French Bulldogs and Pugs could be banned across the United Kingdom in the future as part of a 'strict' new crackdown on dangerous breeding.
A pet charity has vowed to bring a halt to legal breeding of the species, after the Blue Cross announced some parties are guilty of a 'vicious cycle of over-breeding'.
The leading animal charity believes that more prominent advertisements on social media depicting the 'cute' breeds has prompted a rise in demand - leading to an increase in cases of Frenchies and Pugs being diagnosed with serious health issues - Birmingham Live reports.
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Some French Bulldogs can be diagnosed with conditions such as pulmonic stenosis, which is where the dog has 3/6 heart murmur, a genetic in the breed.
Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs at Blue Cross told The Sun: "We have already started contacting MPs. Ultimately Blue Cross is determined to see the end of the poor breeding of flat faced dogs and are considering all options both legislative and non-legislative to achieve this."
20 per cent of the dogs in the UK are now flat-faced breeds, the charity adds, but the explosion in popularity has only exacerbated poor breeding. Blue Cross vets claim to have treated over 5,000 brachycephalic pets in the last two years alone.
There are four breeds of dog that are banned in the UK. They are the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. The government states that 'whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name'.
The RSPCA argues that dogs 'should not be judged on how they look' and have called for the policy to be changed. If you have a banned dog the police or council warden can take it away, even if it's not acting dangerously or there has not been a complaint.
If the dog is in a public place the police can confiscate the animal, however, if it's in a private place the police need a warrant.
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