Bulldog owner – ‘These dogs shouldn’t really exist’

Nation Cymru staff

A bulldog owner has implored other people not to fuel demand for flat-faced dogs after one of her two dogs – who both had severe health problems as a result of their extreme features – died while out on a walk while in the care of someone else.

Danni Randall – who works for the RSPCA – adopted Old Tyme British bulldog Rosie in 2023 after fostering her several years earlier during her time working in a rescue centre in Wales.

Danni, 28, from South Wales, fostered many pets, including bulldog Rosie, while she worked at the RSPCA’s Newport Animal Centre, before joining the charity’s inspectorate.

She said: “When Rosie’s adopters decided they couldn’t keep her anymore we took her back in. We fell in love with her while we were fostering and we knew we could care for her complex needs.

“When she was rescued by the RSPCA she was in a real state; she’d been severely over-bred and her teats were sagging so much they touched the floor. I had to clean them daily because they would chafe and get sore.

“She was a walking medical disaster. The skin folds on her face were horrendous; we had to clean them twice a day and use special powder or they would bleed.

“She’d been bred to be a popular ‘blue’ colour but when she first arrived she was completely bald due to her allergies. We had to rub coconut oil into her skin twice a day.

“She was flat-footed so her paws would get sore and her breathing was horrendous. She couldn’t manage our stairs so she slept downstairs; even from upstairs in our bedroom with two closed doors between us we could hear her snoring. We had to wear ear plugs.”

And Danni says it was “heartbreaking” to see normal activities – like playing with toys – take its toll on the dog.

She added: “If she played with a toy I’d have to limit the length of playtime and give her a time-out so she could catch her breath. It was heartbreaking to see.

“We had various support from vets and spoke to them about what surgical options there were for Rosie but they didn’t feel she’d even survive surgery.

“We had a dog walker who would come in to help with Rosie while we were out at work. I’d told her strictly not to walk Rosie during the warm weather but, instead, to let her in the garden for a wee and check on her.

“However, she took her out for a walk one day and she was running with the other dogs when she collapsed. She was taken to the vets where they tried CPR but, when they contacted us to tell us what had happened, we made the heartbreaking decision to let her go.”

Danni and her partner, Tony, had known Rosie for many years but had just six months living with her before she died.

When another British bulldog, called Grace, became available for rehoming in Southport, Danni made the 360-mile round journey to collect her.

“We were so equipped for a poorly dog and we had the experience and the knowledge to give another a chance,” Danni said. “I’d never choose one of these dogs, I’d never go and buy one from a breeder, but we wanted to give a rescue a chance. And I’d seen, through my job, that more and more of them were coming into our care as owners couldn’t cope.”

Six-year-old Grace joined them in 2023 after being rescued by RSPCA inspectors having been left unattended in a house.

“When she was brought in she had a fractured eye socket, bruised gums and was bleeding from the nose,” Danni explained. “My colleagues believe she’d been beaten.

“You’d never know it, now. She can be nervous around unknown objects but she absolutely loves people, even strangers. She just wants a fuss.

“Her health problems aren’t as extreme as Rosie’s and she has a much better quality of life but I still have to manage her conditions.

“She has a deformed back so she needs regular physio and she struggles with her breathing – mainly when it’s warm.

“I still have to clean her skin folds but thankfully they don’t get as sore as Rosie’s did.

“Grace appears very lazy, though I think that’s because her breathing struggles sap her of energy, but she loves food and she’s incredibly loving.”

Danni is backing the RSPCA’s calls to crack down on the breeding and selling of pets with extreme conformation.

Danni said: “No one should be buying these dogs. We need to stop fuelling demand.As far as I’m concerned, they shouldn’t exist. They’re so unhealthy, it’s just not fair on them.

“If you’re going to take one on from a rescue centre then you need to be prepared. They cost a lot of money and are guaranteed to have medical problems.

“People want a blue bulldog or a harlequin Great Dane because they want something different, unique. But I’d say that mongrels are the most interesting dogs; they’re unique, one-of-a-kind, and much healthier.”

In a bid to tackle this pet welfare crisis, the RSPCA has launched a new report – The Shape of Suffering – laying out what breeders, prospective owners and other stakeholders can do to end the breeding of animals with harmful physical traits not just for British bulldogs, like Rosie and Grace, but for other dogs and different species too.

Many people don’t realise that intentionally breeding pets with extreme traits affects many animals, including cats, rabbits, rodents, reptiles and even goldfish.

The report aims to shine a light on this serious and growing animal welfare problem and call on key stakeholders to do their bit to take meaningful steps towards ending it.

More information on the work of the RSPCA is available on the charity’s website.

Help support the RSPCA by adopting and not shopping for your next animal companion. Find local pets near you at their Find a Pet platform.

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