Flat-faced dog breeds like bulldogs and pugs suffer from breathing difficulties, eye problems, and skin infections caused by selective breeding for extreme physical traits.
Brachycephalic breeds represent a case of welfare harm caused by selective breeding for human aesthetic preferences rather than dog health and quality of life. Many bulldogs, French bulldogs, and pugs live in chronic respiratory distress, unable to exercise normally, prone to heat stroke, and experiencing disrupted sleep from sleep apnea. The welfare burden falls on the dogs while the perceived benefit accrues to owners. Responsible breeding toward less extreme conformation is urgently needed, as is consumer education about the suffering these traits cause.