The Dutch government announced on Friday, January 20 that it wanted to ban the possession of pets suffering from genetic mutations that give them the appearance “sweetincluding flat-nosed dogs.

“When choosing a pet, people often choose features that they find cute, such as dogs with short muzzles or cats with folded ears.“Says the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release. But”there is scientific evidence that these cats suffer constantly because they have a cartilage defect caused by a specific gene«, he notes.

“No pet should suffer because of its appearance”

In particular, genetic mutations can cause respiratory problems or arthritis in the animals concerned. “Their owners have the best intentions, but are often unaware of the dark sideof these animals and their suffering due to these characteristics, the ministry continues, stating that “dogs with too short a muzzle, for example, are constantly short of breath“.

According to recent studies, this is the case with animals such as French and English bulldogs. “Dogs that have an abnormal skull shape may have constant headaches.“, added Agriculture Minister Piet Adema in a letter on Friday to the Folketing.

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“We make life miserable for innocent animals just because we think they are “beautiful“ and “sweet“», summarizes Piet Adema. According to him, Holland will do ita big step» by deciding that «no pet should suffer for its appearance“.

An illegal trade in these animals

The list of animals whose possession the government wants to ban has not yet been determined. A list of physical characteristics that can be objectively determined to cause permanent suffering is under consideration, the ministry said.

In the Netherlands, it has already been banned since 2014 to breed animals that have problems related to their physical appearance. Rules have also been in place since 2019 regarding the breeding of dogs with short muzzles: those whose muzzles are less than half of their skull can no longer be bred. But illegal trade in these animals still takes place.

Piet Adema wants a ban on the possession of animals that suffer from their physical appearance, as well as the publication of their images in advertisements or social networks. However, any ban will be followed by a transition period where the owners of the animal in question can keep it until its death.

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