The Irwins are slammed for promoting dogs with high health risks: ‘Stop breeding them, they are detrimental to themselves’
The Irwins have been criticized after promoting a certain breed of dog on their social media.
Robert Irwin recently made a joint post on Instagram with the account of the family’s pug, Stella.
The video showed the pooch wandering around various locations in the Australia Zoo.
However, not everyone was enamored with Stella, with some followers taking the opportunity to complain about the health problems inherent to the dog breed.
“Stop breeding pugs, they are a detriment to themselves,” one user wrote, sparking heated debate in the comments.
The Irwins have been criticized after promoting a certain breed of dog on their social media. Robert Irwin recently made a joint post on Instagram with the account of the family’s pug, Stella. Both shown
The video showed the pug wandering around various locations in the Australia Zoo. Many fans expressed their joy at the cute dog’s adventures, but some followers took the opportunity to complain about the dog breed’s health problems.
‘Not all pugs have health problems. If they have a good pedigree, they are very healthy. But the black market is destroying that,” another commenter responded.
However, the Instagram user took issue with this response, claiming that while not all pugs have health problems, “more than 95% of them benefit from BOAS [Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome] surgery.’
Due to their specific, ingrown physical characteristics, pugs often have anatomical problems that restrict their breathing.
‘Not all pugs have health problems. If they have a good pedigree, they are very healthy. But the black market is destroying that,” one commenter wrote
Typically, BOAS surgery involves widening the nostrils, shortening the soft palate, and removing excess tissue around the larynx to increase airflow.
Dollytrev continued, “The Irwins really shouldn’t be promoting brachycephalic breeds. I know they care about animals, so I wonder what cognitive dissonance is going on here if they want one.”
But another Irwin defender took issue with this line of questioning: “In what world do they promote a short-snouted breed by posting a cute video of their dog? It’s not like they breed them. They’ve had Stella for years.’
Due to their specific, ingrown physical characteristics, pugs often have anatomical problems that limit their breathing. Typically, BOAS surgery involves widening the nostrils, shortening the soft palate, and removing excess tissue around the larynx to increase airflow.
“Normalizing these breeds by posting “cute” photos of them inadvertently promotes them,” the other user replied.
“Pugs exist regardless of the Irwin’s influence. They can post a cute video of their dog. I’m sure Stella is living a wonderful life wandering around their estates and zoo,” read another reply.
“They just took a video of their dog. Are you PETA or something?” wrote another follower, to which one of the Irwin critics replied, “If I were PETA, I’d be calling for the cull of pugs.”
Earlier this month, Irwin matriarch Terri also posed with Stella in honor of National Pet Day.