DOGGY DON'TS
I’m a dog owner – here’s which breed I would NEVER buy again due to health problems
A DOG owner has warned other pet lovers about one breed they would never buy again.
Capital FM presenter Aimee Vivian appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain to give her views on whether pugs and French bulldogs should be banned in the UK.
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As the Netherlands plans to ban pugs and French bulldogs, debate continues around the health complications associated with some of these pups in the UK.
While their flat faces and pudgy bodies have seen the dog breed become a firm favourite, research has suggested it's these exact features that could be behind their health issues.
Aimee says she's 100 per cent against banning pugs and French bulldogs in Britain and admits she would think twice about buying the same breed again.
She is the proud "dog-mum" of her pug Eva, but has learned more about the issues that arise from breeding.
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Aimee said: "[Eva] is nine years old and I would like to say that if I was going to buy a dog now, would I get a flat-faced breed? No, because I'm a lot more educated about it."
"In the nine years since I got her, the breeding has got worse and worse, which is why I'm saying... legislation needs to be brought in, more harsher punishments."
Aimee said her pug is healthy because she keeps her trim, but PETA spokeswoman, Jennifer White, who also appeared on the show, explained Eva is still likely to suffer from breathing difficulties.
She said: "Even if you hear her when she walks, that noise that rattling, snorting, people brush that off as cute but is them struggling, gasping for breath.
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"These dogs just live miserable lives because they are deliberately bred to have these deformities, these flatter faces.
"For French bulldogs, breathing through their nose is like breathing through a straw the whole time.
"It's not about responsible breeding, frankly that just doesn't exist in this situation when these animals are just so incredibly unwell and they're being born to suffer."
New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed that pugs are almost twice as likely to develop health problems every year than other breeds.
Pugs can now no longer be considered a "typical" dog due to their health issues, according to the study.
Dr Dan O’Neill, associate professor in companion animal epidemiology at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: "Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of pugs that many humans find so cute.
"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."
Flat-faced breeds now make up a whopping 20 percent of dogs in Britain.
It comes as dog owners across Britain defended their pooches after an animal charity vowed to ban popular flat-faced breeds.
The Blue Cross accused some owners of a "vicious cycle of over-breeding" which they say has sparked a dangerous health crisis in flat-faced mutts.
The charity - founded in 1897 - demanded both legislative and non-legislative action to stamp out "poor breeding" which leads to major health defects in popular breeds like English Bulldogs.
The calls could result in new laws being drawn up which will significantly impact the appearance and availability of brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds in the UK.
Health issues of much-loved Pugs and French Bulldogs include eye disease, skin disease, obstructed breathing, and spinal deformities.
The charity exclusively told The Sun Online this is now unacceptable and such breeds are "not living full and happy lives".
They added how the explosion in their popularity in the UK - aided by "cute" advertisements and prevalence on social media - has not helped the issue of poor breeding.
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Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs at Blue Cross told The Sun Online how the charity has begun a full scale lobbying effort of British MPs to bring an end to what they have branded a "wellbeing crisis".
She said: "We have already started contacting MPs.
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