OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:30 PM – Wednesday, July 9, 2025
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has filed a lawsuit against the American Kennel Club (AKC), demanding that they end breeding standards that purportedly lead to “deformed” and “unhealthy” canines.
On Tuesday, PETA filed a lawsuit against AKC, arguing its standards for French bulldogs, pugs, and other short-snout breeds encourage dangerous and unfair breeding of the dogs.
PETA asked the Manhattan Supreme Court to stop AKC from backing these standards, which they argue “cause deformities, great suffering and premature death” to these animals.
“If a dog is gasping just to breathe, something is seriously wrong,” PETA said in a statement on its lawsuit. “French bulldogs, pugs, and other intentionally deformed breeds wheeze, snort, and struggle to breathe because the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standards prioritize dogs’ appearance over their health.”
AKC soon responded back in a statement, saying that it did not “create breed standards,” but instead works to ensure these classifications “are clear, consistent, and continue to reflect the breed’s health, function, and type.”
“The AKC has been — and remains — firmly committed to the health, well-being, and proper treatment of all dogs,” according to AKC. “We categorically reject PETA’s mischaracterizations of specific breed standards and their assertion that these standards create unhealthy dogs.”
“The health and welfare of dogs are paramount and at the core of our mission,” the nation’s largest dog breed registry said. “AKC advocates that all dogs be bred to produce healthy, well-adjusted companions.”
“AKC remains proud of its legacy and resolute in its mission to protect the health, heritage, and well-being of purebred dogs — now and into the future,” it added.
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