As the Netherlands seeks to ban flat-faced dog breeds, a debate has erupted over the ethics surrounding the purchase of dogs like pugs and French bulldogs.
Capital FM presenter and proud ‘dog mom’ Aimee Vivian appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain with her pug Eva to discuss the issue.
The ‘pug advocate’ told the panel that while she is ‘100 per cent’ against banning the beloved breed, she would think twice before buying one again due to her health issues.
‘[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.’
Fortunately, Aimee said, her pet hasn’t had any health problems because he stays “in shape,” pugs being a “notoriously greedy” breed.
But there was an awkward moment on the show when PETA spokeswoman Jennifer White explained that Eva wasn’t as healthy as her owner might think.
Expressing concern about Eva’s breathing, Jennifer 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.”
Capital FM presenter and proud ‘dog mother’ Aimee Vivian (pictured) appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain with her pug Eva to discuss the flat-faced breed ban debate
PETA spokeswoman Jennifer White called for an outright ban on pug breeding, blaming Crufts for their growing popularity.
As she spoke, what appeared to be a microphone near Eva was turned on so that onlookers could hear the animal’s rough breathing.
Calling for a total ban on pets, the animal advocate said: “These dogs just live miserable lives because they are 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.”
There was an awkward moment on the show when PETA spokeswoman Jennifer White explained that Eva wasn’t as healthy as her owner might think.
Arguing against the ban on pugs, Aimee said: “They have amazing personalities and we’ve been causing problems as humans with breeding designers for a hundred years.”
She suggested another solution to an outright ban, saying: “If we could go back to a healthier version of a pug, then surely that would be better than just making the entire breed extinct.”
“As humans we need to start educating ourselves, our rights, our mistakes, and if we can’t accept responsibility for what we did wrong raising them and making them flatter, then we’re never going to learn from that. ‘
French bulldogs, another flat-faced breed, have their origins in the 19th century.
Aimee, the “pug advocate,” told the panel that while she is “100 percent” against banning the beloved breed, she would think twice before buying one again.
But the growing popularity of the breed, and an increasing trend for it to have a flatter face, has led to selective breeding that has made it harder to breathe.
Jennifer blamed this dangerous trend on dog shows and celebrities, and called for Crufts to be banned for promoting selective breeding practices.
“A lot of this is down to the Kennel Club, and Crufts obviously promotes these specific breeds.
‘Because they have been selectively bred to have these exaggerated characteristics. And of course celebrities start buying them, influencers start buying them, they promote themselves on social media.”
“We should ban Crufts, we should enact legislation that stops people from being able to breed these animals, we should make sure that all pugs right now are spayed and neutered so they can’t breed anymore. We can all make a choice now.
The Good Morning Britain panel, which included leading veterinary expert Dr Dan O’Neill, discussed plans in the Netherlands to ban the breeding and promotion of flat-faced dogs on social media.
Dr Dan O’Neill, a breeding expert at the Royal Veterinary College, chimed in saying: “The whole story about social media is much more nuanced than that.”
“It’s not just about Crufts and the Kennel Club, it’s about us as humans, we just love the look of these dogs, but what we’re not doing is putting ourselves in the position of the dog who loves life, living like an apartment.” . dog with a face, living as a dog without a tail, a dog with a shortened spine, all the skin folds.’
He added that campaign groups like the Brachycephalic, or flat-faced dog task force, are raising awareness about the plight of small dogs.
He said that despite not having a full ban in the UK, “a lot of the things in the Netherlands we already do in the UK…we’re trying to work with people.”
The Kennel Club has been contacted for comment.
