Frenchies: breathtaking

Now one would think that given the current focus on French Bulldogs that the breed club would have been able to furnish one for the breed stand at Discover Dogs yesterday that had, you know, nostrils.

But no. There wasn't a nostril between them.

Cataracts too... perhaps just an older dog

Dogs pant through their mouths - but they breathe through their nostrils. To get an idea of what this feels like, close your mouth and pinch your nostrils. Even the slightest pressure feels awful. Increase it and it's impossible not to feel panic.

This is what too many in this breed has to endure. The restricted airflow means the dogs have to make an increased effort to breathe which leads to (or is accompanied by) a host of airway pathology, often requiring surgery.

Stenotic nares - before and after surgery

The breed Club had a lot of info on the stand on Frenchie health and they talk such a good game re health that the Kennel Club has just taken them off their high profile breeds list despite there being little concrete evidence that this breed has improved (see here).

But ask yourself this: if they were really that concerned, would they have allowed these dogs to be put on display as examples of the breed?

I can only see two other possible reasons:

Either they are ignorantly unaware of the suffering caused by breeding dogs with stenotic nares like this.

Or there aren't any Frenchies with normal nostrils.

Not of course that the public, equally culpable in all this, gives a shit. The French Bulldog breed stand was packed with lots of people cooing over the cute little dogs with the smushed-in faces.

Registrations for this breed are going through the roof.

There were just 349 French Bulldogs registered with the Kennel Club in 2003. Last year there were  4648 and, in just the first three quarters of this year, 4843.

I will be attending this event tomorrow... looking forward to it.