Are you considering purchasing a French Bulldog puppy? If the thought crosses your mind, you’re not alone. Despite its high price, this breed has quickly become one of the most popular dog breeds in the country. And there’s a good reason for that, with their adorable bat-like ears, miniature size and loving temperament. But with all the good that surrounds the French Bulldog, there is also an ethical dilemma.
Is it ethical to purchase a French Bulldog? It may surprise you, but many people would answer this question with a resounding no. Let’s dive in and find out why some people would never buy this breed for ethical reasons.
The ethical problem with Frenchies
If you are reading this statement for the first time, you are probably thinking that the ethical issues behind purchasing a French Bulldog are the same for all thoroughbred dogs. Why buy a thoroughbred dog from a for-profit breeder when so many dogs are languishing in shelters and rescues?
While it’s true that adopting a pet is often a better choice, we’re not going to blame someone for wanting a pure breed. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to want a thoroughbred dog so you can experience everything that’s great about him. For example, a Great Dane mix is not quite the same as a full-blooded Dane. No, the problem with French Bulldogs is not a matter of wanting a perfect specimen, the issue goes deeper.
Bred to be cute
All those things that make French Bulldogs so attractive have been bred into them.
For example, that flat face is bred in and that can cause serious problems in French Bulldogs. The breed is a brachycephalic breed, meaning they naturally have a short snout. This can cause breathing problems and when breeders accentuate this trait to make them more popular, they make the problem much worse. French Bulldogs can have severe breathing difficulties and many of them cannot function like other dogs. They are limited in both their ability to exercise and their tolerance for hot climates.
The rest of the body that breeders have “cultivated” can be just as problematic. That small body with the big head may seem cute, but it paralyzes the dogs. French Bulldogs usually need to be artificially inseminated because they cannot breed on their own. They also have to give birth exclusively by caesarean section because their heads cannot fit through their mothers’ small hips. What you have is a dog that cannot breed on its own, cannot give birth on its own and can barely walk around without help. They are completely dependent on humans for survival.
To top it all off, you have the problem of overbreeding and inbreeding. When you have a dog that makes a lot of money and has small litter sizes, you will be tempted to overbreed. This can be tough on the females, who are often pregnant for most of their lives. Furthermore, breeders turn to inbreeding to preserve the traits they have created. The risk of external genes for them is too great, leading to inbreeding and the genetic problems that come with it.
Summarizing it
So is it ethical to buy a French Bulldog from a breeder? That is something you have to decide for yourself. Whatever the choice, listen to your heart.
