They may be lauded in the show ring, adored by celebrities, and feature in myriad adverts, but the number of French bulldogs being abandoned has risen sharply in recent years, data suggests.
According to the RSPCA, the number of such dogs in England and Wales that have been dumped rose from eight in 2020 to 582 in 2023 – an increase of more than 7,000% in three years.
The charity said while abandonments had also risen among other breeds of dog – for example, the number of abandoned Staffordshire bull terriers rose from 45 in 2020 to 1,322 in 2023 – none had had as sharp an increase as French bulldogs.
Esme Wheeler, a dog welfare specialist at the RSPCA, said while the reasons for the abandonment of dogs was complex, one reason for the surge could be the cost of living crisis, adding that French bulldogs often had larger costs associated with them than other breeds.
“We would speculate that these are perhaps two of the key reasons why these dogs are being abandoned,” she said.
According to figures from the Kennel Club, registrations of French bulldogs climbed from 9,670 in 2014 to 54,074 in 2021. While registration figures declined to 26,704 in 2023, the French bulldog remained second only to the labrador in terms of popularity of pure breeds.
But Wheeler said the rising numbers were unlikely to fully explain the surge in abandonments. “This is a huge increase in abandonments and I don’t think you can attribute it just to [the] greater numbers of [French bulldogs] in the population overall,” she said.
Like other flat-faced, or brachycephalic, breeds such as pugs and bulldogs, French bulldogs have caused concern because their extreme body shape has been linked to various health problems, including skin disorders, eye problems, difficulties giving birth, and respiratory conditions.
Dr Dan O’Neill, an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, said: “RVC VetCompass research has shown that flat-faced dogs are 24% more likely to be diagnosed with at least one disorder each year than crossbred dogs. These increased health risks are likely to translate into substantially higher veterinary care costs for owners of dogs with extreme body shapes.”
Indeed, as well as big vet bills, increased health risks mean such dogs are more expensive to insure. French bulldogs often have larger costs associated with them than other breeds.
The latest data on dog abandonment, which does not include dogs brought to the RSPCA by their owners, comes shortly after it was revealed that the UK competition regulator is to begin a formal investigation into the veterinary market, amid concerns pet owners may be paying too much for treatments and medicines.
The RSPCA has launched a campaign called Born to Suffer in an attempt to discourage people from buying brachycephalic breeds.
“These dogs can only really be described as deformed, when you compare that to their progenitor which is the wolf,” said Wheeler.
Concerns around flat-faced breeds were thrown into the spotlight this month when Elton, a three-year-old French bulldog, won the utility group at Crufts.
The Kennel Club, which organises the event, said Elton did not have respiratory problems and passed a breathing assessment with the best possible score. Nevertheless, others criticised the win, arguing Elton did not meet the latest breed standard for the French bulldog, including the requirement for nostrils to be visibly open.
Bill Lambert, the health, welfare and breeder services executive at the Kennel Club, said: “The increase in dog abandonments for all breeds is a sad reflection of the changes to post-lockdown lifestyles, ill-considered buying decisions and the lack of training and socialisation that dogs received at that time.”
He expressed surprise that the overall proportion of French bulldogs that had been abandoned was far lower than for the other breeds for which data was shared by RSPCA, at about 2% of the overall registered population size.
Lambert said: “This is unusual – and we suspect the numbers across all rescue centres must be higher – because breeds such as the French bulldog, which rapidly increased in popularity driven by celebrity and social trends, [are] potentially vulnerable to higher abandonment, as irresponsible breeders are quick to fill the demand for puppies from sometimes ill-informed buyers.”
Wheeler said the message from the RSPCA was clear. “We urge people not to acquire extreme brachycephalic dogs and if they really want one, please rescue,” she said.
