# NY Times Magazine: "Can The Bulldog Be Saved?"



## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Here is the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?ref=magazine (It's 6 pages long but worth the read.)

***Note: Bulldog owners/lovers--- I love them, too! But I am worried for their future, and am interested in your thoughts on this provocative article, especially.

I read this article and felt sad, discouraged and pretty cynical about what we, as humans-- as guardians and advocates-- are doing to our pure-bred dogs today. And the AKC? Are they in denial about the health issues of English Bulldogs? Seems so.

A quote from the article:


> “There is little doubt that the anatomy of the English bulldog has considerable capacity to cause suffering,” Dr. Nicola Rooney and Dr. David Sargan concluded in one of the reports, “Pedigree Dog Breeding in the U.K.: A Major Welfare Concern?” “The breed is noted to have locomotion difficulties, breathing problems, an inability to mate or give birth without assistance. . . . Many would question whether the breed’s quality of life is so compromised that its breeding should be banned.”


On a hopeful note-- that there is a man (David Leavitt) who began developing the Old English Bulldogge breed in 1971, crossing bulldogs with pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs, and American bulldogs. The result was "an athletic breed that looks similar to the bulldogs of 1820, but also has a friendly temperament."

The images of the "Leavitt Bulldog" are stunning. Still very "bull-doggy" in looks, but stronger, more athletic, no breathing issues, and able to breed and give birth "freely" (without assistance.)

Thoughts?


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

An image of the Olde English Bulldogge (i.e. "Leavitt Bulldog)--


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Very good article. It is that way with a lot of breeds. Many of the breeds bear little resemblance to the earlier dogs. Modern chows have so many health problems that it is getting ridiculous. My black boy in my avatar needed knee surgery in both knees, eye surgery in one eye, and we lost him before he turned 4, and he was from champion parents. 


Chow from 1915

View attachment 4996


Modern Day Chow

View attachment 4997


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I am a frenchie owner, which IMO aren't as extreme as the english, but also have things that could be changed. I am guilty in that, I don't know how I'd feel about them. Murph's cuteness makes me smile every single day.


It seems that SO MANY breeds, we have take one feature and just exaggerated it beyond the point of recognition.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Sadly, it's these types of breeding practices that makes it very unlikely for me to buy a pup from a "reputable" breeder. (I know reputable has different meanings but for this, I'm taking the stance of one who breeds to the "parent club"/show standard).


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

chowder said:


> Very good article. It is that way with a lot of breeds. Many of the breeds bear little resemblance to the earlier dogs. Modern chows have so many health problems that it is getting ridiculous. My black boy in my avatar needed knee surgery in both knees, eye surgery in one eye, and we lost him before he turned 4, and he was from champion parents.
> 
> 
> Chow from 1915
> ...


Thanks for the pic by pic comparison of the Chow, then and now (I find this stuff fascinating... in addition to disturbing.)
I sometimes wondered about your avatar photo. And, truthfully, his face is beyond gorgeous. But to create that "look", at the expense of overall vitality... this is where we get into trouble.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Thanks for the pic by pic comparison of the Chow, then and now (I find this stuff fascinating... in addition to disturbing.)
> I sometimes wondered about your avatar photo. And, truthfully, his face is beyond gorgeous. But to create that "look", at the expense of overall vitality... this is where we get into trouble.



I will admit that I am a total sucker for a modern day chow puppy with it's totally squished 'teddy bear' face. But, the two boys I had that were 'ideal' champion quality chows both died within a month of each other at age 4 and age 5 months from health problems that probably rarely existed in the original chow breed. So I have a keen interest in this topic also (as well as a lot of money in vet bills!)

Rocky is the healthiest chow I've ever owned and he is about 1/4 husky. There's just enough husky in him to lengthen his body and muzzle and make him able to breathe, run, and see like a normal dog instead of a chow!

You will probably find many breeds who exaggerate the standards in an effort to produce more and more 'champions' and then you have breeders who try and just produce the healthiest dog possible. I'm not sure about other breeds, but you can find a fairly wide range of looks in chow kennels, depending on the breeders, from extremely square - squishy faced dogs, to longer more natural looking dogs.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I have a cousin who says her bulldog is bred to the "new" healthier standard. I hope so.

It's alot of breeds, not just bulldogs. Look at what they've done to German Shepherds. Frankly, we are all disgusting - for breeding them, for buying them, for acting like the AKC has the dogs' best interests at heart and following its standards. 

i don't think Dobermans are as bad off as many breeds - their defects are more genetic rather than visual. But dachshunds with their backs, ANY squished-faced dog, etc. have been bred to exaggerate those features to the point of deformity. It's totally revolting. 

We need to quit supporting the breeders, and the organizations that support this genetic mutilation.


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