On the Nose: PETA’s Plea Against Breeding Breathing-Impaired Dogs Hits UK’s Cosmetic Surgery Capital

Birmingham – Humans can choose to change the shape of their nose to boost self-esteem or improve breathing, but English bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs, and other breathing-impaired breeds (BIB) have no choice: they’re deliberately bred to have flat faces and squashed, almost non-existent noses – a look that’s costing their lives. That’s the message of PETA’s new billboard in Birmingham – where residents are reportedly most likely to seek out cosmetic surgery, compared with the rest of the UK – which will have passers-by doing double takes on their way to the plastic surgeon and thinking twice about buying dogs from breeders.

The billboard can be found at Summer Row junction off Cambridge Street, B3 1LA, and will be live for two weeks. High-resolution images are available here. Credit: Darron Palmer Photography.

“Humans can reshape their noses however they want, but it’s cruel to purposely breed dogs with near non-existent noses that condemn them to a lifetime of panting and gasping for air, and an early grave,” says PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen. “PETA encourages Brummies to adopt animal companions from their local shelter and turn their noses up at breeders that profit from churning out miserable, unhealthy animals who struggle to breathe.”

PETA notes that the snorting, snoring, and noisy breathing common among BIBs is due to an uncomfortable, debilitating, and sometimes fatal condition called brachycephalic syndrome. Going for a walk, chasing a ball, running, and playing – the things that make dogs’ lives joyful and fulfilling – are impossible for many BIBs.

A report by the Royal Veterinary College concluded that some flat-faced breeds, including pugs, can no longer be classified as “typical” dogs due to the health problems caused by their abnormally flat faces. A number of countries – including the Netherlands and Norway – have taken action to prevent the suffering of these dogs by banning or restricting the breeding of certain BIBs.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.

Contact:

Lucy Watson +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

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