French Bulldogs and Pugs could be banned in the UK as part of a strict new crackdown. The nationwide ban could come down hard on ‘dangerous’ breeding that may lead to health defects.
Pet Charity The Blue Cross has accused breeders of a "vicious cycle of over-breeding" which they say has sparked a health crisis in flat-faced mutts. The charity is leading a campaign aiming to "end to the trend of the horrendously bad breeding of brachycephalic (or flat-faced) pets", which includes animals such as French Bulldogs, Pugs and Persian cats.
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."
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The charity - founded in 1897 - is demanding both legislative and non-legislative action to stamp out "poor breeding" which leads to major health problema in popular breeds like English Bulldogs. 20 per cent of the dogs in the UK are now flat-faced breeds, the charity added, but their rise in popularity has only exacerbated poor breeding. Blue Cross vets claim to have treated over 5,000 brachycephalic pets over the past two years.
Pugs and French Bulldogs have grown in popularity in the UK. Over the past ten years or so, pug ownership in the UK peaked in 2017 with almost 11,000 new registrations made that year across the country.
As it stands, there are four breeds of dog banned in the UK. These 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, however, 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 in your household the police or council warden have the power to 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. If it's in a private residence then the police need a warrant.
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