The cost of cute: animal advocates ring the alarm over increase in French bulldog surrenders

Gloria Henriquez · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 8:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Animal advocates successful Montreal are sounding the alarm implicit an summation successful the fig of French bulldogs being surrendered due to the fact that owners are incapable oregon unwilling to wage for their care.

They accidental the breed whitethorn beryllium cute but the dogs often travel with chronic aesculapian issues and radical are unaware of the precocious costs adopting 1 tin carry. What's more, their popularity pushes unethical breeders to atrocious practices, which perpetuates their innate wellness problems.

Montrealer Karolina Jez, admits to getting her "Frenchie" Rio from a breeder astir 5 years ago.

"To maine she was truly the astir peculiar thing, everyplace she went she became similar a small prima of the show," Jez mused.

"She was the mascot of our section java shop. They called her 'Tonguies' due to the fact that her lingua was ever sticking out. She conscionable made everybody happy."

But from aboriginal connected Rio had superior wellness issues ranging from allergies to problems with her spine. An costly country seemed to get her backmost connected track, but past she was diagnosed with meningitis.

Her diminution was fast. Eventually, she couldn't locomotion anymore and mislaid her zest for life.

Rio was lone 4.5 years-old erstwhile she died.

"It was truthful achy to spot however overmuch she suffered and honestly we did everything we could," Jez said.

Jez suspects the seriousness of Rio's illnesses are connected to mediocre breeding practices and she present wishes she had done much research.

"Everything that I learned due to the fact that of her, each the trauma that I've been done with her, each the suffering that I saw her spell through — I deliberation it's important for radical to look astatine idiosyncratic similar maine and beryllium like, 'You cognize what? I bash request to amended myself. Look what she went through, americium I acceptable to person this breed?' ... They are a surviving thing. They're not conscionable a disposable toy," Jez said.

"I deliberation if we follow and we don't store hopefully that's going to lessen — and possibly adjacent 1 day — eradicate these 'greeders.'"

Not each Frenchies are arsenic fortunate to person a favored proprietor arsenic dedicated arsenic Jez. The Montreal SPCA says it's seen an summation successful the fig of surrenders of French bulldogs in the past mates of years.

Chocolatine, a three-month-old Frenchie, is presently nether its care. She is recovering from a country to close a rectal prolapse, which happens erstwhile the rectum becomes stretched and slips retired of the anus.

The SPCA says her breeder gave her up due to the fact that helium didn't privation to wage for her vet bills and wound into his profits.

"Unfortunately due to the fact that the breed is truthful popular, it leads to irresponsible radical breeding them successful a non-ethical way," said Lawrence Massé, the Montreal SPCA's executive director.

Massé says much and much Frenchie owners surrender their dogs due to the fact that they can't spend their aesculapian issues which see digestive, respiratory and bony and associated problems.

People often bargain them impulsively, without doing the indispensable research, she says.

"I deliberation they've go a monolithic presumption symbol," said Candice Wagner, a unpaid with Rescue All Dogs (RAD).

She says the occupation is adjacent worse successful the United States, wherever according to the American Kennel Association, French bulldogs are the astir fashionable breed.

RAD brings dogs that would different beryllium euthanized from southbound of the borderline to Montreal. Wagner says she's besides seeing much and much owners surrender Frenchies.

"They're buying these dogs, they're uneducated and if the outgo of surviving is going up you tin lone ideate the outgo of vet care," Wagner said.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association agrees it's a increasing problem. Dr. Enid Stiles, who is part of the Association's carnal payment committee, says acquisition is key.

"[Educate] yourself and speech to your veterinarian…. We are really an unthinkable root of accusation and tin precise overmuch assistance usher you successful what whitethorn beryllium the champion breed for your family," Stiles said.

As for Jez, she's connected a ngo to extremity unethical breeding practices.

She made t-shirts that accidental "adopt, don't shop" successful the front. In the back, they person Rio's paw prints.

"These are her past canine prints earlier she passed … and I'm conscionable going to springiness this distant to radical and rise consciousness for rescues and advocator for dogs who truly request homes," Jez said.

She's spreading the connection successful the representation of her departed champion friend, Rio.