What do you think if a dog breed is suddenly banned from breeding? Such is the debate that opened in early 2022, after the Oslo District Court, in Norway, banned breeding and reproduction bulldogs Y cavalier king charles spaniel considering they suffered from birth.

It’s a common conversation among animal rights activists, but one that never made it to the law – let alone the international arena – until a process initiated by the Norwegian Society for Animal Welfare.

After the decision—compared and studied—the case was discussed in countries such as the United Kingdom, where Royal College of Veterinary Medicine (RVC) was asked to analyze the defining characteristic of greyhounds: current standards make them more susceptible to health problems than other breeds, which would lead to their ban in the country.

The situation, explains Rodrigo González, member of the Observatory for Animal Protection and Welfare of the Bogotá District Institute for Animal Protection, is problematic: “Selective breeding and reproduction, behind breed maintenance, causes genetic diversity to be greatly reduced to maintain aesthetic characteristics.”

What González, who is also a biologist, says can be seen from two perspectives: organizations like the International Cynological Federation, which regulates breed standards and determines how bulldogs should look, for example. And social imaginaries who favor certain characteristics over others because they consider them ‘beautiful’ or ‘attractive’, as RVC points out.

In the case of the bulldog, and other breeds such as the boxer, pug or shar pei, the muzzle is especially flat or flattened, a condition called brachycephalic syndrome. To the cavaliers, they are their little heads.

Lucía Carvajal Parra, a veterinarian and professor at the National University, explains that the first “are a number of anomalies that cause obstruction of the upper respiratory tract, from the nose to the larynx and upper trachea.” That is, the nostrils are small and narrow, while the soft palate is long and covers the first part of the respiratory tract, preventing air from entering.

This difficulty causes the animals to snore and pant constantly, they are unable to exert greater effort and even overheat by not regulating their temperature as other breeds do through the nasal cavities. In addition, expert comments, bulldogs can be born with heart conditions such as Tetralogy of Fallot, “a very severe heart disorder incompatible with life”; hip and hemivertebrae dysplasia, risk of temporary or permanent paralysis.

For their part, the Cavaliers, warns Parra, “experienced mitral valve prolapse, a change that eventually leads to heart failure as they grow.” They are also prone to hip dysplasia and cataracts.

However, their big problem is the size of the skull, as it is “too small to accommodate a brain which, as it grows, seeks where to go.” So they go through a very painful process.

González attributes this condition to the fact that breeders try to maintain ‘standard’ or ‘beautiful’ traits by “strategies such as breeding members of the same family group or breeding several individuals to get many litters”, which leads to a lack of genetic diversity, which guarantees good health and adaptability of the species.

On the other hand, Raúl Calderón, owner and founder of Diamond Bull Colombia, a kennel specializing in greyhounds, says that through selective breeding and breeding, the breed can also be strengthened and certain health problems can be avoided.

“Bulldogs – explains Calderon – have been a genetically modified breed for more than two centuries and today are one hundred percent dependent on humans. It should not reproduce naturally and the birth cannot be normal as there is a very high chance of death for both the female and the pups. So this makes one have to be selective in terms of crossing specimens, because what we are looking for is the indicators chosen to be better.”

The idea, however, works for hip dysplasia, a possible skin and eye problem, but not for brachycephaly. According to the breeder, it’s something one has to learn to live with, because “it’s a condition that makes it a companion dog”.

In order to avoid other diseases, he continues, animal genealogy is very important: “The value that the document brings is that it allows us to investigate who the parents, grandparents, great-grandfathers, etc. were. If the pedigree is known, it is possible to care for it and know when a specimen can be reproduced or not. This is a health problem.”

Although in Colombia there are no laws governing the practice of cage reproduction, there are organizations such as the Asociación Club Canino Colombiano, which impose conditions for their members.: they only allow a female to give birth to a maximum of six litters, with a minimum of one resting period between each. Moreover, they created a technical committee to permit crosses between family members under strict guidelines.

Rules that don’t apply to those selling pets and which, according to Calderon, should be regulated more because “they become puppy mills that don’t take DNA and genetic compatibility studies into account.”

However, for an NGO like Raya Corporation, which is dedicated to promoting care and respect for animals, Norway’s ban on all types of livestock should be replicated worldwide.

Catalina Yepes, a veterinarian and medical coordinator for the organisation, explains that activities such as breeding and reproduction make animals a commercial good: “Not all breeders are the same, but there is activity in rather precarious conditions, with obvious exploitation and mistreatment of animals” .

Whatever the scenario, Rodrigo González concluded that tools will always be needed to publicize the health problems suffered by animals such as bulldogs and prevent their irresponsible breeding and marketing.

About Cavelier King Charles Spaniel

• It belongs to the group of companion dogs.
• It weighs, on average, 8 kilograms.
• It is characterized by being active and playful.
• King Charles II of England was always accompanied by one of them, hence the name.
• It used to have the longest muzzle, but was crossed with pug-like breeds in the late 17th century, giving rise to the version we know today.

about the bulldog

• It belongs to the Molossoid group of dogs.
• It weighs, on average, 25 kilograms.
• It is characterized by being docile and integrating quickly into the family.
• In ancient times they used it to fight bulls, hence the name.
• This is the flagship dog of Great Britain.