Chuck Darwin<p>Concern over hugely popular squashed-face breeds such as <a href="https://c.im/tags/pugs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pugs</span></a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/French" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>French</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/bulldogs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bulldogs</span></a> has grown in recent years, not least because they are prone to short lives and myriad health problems.</p><p>One of the main worries with such brachycephalic breeds is that their flat faces mean they are susceptible to respiratory problems. <br>Experts say <a href="https://c.im/tags/noisy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>noisy</span></a> breathing, <a href="https://c.im/tags/snoring" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>snoring</span></a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/fainting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fainting</span></a> after exercise are all signs that a dog is struggling for air. <br>Some even require surgery to open their nostrils or remove soft tissue to help them breathe.</p><p>Now concerns have been raised that Crufts has gone to the dogs after a French bulldog called <a href="https://c.im/tags/Elton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Elton</span></a> scooped top gongs at the show.</p><p>Among those to express their unease was Jemima Harrison, an award-winning producer and director of science-led documentaries and a campaigner for health and welfare reform in dog breeding.<br>“This French bulldog – with no discernible nostrils and an almost concave face – won not just best of breed at Crufts today but also the Utility Group,” she wrote on X. “A terrible day for the breed. Am gutted.”<br>Dr Sean McCormack, a vet and presenter, also noted that Elton had severely pinched nostrils.<br>“Nothing like the revised breed standard that asked for more muzzle, more nose, to alleviate the health problems associated with being such a flat-faced breed,” he said in a TikTok video.<br>The breed standard for the French bulldog, released in 2021, states that such dogs should have a “well defined muzzle that can clearly be viewed in profile” and nostrils that should be “visibly” open.</p><p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/08/no-discernible-nostrils-crufts-in-row-over-prizes-for-french-bulldog?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2</span><span class="invisible">024/mar/08/no-discernible-nostrils-crufts-in-row-over-prizes-for-french-bulldog?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</span></a></p>