Dog shelters are being forced to euthanise flat–faced dogs amid a ‘heartbreaking’ rise in abandonments for these trendy breeds.
Social media fame and celebrity endorsements have seen Pugs, French Bulldogs, and Boxers become some of the most popular breeds in the country.
However, these dogs’ cute appearances often come at the price of lifelong debilitating health conditions that owners are frequently unable to handle.
Dog shelters warn they are being overwhelmed by the sheer number of dogs with ‘extreme conformations’, with one reporting a 500 per cent increase since 2017.
Almost all of these abandoned dogs require some level of veterinary treatment, and many require expensive surgery to restore basic bodily functions.
The situation has now become so dire that shelter managers have told the Daily Mail they are faced with no choice but to put some dogs to sleep.
Sarah Roser, head of operations at Hope Rescue in South Wales, told the Daily Mail: ‘We’re looking at a dog where nothing is functioning as it should be, and sadly, those are the animals that sometimes we have to make a euthanasia decision for.
‘No matter what we do medically, we’re never going to get them to a point where they’re free of pain.’
Animal shelters have warned that they are facing a ‘heartbreaking’ increase in the number of dogs that requireexpensive surgery to live healthy lives. Pictured: Butch, a one–year–old Bulldog who required surgery for both his breathing issues and cherry eye
Truffle the French Bulldog required £2,500 of surgery to allow him to breathe and remove the roll of skin over his nose. Had the charity All Dogs Matter not financed this surgery and find Truffle a new home, he would have been euthanised
In the 150 or so years since the modern concept of ‘breed’ was invented, the physical differences between dogs have rapidly increased.
While most types of dogs are still healthy, some breeds have been selected for traits that are incompatible with basic bodily functions – known as ‘extreme conformations’.
Examples include legs that are too short to jump and play, spines that are twisted to produce curly tails, and faces that are so flat that the dog cannot breathe comfortably.
These traits frequently lead to shortened lifespans and constant medical issues that require expensive, lifelong treatment.
The problem is that many of these traits, such as a Pug’s bulging eyes and wheezy snorting, are often seen as cute or desirable.
As a consequence, many well–intentioned pet owners are unable to meet the unexpected emotional and financial burdens imposed by their pets and end up abandoning them to shelters and foster homes.
Ms Roser, whose dog shelter re–homes around 800 dogs each year, says she has seen a 500 per cent increase in abandonments of dogs with extreme conformations.
In 2017, the shelter did not receive a single French Bulldog; in 2024, they took in more than 80.
Francois the French Bulldog (pictured) had to undergo surgery to remove painful skin folds after his rescue. But not all dogs are so lucky, and Hope Rescue says it puts down one dog every two months due to extreme conformation
However, this is not an isolated trend, and dog shelters all over the country are now seeing the same problem.
A spokesperson for the Mayhew animal shelter in London told the Daily Mail they had seen a 107 per cent increase in requests to relinquish dogs with extreme conformation between 2024 and 2025 alone.
That includes a staggering 170 per cent increase in requests to relinquish extremely flat–faced or brachycephalic dogs in a single year.
Likewise, the Dogs Trust told the Daily Mail that brachycephalic dogs made up around 12 per cent of all handover requests in the last three years.
The Dogs Trust data also suggests that owners are more likely to give up a flat–faced breed due to financial reasons or the costs of vet bills than for any other type of dog.
This is because many flat–faced dogs develop a condition called ‘Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome’ (BOAS), which severely obstructs their breathing.
For the dog to be able to breathe, they usually have to undergo an expensive surgery, which can cost around £2,500 from a private vet.
However, dogs might also require further surgeries for heart problems, spinal issues, hip dysplasia, skin conditions, or eye issues before they can live even remotely healthy lives.
Hope Rescue in South Wales says it has seen a 500 per cent increase in dogs with extreme conformation since 2017. Recently, the charity rescued 38 dogs from a puppy farm, mostly French Bulldogs with severe health issues due to their extreme conformation (pictured)
According to shelter managers and dog charities, this cost is often too much for dog owners.
When these dogs are abandoned, those vet bills are passed onto struggling charities, who must have the treatments performed before rehoming the unfortunate dog.
Ira Moss, CEO of North–London–based shelter All Dogs Matter, says: ‘People who have bought dogs online take them to the vet because they can’t breathe and get quoted £2,500. That’s when they abandon them.’
‘Nearly every dog that is coming in is now costing £1,000 if you’re lucky, and the costs are just getting higher and higher.’
Ms Moss told the Daily Mail about a French Bulldog named Truffles, who the shelter took in from the local council.
Truffles is a new type of ‘designer’ dog called a ‘Rope Nose Frenchie’, which has been bred to have a large fold of skin that hangs over its nose.
This fold, along with Truffles’ BOAS, makes it almost impossible for him to breathe naturally and live a healthy life.
‘If we hadn’t taken in Truffles, he would have been put to sleep, but he’s going to cost us at least £2,500,’ Ms Moss said.
Ms Moss’ charity is relatively small, rehoming around 300 dogs in a year, making these mounting bills particularly painful.
Likewise, Hope Rescue says that its yearly veterinary bills for treating dogs with extreme conformations now exceed £330,000, and even bigger charities are feeling the pressure.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home says that it performed 110 BOAS surgeries on dogs in 2024, up from just seven in 2015.
That massive increase includes a 40 per cent jump between 2023 and 2024 alone.
Ms Moss says that these bills are now ‘unsustainable’ and that several smaller charities have been forced to shut their doors.
Sadly, Ms Moss says that she is now having to turn away dogs – often in the knowledge that they will likely be put to sleep as a result.
‘The bills are literally out of control at the moment, and we’re having to say no to dogs,’ says Ms Moss.
‘To help some, you’re having to sacrifice some, sadly.’
Flat–faced dogs, like Pugs, suffer from debilitating health conditions. According to the Intrinsic Health Assessment, a dog’s nose should be at least one–third the length of its skull in order for it to breathe normally
Dog shelter operators say that their intake typically tracks pet trends with a few years of delay, making the increase in French Bulldogs, Pugs and other flat–faced breeds unsurprising.
However, charity workers now say that the condition of the dogs they are seeing is getting worse.
The worst cases are dogs that have multiple types of extreme conformation at the same time.
For example, Butch, a one–year–old Bulldog that was brought to Battersea as a stray, required surgery for both his BOAS breathing issues and cherry eye, a painful condition that causes the part of the inner eye to bulge out.
Luckily for Butch, Battersea was able to fund Butch’s surgery, and he has now recovered and has been placed in a new home.
But not every pooch is so lucky, and in some cases, these dogs have such extreme conformations that euthanasia is the most humane option.
Ms Roser, of Hope Rescue, told the Daily Mail: ‘The majority require some form of vet treatment, and many require surgical intervention.’
However, for some dogs, even with complex surgical intervention, they will never live a life which is pain–free, and we have to then assess whether it is in their interest to go through surgery for limited benefit.’
Mayhew animal shelter in London (pictured) told the Daily Mail they had seen a 170 per cent increase in requests to relinquish flat–faced dogs between 2024 and 2025 alone
These physical issues often lead to behavioural problems, as certain breeds lack features like tails or ears that are used for communication with other dogs.
Unfortunately, that means some dogs cannot behaviorally cope with the surgery and recovery, even if it could help them.
‘Therefore, for some, the kindest welfare outcome is for them to be put to sleep,’ says Ms Roser.
‘It’s frustrating because you know that somebody has purposely created this dog to look a certain way that’s going to cause them suffering to make money. I guess sometimes you can feel quite, quite angry that someone has done that.’
Ms Roser estimates that around one dog every two months in the care of Hope Rescue has to be put down.
Scott Fryer, policy manager at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, told the Daily Mail that this was ‘a rising concern that we are starting to see.’
‘Unfortunately, medical euthanasia is something that we do have to deal with if the animal is suffering so much that it just won’t have any quality of life,’ Mr Fryer adds.
‘We do see some dogs that have such extreme conformations that, effectively, the best welfare outcome is euthanasia, because their quality of life will be so drastically compromised.’
