20/10/2025
This is Kenny.
Kenny wants to live life like any other dog. He wants to go on the hikes, the runs, the swims.
Kenny can't.
Kenny is an English Bulldog.
Kenny is brachycephalic.
Brachycephalic dogs are dogs with an unnaturally flattened head and face. This is not a trait that is favoured by nature, its favoured by people and articifially bred in, to the detriment of the animals that have to endure and suffer through it.
This was, at max, 10 minutes into a hike with Kenny and a pack of dogs - none of any of the other dogs were even breathing hard at this point. It was very apparent he was not going to be able to do the rest of the hike so we turned around and figured out a way to get him back safely.
The part that hurts and sucks about this is the fact that mentally, Kenny is all in. Kenny didn't want to stop. He was loving it and wanted to keep going but his body and the way it was poorly bred meant he couldn't.
Yes, there are english bulldogs out there that aren't as bad as him. There are also english bulldogs a helluva a lot worse. Kenny has had all the surgeries, has cost tens od thousands of dollars, he's lost weight and gained fitness since joining us, his quality of life is pretty damn good - for an english bulldog - but he will just never be able to do what his mind truly wants to do.
This is not a reflection on Kenny's current owner, btw. She adopted him from the owners who did buy him.
