Flat-faced dog breeds including bulldogs, pugs, and French bulldogs suffer chronic health problems from the selective breeding that created their appearance.
Brachycephalic breeds represent a welfare crisis created by human aesthetic preferences overriding animal welfare. Dogs with severely flat faces live with chronic breathing difficulties that affect every moment of their lives — exercise, sleep, and thermoregulation are all compromised. The popularity of these breeds despite documented welfare concerns reflects a failure of consumer education and regulatory oversight. Veterinary organizations in multiple countries have called for breed standard reform to reduce extreme features, but progress has been slow against strong breeding and pet industry economic interests.