Moonpig has announced that it will stop selling cards featuring images of ‘breathing impaired’ dogs such as pugs and bulldogs after campaigners claimed the promotions normalise “their suffering from respiratory ailments”.

Animal rights group Peta previously raised concerns that the card retailer was promoting “dog breeds with painful, life-threatening deformities”.

In response to the claims, Moonpig has removed all cards featuring such dogs and will work with Peta in the future to extend the card company’s new policy to all breathing-impaired breeds, including Boston terriers, boxers, and shih tzus. According to Sky News, several Moonpig cards on sale still contain images of English bulldogs – which are also flat-faced.

The news comes months after the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) published damning research on the breeding of pugs in May last year. From a study population of 905,544 dogs, the institution found that pugs are almost twice as likely to experience one or more disorders annually compared with other dogs.

“Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of Pugs that many humans find so cute,” RVC associate professor in ‘Companion Animal Epidemiology’, Dr Dan O’Neill, said. “It is time now that we focus on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when we are choosing what type of dog to own.”

The RVC believes that a “pug can no longer be considered a ‘typical dog’ from a health perspective”.

Peta director of corporate projects Yvonne Taylor added: “By banning images of pugs and French bulldogs, Moonpig is acting responsibly and helping put an end to the promotion of dog breeds with painful, life-threatening deformities.”

The animal rights group has said that the dogs are bred for a particular look, meaning they have shortened airways that cause an array of symptoms, including laboured breathing, snorting, gagging, and collapsing. The breeding also makes pugs and other flat-faced dogs more susceptible to vomiting, exercise intolerance, heatstroke, and even death, Peta added.

Following a similar intervention by Peta, Moonpig also pledged in 2019 to stop making cards available that depicted “captive great apes in unnatural situations”.

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In countries Austria, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands, restrictions have already been placed on breeding dogs with breathing deficiencies. Earlier this year, ITV Good Morning Britain viewers were reportedly left outraged by a discussion on whether the breeding of pugs and french bulldogs should be banned altogether. However, Peta spokesperson Jennifer White soon responded to general criticism on the show by claiming that flat-faced dogs live “miserable” lives and are being born and bred to suffer.

“They are being deliberately bred to have these deformities and flatter faces,” she continued. “For French bulldogs, breathing through their nose is like breathing through a straw all the time. It’s not about responsible breeding, frankly that just doesn’t exist in this situation when these animals are so incredibly unwell and are being born to suffer.”

Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir also highlighted that in the Netherlands, the government is considering the banning of such photographs on social media.

Do brands have a social responsibility when it comes to animals? 

Bill Lambert, spokesperson for dog welfare company The Kennel Club, told Marketing Beat that advertisers and brands have a role to play in promoting positive animal welfare. As it stands, retailers M&S, Debenhams, ASOS, New Look and Lipsy all sell clothing containing images of pugs and other flat-faced dog breeds.

“As members of the Brachycephalic Working Group, we do ask responsible brands and influencers to limit unnecessary promotion of flat-faced dogs,” Lambert added.

“Sadly we know that some Pugs, French Bulldogs and other flat-faced dogs can suffer from a number of health conditions – including breathing, skin and eye problems, and we’ve seen these issues worsen as their popularity climbs and rogue breeders cash in, creating serious welfare issues for some dogs. While these dogs may look appealing, cute, or comic, there are potential implications of promoting them unnecessarily, including driving further demand for these breeds to a general public who aren’t aware of their potential health problems.

“We do agree that advertisers and brands have a role to play in promoting positive animal welfare and working with us to reduce the unnecessary or inappropriate promotion of brachycephalic breeds. Reducing and ultimately eliminating these health problems is a goal shared by all those who care about dogs, including The Kennel Club, the veterinary profession, welfare charities, breed clubs and both responsible breeders and owners.”

RVC associate professor in ‘Companion Animal Epidemiology’, Dr Dan O’Neill, has also weighed in on the topic, affirming that brands should avoid using imagery that might imply endorsement of extreme body shapes in animals that are often related to poor health.

O’Neill added: “The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) research within VetCompass has sadly shown dog breeds with extreme flat faces such as English Bulldogs, Pugs and French Bulldogs are predisposed to a wide range of serious health issues including infected skin folds, ulcerated eyes, breathing problems, difficulty giving birth and heat stroke. RVC VetCompass has also shown that English Bulldogs, Pugs and French Bulldogs sadly live on average to only around two-thirds of the lifespan of dogs overall.

“Therefore, in order to be socially responsible and not exploit animals when carrying out promotions, the RVC recommends that brands should avoid using imagery of animals with extreme conformation such as dog breeds with extremely flat-faces which might imply endorsement of extreme body shapes in animals that are often related to poor health.”

Other animal welfarists also hope that Moonpig’s ‘responsible’ move will spark a chain reaction. APGAW policy and legal advisor, Vanessa Barnes wrote on LinkedIn: “Really great that Moonpig have taken a responsible stand here against using images of dogs with extreme conformations who suffer terribly as a result in order to sell their products. Hopefully they will extend this ban to other breeds and other companies will follow their lead!”