It's a shame that animal rights organizations sometimes bring their campaigns across so negatively, and throw them into the media with so much sensationalism in the hope of reaching as many people as possible. The Dutch campaign that aims to ban all short-nosed dogs does not show much love for animals, rather the opposite. It almost seems as if it's not really about the health of these dogs, but about something entirely else. This raises the question: which dog breed will be the next to be crucified in this way?
The idea behind the campaign is likely to portray these dogs in such a negative light that no one likes them anymore, so that no one buys them, and that they will disappear from the streets on their own. But that's difficult because people who have had short-nosed dogs their entire lives will continue to be drawn to them, not just because of their appearance, but primarily because of the character of these unique breeds.
The label on photos of some of these dogs in the campaign, which says "Always struggling to breathe" and "Flat nose, sick choice," is misleading and incorrect. As mentioned in previous blogs, not all short-nosed dog breeds are "always struggling to breathe." As demonstrated by the research team at Cambridge University, as mentioned in previous blogs, noses can be flat in order for dogs to breathe properly, as long as their nostrils are open and they are not overweight.
Not all brachycephalic dogs are always struggling to breathe, but there are enough dogs that do struggle and ultimately, no one wants that. So what can we do about it? Instead of this negative campaign that suggests no brachycephalic dog can breathe normally, a greater impact can be achieved through more positive education. For example, we could educate people about what obesity does to different dog breeds and why not to buy a dog from a puppy mill. We also need a plan to prevent breeding of dogs with breathing problems by avoiding breeding with dogs that score poorly on the BOAS test.
Furthermore, it is certainly not the intention that people only buy French Bulldogs or Pugs because "they are so cute." Parents who give in to their child's demands and rush to the nearest puppy mill to buy a cheap dog happens all too often. And those dogs certainly suffer more from breathing problems and other health issues. So we understand the underlying idea of the campaign to not make these dogs too popular, but banning them?
The complete elimination of a breed is, to say the least, strange, and the fervor with which animal activists are working is alarming. You wouldn't expect this from animal organizations that want to be seen as animal-loving. Because in the end, don't we all want the same thing? Don't we all want our dogs to be healthy and not struggling to breathe? Can't we come up with a campaign together that truly want the best for the (brachycephalic) breeds?
Because if the brachycephalic breeds are banned, we still have many other breeds with the most possible health problems, including the worst cases that come from puppy mills. We wonder why nothing seems to be done about it, despite all the terrible conditions that exist there.
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