I am done

[ronniev]

@enfyre When we first started looking for a puppy, I had to convince my husband that yea a Frenchie is cute, but absolutely one of THE worst dog breed options, and many purebred dogs actually have a lot problems. We would have to deal with health issues and the subsequent vet bills for years. He didn’t know or understand, he’d never owned a dog before and basically wanted a purebred dog because he wanted to be a snob about it lol. He came back to me after doing a bit of googling, and asking folks we knew that owned Frenchies specifically, and said yea no way. We ended up getting our mutt from someone we found on a local pet re-homing page on fb. We only did that because we wanted a small dog and our local shelters didn’t have any at the time.

 

[sleeptastic]

@enfyre Finally somebody is talking about it. Sadly, as you can see from the post's unpopularity, people don't care. It's sad because every time I see a dog that can barely walk or breathe because humans decided to mutilate these animals - my heart breaks. I don't know why there aren't any regulators for this.

I remember sometime ago there was a dog posted with giant ears lifted up by a human - these would DRAG on the floor when the dog walks. The whole post was filled with "OMG SO CUTE" comments and when I said this is not healthy I got downvoted.

 

[salvadorsc7]

@sleeptastic One of the dogs I grew up with was a Bassett hound. We were so delighted by him, everyone loved him and he was hilarious. However he constantly got very bad ear infections and by the time he was 10 his back sagged and he had to be sedated to get his nails trimmed his feet hurt so bad. I loved that dog but the pain he went through in his life was tragic.

 

[sleeptastic]

@salvadorsc7 I can completely understand. Dogs are our companions and even if they are trapped in an inadequate body, their characters don't change. Sadly, it affects their life quality, and it's our fault.

As long as people will post these "cute" pictures that will get thousands of upvotes and positive comments (which signifies the general perception of population), nothing will change. We need some regulations, and fast.

Somehow people manage to do mental gymnastics and think that whenever you criticize overbreeding you criticize the dog itself. It is not dog's fault that their snouts became so squished they can't breathe, can't walk properly while pregnant because their legs are too short, get ear infections because their ears are too long, or have hip and back leg problems.

French bulldogs are the most popular breed in the US. Because it's popular to do Instagram photos with them. It all comes down to trends and selfishness of humans. Sometimes, I just lose hope in humanity.

 

[johnm8269]

@sleeptastic It is like the cutting the tails on some breeds. I love seeing the tails. I had a Boston Terrier mix who had her tail, for that tail lets me know if my baby sensed danger, or happy, or sad.

 

[enfyre]

@sleeptastic Those people don’t love dogs…

 

[ncervo]

@enfyre The only pure breeds that should exist are working dogs, where there's a good reason to maintain a breed. But if you want a companion...in my experience, mutts are the best.

The problem is that far too many people see dogs more as living toys than living beings.

 

[archievision]

@enfyre Adopt your local mutt! They're (generally) much more healthy than purebreds, and often have lower adoption fees. It makes it a little harder to predict things like temperament, but every dog is unique anyway.

 

[patricksdaughter]

@archievision AND THEY’RE ALWAYS SO FREAKIN CUTE!

 

[dory69]

@enfyre I always thought it was pugs with breathing problems. I’m with ya though, it’s terrible. I’ve been going to dog parks for years and on Sevareid occasions have felt terrible for other dogs. I’ve never owned a dog that was not a rescue mutt.

 

[pattipimental]

@dory69 Pugs definitely have breathing issues. Any breed/dog with a flat or nearly flat face can’t breathe, no matter what their owner tells you.

 

[thewingsoftruth]

@dory69 There’s quite a few dog breeds like that unfortunately. Pugs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, etc.

 

[clay28]

@enfyre I have two dogs, a rescue mutt and a purebred havenese that was a return so he had to go quickly before the breeder had a new litter. The havenese has so many allergies and it kills me to see it. Thankfully they are both healthy otherwise and happy guys. The havenese helped the rescue get over so many fears. They love each other so much.

 

[raytoddard]

@enfyre 100%. I'll love the frenchies and pugs and other fucked up dogs that are here already, but fuck these people breeding more of them. There is some hope though, many responisible people are trying to breed out all the deformities from these breeds, i.e. giving the pugs their snouts back.

 

[salvadorsc7]

@enfyre After volunteering in shelters I will never support a breeder. There are too many fantastic animals killed every day to pay thousands for an unhealthy animal.

 

[thewingsoftruth]

@salvadorsc7 There’s nothing wrong with a responsible breeder who completes all OFA health testing, temperament tests their dogs, proves their dogs before breeding, never breeds a litter that they don’t already have a list of homes lined up for, never breeds an unhealthy dog, and all the other things actual responsible breeders do.

Honestly some breeds, like French bulldogs, simply cannot be ethically bred anymore in my opinion. There aren’t enough healthy dogs left in the population.

 

[salvadorsc7]

@thewingsoftruth 1 healthy breeder does not save dogs from being euthanized at shelters. I’m never going to hate someone for going to a breeder but I will always advocate for rescue