uptick in claims for heatstroke. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, BIB dogs are more likely to die on airplanes, comprising nearly half of dog deaths in a five-year period.
• Dental issues: Severe crowding of teeth, bite misalignment, rotated teeth, chronic ulcers, and other problems cause pain and often require extractions. Dental disease causes chronic mouth pain, which makes eating even soft foods painful for dogs.
• Eye problems: Misshapen skulls cause dogs’ eyes to bulge, which can result in infections and corneal ulcers, an inability to close the eyes completely, and even the eye popping out of its socket. These dogs are also predisposed to fur or eyelashes that grow toward the eye, rubbing and irritating it. These conditions can lead to blindness.
• Skin issues: Excessively wrinkled skin is prone to infection and dermatitis.
• Gastroesophageal reflux: Chronic pressure caused by struggling to breathe is thought to be a major cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Dogs with this condition regurgitate, gag, produce excessive saliva, and vomit—which can inflame the upper esophagus, pharynx, and larynx.
• Forced artificial insemination: Because of their narrow hips and unnaturally large heads, an estimated 80% of bulldogs are bred using artificial insemination and delivered via Cesarean section.

Banner Image: Bulldog with excessively flat face. Image Credit – PETA

Westminster Kennel Club Protest. All Images Credit – PETA