A DOG owner has warned other pet lovers about a breed they would never buy again.
Capital FM presenter Aimee Vivian appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to give her opinion on whether pugs and French bulldogs should be banned in the UK.
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As the Netherlands plans to ban pugs and French bulldogs, the debate continues over the health complications associated with some of these pups in the UK.
While its flat face and plump body have made the dog breed a firm favourite, research has suggested that it is these exact characteristics that could be behind its health problems.
Vivian says she’s totally against banning pugs and French bulldogs in Britain, but admits she’d think twice before buying the same breed again.
She’s the proud ‘dog-mom’ to her pug Eva, but she’s learned more about the issues that come from parenting.
“[Eva] He is nine years old and I would like to say that if he were to buy a dog now, would he get a flat faced breed? No, because I’m much more educated about it.”
“In the nine years since I got her, the breeding has gotten worse and worse, so I say…legislation needs to be introduced, harsher punishments.”
Aimee said her pug is healthy because she’s staying in shape, but PETA spokeswoman Jennifer White, who also appeared on the show, explained that Eva is likely still suffering from breathing difficulties.
She said: “Even if you hear her when she walks, that rattling, puffing noise, people think it’s cute, but they’re struggling, out of breath.
“These dogs just live miserable lives because they were deliberately bred to have these deformities, these flatter faces.
“For French bulldogs, breathing through the nose is like breathing through a straw all the time.
“This is not about responsible breeding, frankly, that just doesn’t exist in this situation where these animals are incredibly sick and are born to suffer.”
New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed that pugs are almost twice as likely to develop health problems each year than other breeds.
According to the study, pugs can no longer be considered a “typical” dog due to their health problems.
Dr Dan O’Neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “Although they are very popular as pets, we now know that several serious health problems are linked to the extreme form of the pugs body that many humans find so cute.
“It’s about time we focused on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when choosing what type of dog to own.”
Flat-faced breeds now make up a whopping 20 per cent of dogs in Britain.
It comes as dog owners in Britain stood up for their dogs after an animal charity vowed to ban popular flat-faced breeds.
The Blue Cross accused some owners of a “vicious cycle of overbreeding” that they say has led to a dangerous health crisis for flat-faced strays.
The charity, founded in 1897, called for both legislative and non-legislative action to eradicate “poor breeding” that leads to significant health defects in popular breeds like English Bulldogs.
The calls could result in the making of new laws that will significantly affect the appearance and availability of brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds in the UK.
Health problems for the much-loved Pugs and French Bulldogs include eye diseases, skin diseases, obstructed breathing, and spinal deformities.
The charity exclusively told The Sun Online that this is now unacceptable and that such breeds “are not living full and happy lives”.
They added how the explosion in popularity in the UK, aided by “cute” adverts and prevalence on social media, has not helped the problem of poor parenting.
Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs for Blue Cross, told The Sun Online how the charity has started a large-scale lobbying effort by British MPs to end what they have termed a “welfare crisis”.
She said: “We have already started contacting MPs.
