French bulldog breeder fined for violating flat snout ban in Dutch first

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has fined a French bulldog breeder 3,000 euros for violating the Dutch ban on breeding dogs with short snouts. According to the NVWA, the breeder used a parent dog with a too-short snout and that couldn’t breathe normally while at rest. This is the first fine since the ban was implemented.

“To prevent recurrence, the NVWA also imposed a penalty on top of the maximum fine,” the authority said. Every time the breeder uses an unsuitable animal for breeding, he will be fined 1,500 euros up to a maximum of 9,000 euros.

The Netherlands banned breeding with short-snouted dogs to prevent unnecessary animal suffering. Animals with a snout that is too short and an abnormal skull can have difficulty breathing and suffer continuous headaches, among other health complaints.

Experts from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University drew up criteria to assess whether short-snouted dogs were healthy enough to breed with. There are six criteria, including that the dog should breathe normally while at rest, have open nasal passages, no nasal fold, and the whites of its eyes shouldn’t be visible when the dog looks straight ahead.