Moonpig is to stop selling cards featuring pictures of pugs and French bulldogs after criticism from vets and campaigners who fear the images fuel demand for the breeds, which often have serious health complaints.
Last year the British Veterinary Association (BVA) wrote to the Greeting Card Association and card retailers, including Moonpig, Paperchase and WH Smith, urging them to stop using pugs and other flat-faced dogs on cards.
There has been a sharp rise in ownership of flat-faced breeds, including pugs, French bulldogs and English bulldogs in the UK in recent years, with the BVA concerned that their growing presence in advertising as well as on cards and gifts is normalising perceptions of their short noses and big eyes.
While some perceive the squashed wrinkly faces of these breeds as “cute”, vets warn that dogs with short muzzles can struggle to breathe, even when doing day-to-day activities such as walking or eating. Other problems faced by brachycephalic, or flat-faced, dogs include eye disease and an inability to mate or give birth naturally.
A Royal Veterinary College study published in May 2022 suggested “urgent action is needed as many health issues of pugs are associated with their extreme body shape”.
It concluded that the health of pugs in the UK is now substantially different from and largely worse than other breeds, revealing they are almost twice as likely to experience one or more disorders annually compared with other dogs.
Despite this backdrop the popularity of these breeds has surged thanks to celebrity owners and social media exposure and in 2018 the French bulldog overtook the labrador retriever to become the UK’s most popular. That reflected an almost 3,000% increase in numbers in the previous 10 years. Faced with the increase, the BVA has run several campaigns including #HugsNotPugs and #BreedtoBreathe to raise awareness.
On Friday a search for “pug” and “French bulldog” on Moonpig’s website on Friday did not yield cards showing either breed. However, several cards adorned with images of English bulldogs, which are also flat-faced, remained on sale.
The animal rights lobby group Peta had also raised concerns with Moonpig about promoting “breathing-impaired” dog breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs on its cards. The company has now confirmed to Peta that it is the process of removing any cards that feature pugs or French bulldogs from its website. It also told Peta that it will not be designing or sourcing any card designs featuring these breeds in future.
Yvonne Taylor, Peta’s director of corporate projects, said Moonpig was acting responsibly by banning images of pugs and French bulldogs. The move would help “put an end to the promotion of dog breeds with painful, life-threatening deformities”.
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“Peta is celebrating this compassionate first step and will keep working with Moonpig to extend this new policy to all breathing-impaired breeds, including boston terriers, boxers and shih-tzus,” she said.
Moonpig has been approached for comment.