UK Charity PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) has featured the above picture on its Facebook page today.
Is it to illustrate the horrors of being an extreme brachycephalic breed like this pug? (After all the PDSA has ruled recently that it will no longer offer free/subsidised treatment to more than one purebred dog per household given the increased veterinary costs associated with pedigree dogs).
Or is it, perhaps, to spell out the horrors of dogs overheating in cars on a sunny day?
Or even to point out the dangers of stenotic nares (very narrow nostrils)?
Er no. It's a caption competition - "for a bit of fun this Friday".
I'm sure they would welcome some suggestions. You can do that here.
1/2/14: The PDSA has now removed the photo from its Facebook page. Response to my query from Head of PR Mary Bawn: "Dear Jemima. Apologies it was an error and has been removed. Thank you for flagging. Best wishes, Mary"
See, there are people out there who make mistakes and when it is pointed out correct it, I guess the Kennel club can't read hence their total lack of response to all of the problems that have been highlighted on PDE. In the meantime that poor little Pug is leading a life full of struggle and compromise, but I expect his breeder is very proud of him. It really is so unfair for what I don't doubt is a charming little dog as are his other braccy brothers, to be bred thus.
ReplyDeleteThere is commenting on a Guardian article today about a family that purchased a mini Schnauzer. She has a pug and is extolling their virtues, especially the fact that they don't need much grooming. Oh, well, ok then. They do seem like such sweeties but my heart breaks when I see their poor squashed little faces.
ReplyDeletenot much grooming apart from their folds cleaning out and constantly hoovering up their shedding fur. & they have to be blow dried on cold so they don't die ( they teach you that in grooming school! )
ReplyDeleteError my a**e!! They were caught with their pants down and belatedly recognised their mistake in that they expected no-one to notice!! I note there is no apology in place of the photo, or a photo of a healthily bred dog and an explanation, now that would be good PR from Mary Bawn.
ReplyDeleteChrist that is one of the sorriest faces on an animal you could possibly see. Look at that utterly useless skin fold on it's nose. It is probably panting its little head off trying to stay cool.....if the PDSA is posting pictures like this, WTF do they understand about canine health and welfare?
ReplyDeleteIn some ways it highlights the braccy pedigree buying public's lack of understanding of what they are actually buying into. Because of total lack of understanding of the characteristics shown above the PDSA have seen a laughing, happy dog, they have not seen the facts. The facts are a dog desperately trying to keep cool whilst trying to breath whilst trying to see. We see the desperation, they see a laughing dog hence their comment. Ironically Mary has unwittingly highlighted exactly how ignorance can cause so much suffering, the KC don't see it, the breeder doesn't see it, the new owner doesn't see it but this photograph clearly shows that it is there, staring them and us in the face. Perhaps now Mary understands and sees the distress caused by gross exaggeration she is in a better place to now inform those around her to be aware of the problems and not to look at them as endearments but as serious, very serious, problems for braccy breeds. I do not for one minute believe Mary deserves any unkind comments, she just misinterpreted an image because of ignorance but now she knows better and this may well help all of these breeds in the long run.
ReplyDeleteJust come home from Tesco's and as I walked in caught sight of a cushion for sale for valentines with you guessed it a photograph of a pug with a love heart beside it and you could easily see from the photo it had stenotic nares.
ReplyDeleteJust rung Tescos about Pug cushion and spoke to very sympathetic lady , who logged my complaint and will discuss with sales team. If any one else would like to let them know their feelings on using a pug with stenotic nares to sell a product please ring 0845409745 and let Tescos know..
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Well done.
DeleteYou can find the cushion on their website, just search ,"Pug cushion", and you will seee they have a couple cushions with pugs on. The valentines cushion with the pug on though if you use zoom shows obvious narrowing of the nostrils. You can leave a comment on the product if you want I have just left one, I know it probably won't be published but someone will read it and hopefully one more person might instead of seeing a cute dog might actually see what we see, suffering.
DeleteJust left a comment and also posted another comment via their 'got something wrong? Let us know..' link.
DeletePlease comment everyone!
Taken two days for Tesco to decide to not publish my comments on both pug cushions and as my comments just pointed out the narrowing of the nostrils and the fact that this would cause problems for the pug when trying to breath, I have asked them to send me their guidelines for not publishing a comment and the precise reason for not publishing the comments, as no swearing, no inciting violence or hatred etc.
DeleteI also commented and gave a critical review on Tesco's Valentines pug cushion. I think the reason Tesco takes down these comments is because it might consider them "off-topic." But it can't hurt to have tried, anyway.
DeleteThe important thing is to try and sow a seed into somebody's brain. Even if they don't do anything directly at Tesco (and let's face it, why would a supermarket give a hoot about animal welfare really!?) it will have raised some awareness with some people there.
DeleteI recently stumbled on an 'alternate' breed to suggest for those who want a bulldog: the Olde English Buldogge. Something about the title "Olde English" turns me off, but the breed Standard looks good: "Olde English Bulldogges are athletic and most importantly of very good health, males are free breeders and females are free whelpers.
ReplyDeleteThe Olde English Bulldogge is devoid of all breathing issues and is capable of enjoying outdoor activity without concern except in extreme heat or cold. "
see http://www.ioeba.net/olde_english_bulldogge_breed_standard.htm
Would be good if there were an analogous, parallel breed for wanna be pug owners.
I think the answer is "retromops": http://fuglydog.tumblr.com/post/67601802947/retromops-pug-part-bred-pugs-with-terrier
DeleteBut let's not kid ourselves, the majority of pug owners don't want to have active, athletic dog, they want to have couch potato.
Yes, the answer is retromops
Deletewww.zuechterkreis-retromops.de
Looks like a good start, though my Deutsche isn't up to reading the original and Google's translation is weird (eg, what word is translated to 'boobs'? Maybe pups?). Not sure I like the idea of copyrighting an outcross/backcross. Quite sure I don't like inbreeding among backcrossed dogs to fix characteristics.
DeleteIt doesn't look like the retromops is going to spread outside Germany.
I always fall back on the old classic, "I can haz oxygen?"
ReplyDeleteI can haz breathe?
DeleteYou may be onto something Heather....How many people look at I can Haz Cheesburger? May be a good way to get the message across..
Look Ma, no nostrils! My daughter wanted a pug. She did her research, talked with breeders and rescues, and voila'! Her fiance brought one home from a pet store. Poor dude barely survived our beating, but since the pup was not returnable, he stayed. Dave was a great dog, and a terrible pug. He actually had nostrils. Was raised by the trievers, ran his home pack and had terrible skin allergies. He died at ten or so of stroke like symptoms. Terrible, he really was a love.
DeleteThe Dog's Trust had a photo of a celebrity's Pug in their recent Wag magazine. Can't remember why the celebrity was being photographed - think she helped with fundraising. However, the Pug was mentioned. I was shocked at the time, I would have thought The Dog's Trust would have been more discerning. Photographs of these dogs raises their profile.
ReplyDelete"Yay! it's Friday I am so happy I can't breath! " - Oh, wait?
ReplyDeleteugh, that poor dog. I saw an absolutely beautiful pug the other day, it had longer legs, a slimmer body, and some muzzle to its face. It tail curled, but more like an undocked dobermann than a pugs, and... it was running :o see, it can be done!
ReplyDeleteI say, I say, I say... my dog's got no nose
ReplyDeleteYour dog's got no nose... how does it breathe?
With great difficulty
"Please save me please save me please......please!"
ReplyDeleteI witnessed an English bulldog after being taken for a long walk in a big park just outside Amsterdam collapse and being raced to the nearest vet (I assumed). This was in the early eighties no mobile phones and limited knowledge, no internet, this was how we learnt. By watching word of mouth and books.
It was one of those lovely cool early spring days, rare blue skies after a long winter of grey, blue fields of crocus. I was dressed warmly as the breeze was still chilly.
I first heard it before I saw it, it was roaring in an alarming way, when I saw him as they came out from the forest path into the meadow I was horrified, it looked like it was choking on its own phlegm. Its body was completely flecked in it too, its eyes were rolled back in its head and it was marching on roaring sounds from its throat.
He was soldiering on in a heart wrenchingly stoic and loyal manner managing to keep abreast of his owner who didn't seem to be at all fussed happily maintaining the brisk pace.
I immediately tried to intervene and the owner a woman looked extremely offended telling me this was normal for him, I tried telling her this wasn't normal for any dog and she should take him to the "sloot' a water way close by and put his whole body in the icy water immediately or at least let him drink a little. She completely ignored me shouting as they went "there's clean water in my car" and headed for the exit almost a kilometre away.
I followed from a distance and when they reached the car park the dog had collapsed jerking its legs in a horrible way causing an excited crowd of dogs and people to gather around. Luckily (I hoped) a strong abled man soon pushed forward and picked up the poor animal in his arms putting it in his car and sped off.
I never knew if it lived or died but I vowed never to get a bulldog. I had been an innocent fan of the breed but now it was just another I crossed off my growing list of breeds to avoid at all costs. Great danes, Alsatians, Pekes, Neopolitanos and and and.......crippled examples a plenty on any daily fine walk in a park even today.
"All I want for my birthday is a normal mouth so my tongue can fit inside it
ReplyDeleteand a regular snout so I don't overheat so easily, and most of all I need open nostrils and airways so I can breathe. But who can afford the surgery, after all I'm just a pug."
It's ridiculous that pedigree breeding would result in more illness in dogs, it's just horrible.
ReplyDelete