BOAS is a significant welfare concern in flat-faced dog breeds, causing chronic breathing difficulties that affect quality of life and require surgical intervention in severe cases.
Dogs with significant BOAS essentially live with chronic respiratory compromise - the equivalent of breathing through a narrow straw. This affects sleep quality, exercise capacity, and thermoregulation. The normalization of loud breathing in flat-faced dogs masks genuine suffering - snoring and snorting are signs of airway obstruction, not character traits. Breeding for extreme brachycephaly prioritizes human aesthetic preferences over fundamental dog welfare. Reform requires both breeding standard changes and informed consumer decisions.