Overview

• The lawsuit filed July 8 seeks to compel the AKC to abandon its standards for bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs, dachshunds and Chinese shar-peis
• PETA contends those standards serve as blueprints for breeding extreme traits that lead to brachycephalic syndrome, spine disorders and autoinflammatory disease
• On July 9 the AKC publicly rejected the suit’s assertions, emphasizing that dog health is central to its mission and highlighting more than $40 million invested in canine health research since 1995
• French bulldogs have topped AKC registrations for three consecutive years through 2024, driving lucrative demand and intensifying selective breeding pressures
• Policy moves abroad include the Netherlands’ ban on very short-snouted dog breeding and Norway’s Supreme Court upholding a prohibition on cavalier King Charles spaniel breeding