BRICK-FACED BULLDOGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20309, 18 January 1928, Page 4

BRICK-FACED BULLDOGS.

LONGER HEADS AND LIVES. Bulldogs of the future may have brickshaped heads (says the London Daily Chronicle). A theory has been pu’ forward that if they had longer heads they would live longer, and the Bulldog Club proposes to breed them with longer heads, but not longer faces, for that would spoil their looks. “The dog world will probably be revolutionised if we succeed in our object.” Mr C. Roger Boulton, secretary of the Bulldog Club, said recently, discussing the proposal: “ For years and years we have been faced with the problem of how to lengthen the life of bulldogs. They are one of the shortest-lived breeds of dogs. Their average age ranges from five to seven years. This is partly due to difficulty in breathing, caused by the nose being set too far back in the head. We are now going to try to breed bulldogs with longer heads without lengthening the face, for that would spoil the look of the animal. The bulldog of the future will have a brick-shaped head, and, we hope, a longer expectation of life.” Well-known London veterinary surgeons commended the idea of increasing the size of the bulldog’s head. One said: “ Bulldogs have always been impaired by their breathing, and many of these creatures are born with only a ' dog’s chance ’ of living more than n few vears. If the club is successful it will achieve something that is humane and necessary.”