First of all, saying that there’s no way is ignorant because there IS a way to fix it, if only people knew about it publicly and breed clubs embraced it.
These are called Retro Mops (website here), and they’re pugs bred specifically to be longer-legged, leaner, with smaller eyes, longer muzzles, and more open nostrils. And while the project is still a work in progress, it’s heading in the right direction.
This new breed type started in Germany, and developed from the selective breeding of purebred pugs with longer muzzles and a longer legged frame.
“We want to prove that a pug does not have to be short of breath and phlegmatic, but a very sporty and docile family and companion dog”
And there’s also a different strain of bulldog, which is a muscular and athletic tpe that can actually clean itself, mate, and give birth on its own (something that mainstream Bulldogs cannot do) (breeder here)
This should be the goal of EVERY pug breeder and owner, to have a healthy dog that doesn’t struggle to breathe and walk.
I’m sure you’re a pug or bulldog lover, which is why you’re so eager to defend them, but you’re not helping these dogs out by ignoring the problems in the breed. This is not a “little problem”, it’s a HUGE issue that’s killing dogs, and it’s prefectly preventable if pugs were outcrossed to have longer muzzles and wider nostrils.
Just look at the difference and tell me you’re not horrified:
As long as people stay blind to these issues, nothing will change. Which is why I’m saying this here so at least some people will see that there IS an alternative, and that wheezing pugs and bulldogs are not cute. When the public realizes the difference, the demand for these mutants will stop and more healthy, longer-lived alternatives will replace them.
But it starts with someone talking about them, and not just thinking there’s nothing to be done. Although if there were a time machine at my disposal you bet I’d use to pinch the nostrils of the original Victorian breeders and see how they like it.
