PETA issues a statement over a French Bulldog winning Best in Show at the National Dog Show

On Thanksgiving Day, the National Dog Show presented by Purina crowned Winston the French Bulldog as Best in Show. And PETA has responded to that win with a statement of their own.

While there are certainly plenty of people excited by the win or even happy to see the French Bulldog get the spotlight, according to PETA there is a lot more to this story. In fact, the organization is upset by this breed winning Best in Show considering they are a “Breathing Impaired Breed (BIB).”

So what did PETA have to say about a French Bulldog winning the Best in Show at the National Dog Show?

PETA condemns the National Dog Show for crowning a French Bulldog as Best in Show

In the statement that was sent to Dog O’Day, PETA’s Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch explained,

"Setting aside the fact that this is a trade show designed to help promote the breeding and sale of dogs when the country is experiencing a dog overpopulation crisis that results in euthanasia and severely crowded animal shelters, this year’s ‘Best in Show’ is shameful in another respect. In other countries, including throughout Europe, breeding BIBs—breathing-impaired breeds—is referred to as ‘torture breeding,’ because French bulldogs and other BIBs can suffer from an uncomfortable, debilitating, and sometimes fatal condition called brachycephalic syndrome that makes them struggle to breathe, run, play, or experience the joys that make a dog’s life worthwhile and make hot weather hell for them. PETA urges people not to breed or buy any dog, let alone those who are physically punished by breeders who have robbed them of a real nose and who cause them to struggle for something as basic and vital as taking a breath."

Over on Twitter, the PETA social media account went further into detail about what it means for dogs to Breathing Impaired to struggle to breathe in comparison to other dogs, such as a Labrador. And it is not just the French Bulldog that is considered a BIB dog, as the Pug is also known to have breathing issues.

In the Twitter post, PETA compared a larger dog to the French Bulldog comparing the size of their nostrils, the size of their throats and necks, the windpipe, and even the palate of these dogs. And at least based on this graphic, it is clear why these two smaller breeds are considered to be breathing impaired.

Hopefully the fact that Winston won the National Dog Show will actually bring more attention to the health problems that a French Bulldog might face.

Did you know about the issues that many French Bulldog’s face? Are you at all surprised by the statement from PETA? We want to hear your thoughts on the matter.