Last chance for pugs at Crufts as show introduces breathing tests
PUGS and French bulldogs competing at Crufts could face their last chance of glory as organisers prepare to introduce a new breathing test to restrict the flattest-faced animals from entering the show.
Three breeds – pugs, bulldogs and French bulldogs – will have to pass an assessment from next year in order to participate in the dog show, which started yesterday.
Fears of overbreeding and ill-health have long dogged flat-faced breeds, whose shorter noses and compressed skulls mean they often do not breathe as easily as other dogs.
A host of animal charities last year called on the Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, to bar brachycephalic breeds from participating. Peta, the animal rights organisation, accused the Kennel Club of “promoting dogs who spend their lives in misery” as it joined the RSPCA and Blue Cross in advocating the ban.
Now, the Kennel Club has moved to allay those concerns by making breathing assessments compulsory for three breeds.
Charlotte Mcnamara, its head of health, said “protecting and improving the health of brachycephalic breeds remains one of our top priorities”.
“Crufts is a great opportunity to showcase good examples of each recognised breed, and celebrate the work being carried out by responsible breeders… to protect and improve health,” she said.
Breeding clubs welcomed the rule change but admitted it had not received unanimous support from some dog owners. A spokesman for the Midland and Northern Counties French Bulldog Club said the test was “the best thing that has happened in veterinary medicine for brachycephalic dogs in 50 years”.
“It is the easiest way of checking if a dog needs remedial surgery, and the vets who are doing this are specially trained so they know their stuff,” he said. “Some of our members oppose it, but you’re always going to have a few who don’t like change and wish the Kennel Club would just leave them alone.”
The respiratory function grading scheme checks if dogs have a breathing disorder called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, and grades their respiration from zero to three.
Those dogs which are not assessed or who are assessed as grade three – meaning those who find it hardest to breathe – will not be allowed to compete at Crufts from 2025 onwards.
It is not the first time Crufts has clamped down on brachycephalic dogs, with it warning judges in 2018 not to award prizes to animals that did not meet breeding standards.
Dr Laura Hamilton, a vet who is the Kennel Club’s French bulldog breed health coordinator, said “social media and celebrity culture” had caused a boom in the popularity of flat-faced dogs.
“Some brachycephalic breeds, including French bulldogs, are hugely popular, with little to no awareness amongst puppy buyers of any health concerns – and many rogue breeders producing puppies simply for profit,” she said.
The organisation is offering free breathing assessments at Crufts this year for the three breeds.