They are loved by many, they are the dogs and cats shown by VIPs and influencers, they like them because with their flattened muzzle they have an original look, like an eternal puppy, but because of this captivating aesthetic characteristic brachycephalic breeds of dogs and cats pay with a life in perpetual respiratory distresswhich causes serious consequences for their health and, often, a shorter life.
Are the pugsThe English and French BulldogsThe Cavalier King Charles Spaniel but so is it Shih TzuThe BoxersThe Boston Terriersit Staffordshire Bull Terriers. And then, among the cats, the PersianL’HimalayanL’Exotic Shorthairit Scottish Fold and the British Shorthair. Their distinctive characteristics – the flattened snout, the small nose, the proportions of the skull – have been exasperated more and more by breeders for aesthetic purposes but they are detrimental to their health: the respiratory syndrome that characterizes them causes them to get tired quickly, that they do not have a correct metabolism (due to poor oxygenation of the tissues), that they are subject to heat strokes and fainting in the summer, that they have heart problems, while the nose is subject to dermatitis and protruding eyes with continuous watering. Is the picture sufficient to think that the aesthetic aspect is not so important if it is to the detriment of health?
“Unfortunately, these breeds of dogs and cats are increasingly fashionable,” he says Sara Turetta, Founder and President of the association Save the Dogs – also due to influencers and well-known celebrities who show them on their social networks. Baos, the respiratory syndrome they suffer from, is a very serious disease which in some cases requires plastic surgery to allow the animal to survive, an intervention that many families cannot afford. As a result, many of these dogs are abandoned in shelters or euthanized by vets. For brachycephalic breeds we speak of “genetic abuse” because it is such an extreme manipulation of genes that it affects the well-being of these animals ».
What are the associations asking for? One very simple thing: that you no longer buy dogs and cats of these breeds. And for an equally simple reason: to avoid suffering for animals who – until proven otherwise – are taken to offer them the best possible life.
«The subject has been open for several years in Northern Europe and in England and in some countries a ban has already been reached – continues Sara Turetta – In Holland, 12 brachycephalic breeds have been outlawed, considered calibrated breeds that lead to unacceptable suffering for animals. So in Norwaywhile in England there is a very strong debate with strong cultural resistance. There is also the breeding aspect: in Scandinaviafor example, dogs cannot be sold in shops, but only in controlled farms, while in Italy we have a system that allows dogs to be sold in shops, at fairs, markets, on the internet by anyone who places them on various platforms without any control» .
«In Italy most of dog puppies come from unscrupulous breeders in Eastern Europe, which keep the mares in atrocious conditions demonstrated by many investigations. It has been estimated that around 8 million purebred or pseudo-breed puppies are sold every year in Europe, and around 400,000 in Italy, while the dogs locked up in our kennels – even puppies – are 130,000 and it is a low estimate, because many unconventional kennels are not considered. In practice we live in the madness of a system which on the one hand facilitates the disposal of animals that come from uncontrolled farms, and at the same time spends 200 million euros a year to keep at least 130,000 dogs prisoners in kennels».
In short, the message is clear: why get dogs and cats from farms when we have thousands of animals ready to fill us with affection who live in kennels and shelters?
«Our appeal – continues Turetta – is that famous people and influencers don’t show brachycephalic dogs and cats on their social networks as if they were a productnot to make them fashionable, because the direct consequence is the increase in the traffic of millions of puppies raised in horrendous conditions in some basement in Eastern Europe and a life that does not respect animal welfare. We address the same appeal to those who advertise, asking them not to choose these breeds but rather to prefer mestizos, so that it becomes more socially accepted to take a dog from the kennel”.
Are you thinking of getting a dog to live a life of love together? Try going to kennel in your municipalityor contact the associations in your area.
Source: Vanity Fair

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