Dog rescue charity launches film exposing plight of sought-after dog breed

Television and radio presenter Mariclare Carey-Jones has produced a new film highlighting an issue very close to her heart – the suffering of a dog breed popularised on social media.

Mariclare, a life-long dog lover from Cardiff, fell for French Bulldogs and decided they were the breed for her.

But not all is what it seems on social media, and this brachycephalic breed, made popular by celebrities and influencers online, has now caused incredible heartbreak, prompting Mariclare to make the difficult decision to document her journey with Pierre, her beloved Frenchie, who sadly died in 2023.

Now, Mariclare has teamed up with Wales-based dog charity, Hope Rescue, to launch the film called ‘Pierre’s Tale’ which will be showcased at film festivals across Europe this summer, including the renowned S.O.F.A. Wildlife Awards.

Mariclare says: “Seeing the pain and suffering my gorgeous boy Pierre went through because of his breed meant I had to speak out.

“French Bulldogs are the funniest, sweetest little dogs with huge personalities, but people need to know about the massive health issues they face too.

“Don’t do it”

When asked what advice she would give to people looking to buy one of the sought after breeds, Mariclare said: “Don’t do it. If you care about dogs do not buy a French Bulldog.

“If you really want a Frenchie then get a rescue, and even then, make sure you know about the problems they can face and make sure you have enough money set aside to pay for any and all the medical care they might need.

“Also be prepared that their life expectancy isn’t as long as other dogs. And make sure when you’re out with that rescue French Bulldog and people say how lovely it is, you tell them it’s a rescue and explain the health problems they can have.”

Hope Rescue CEO Vanessa Waddon said: “We’re thrilled that Mariclare came to Hope Rescue, as a leading voice in animal welfare in South Wales, to endorse her film and support her in advocating for dogs like Pierre.

“This film is incredibly honest, compelling and heartbreaking and our hats go off to Mariclare for documenting her journey with Pierre at such a difficult time.

“Sadly at Hope Rescue we see the impact of the huge rise in popularity of these breeds and worsening health issues far too often, especially as they became popular with illegal and low welfare breeders who focus more on breeding for extreme conformation than health.”

Vanessa continued: ”In the last three years (2022-24) we saw 150 French Bulldogs arrive at the centre for rehabilitation and rehoming, this is up more than a 200% from the three years preceding this (2019-2021) when we only saw a total of 44 arriving in that whole period.

“This is only a small proportion of all the brachycephalic breeds we see coming through the centre, many with extensive breathing, skin, ear, eye and joint issues.

“Sadly, some of the health issues are too severe to provide a good quality of life for the dog and we have had to make some very difficult decisions including Fred and Barney.”

A life of suffering

Fred and Barney were found abandoned on a common in Coity, South Wales.

Fred had been deliberately bred to be hairless and had extremely itchy and sore skin, and open wounds on his neck and back. We nursed him back to health and he was happily adopted, but he will require lifelong medication for his skin.

Barney’s story sadly did not have a happy ending. He had some severe issues with his hips, spine, hind legs and elbows, loud crackly breathing, a red and inflamed nose rope.

He was underweight and dehydrated, and was unable to keep even a small amount of food and water down and was regularly regurgitating. Barney’s breathing was so poor that he could only eat when elevated.

The vet agreed that there were no viable treatment options which would give Barney even a reasonable quality of life, and the difficult decision was made to put him to sleep on welfare grounds.

Sadly Barney’s case is not an isolated incident and we are regularly seeing brachycephalic breeds with life limiting conditions.

Vanessa added: “As Mariclare has highlighted already, Hope would strongly advise purchasers to choose a different breed or crossbreed due to the inherent health issues, but if a new owner really has their heart set on a French Bulldog then we would encourage them to adopt one of the many already placed in rescue, whether that is via your local centre or a specific breed rescue.”

Vanessa shared what Hope would like to see in the future: “We would like to see the concept of innate health built into breeding legislation, and particularly into the assessment process during licensing inspections based on the tool created by Dr Dan O’Neill through his work with the Royal Veterinary College and UK Brachycephalic Working Group. ‘Innate health’ refers to a dog’s capacity to enjoy life without limitations from health conditions linked to extreme conformations. This tool is available to anyone looking to purchase a dog and is not restricted to brachycephalic breeds.”

Both Hope Rescue and Mariclare hope this documentary will start an important conversation about responsible dog ownership, the need for improved legislation and the role social media can play in exacerbating a growing problem.

You can view the video on Mariclare’s website, the Hope Rescue YouTube channel and follow its progress at this summer’s film festival via Hope Rescue social media.