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Why are dog breeds with innate diseases popular?
Flat-faced dogs such as French and English bulldogs are extremely popular despite suffering from severe innate diseases. Hungarian researchers have attempted to uncover the explanation for this paradox. In the end, they concluded that although enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs are aware of the health issues and strive to provide the best for their dogs, they are likely to normalize health problems.
The French and English bulldogs are among the most popular breeds in both the United States and Europe, but pugs and Boston Terriers also have a significant fan base. This is surprising, considering the several innate health problems these breeds face. At least half of them struggle with breathing difficulties, they frequently have eye problems, and over 80% of them require C-sections during delivery. Due to their health issues, flat-faced dogs typically live three to four years less than what would be expected based on their body size. The life expectancy of French Bulldogs is only around four and a half years.
If these breeds have so many problems, what could be causing their popularity?
"Previously, we observed that flat-faced breeds are more inclined to form eye contact with humans. We assumed that this trait is appealing to owners. We also considered the possibility that the enthusiasts of these dogs might not be aware of the innate health issues," said Zsófia Bognár, Ph.D. student at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), and the lead author of the study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
In an online survey, the researchers presented 25 pairs of photos of dogs looking into the camera and looking away. Furthermore, they assessed the respondents' personality traits, whether they liked flat-faced dogs, and whether they were aware of their health problems. A total of 1,156 participants took part in the survey. Some results contradicted the researchers' expectations. It turned out that those who had a positive attitude towards flat-faced breeds randomly selected among the images. This finding suggests that despite the inclination of these dogs to form eye contact, it likely does not play a role in their popularity. On the other hand, those who preferred the photos of dogs looking into the camera were those who were sociable, easily made friends, and were capable of putting themselves in the position and perspective of others.
Interestingly, the respondents who liked flat-faced dogs were the most aware of the health problems. Overall, 99% of the respondents associated flat-faced breeds with breathing difficulties, 90% with dystocia, 61% with corneal ulceration, and only a few respondents associated them with fewer than four health problems. So, the health issues associated with flat-face are very much in public awareness.
In addition, it was also revealed that compared to the group who were neutral towards or disliked flat-faced breeds, enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs tend to be younger, have lower levels of education, and typically have no professional experience with dogs. In comparison to the neutral group, the enthusiasts are more likely to be women and have children.
Compared to those who disliked flat-faced breeds, enthusiasts have higher emotional empathy, meaning they are more inclined to feel for the suffering of another living being.
"We expected that one of the main attractiveness of flat-faced dogs lies in their large eyes and that their owners would be delighted when the dogs look at them," said Eniko Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE "Momentum" Companion Animal Research Group at ELTE.
"However, we did not find this to be true, at least not from the photographs. It is also not true that enthusiasts of flat-faced breeds are unaware of the dogs' health problems or are insensitive to their emotions. On the other hand, it has been revealed that they are relatively inexperienced dog owners. Thus, it is most likely that they are unaware of the dogs' communication signals, may not necessarily recognize signs of pain, and likely consider health problems as normal breed characteristics. For example, a snoring and grunting Bulldog appears cute to them, rather than sick and struggling for breath."
According to the results, therefore, even though enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs are aware of the innate health problems of these breeds, it does not discourage them from continuing to love these dogs.
"In many countries, there are awareness campaigns about the health issues of flat-faced breeds. However, the growing popularity of flat-faced dogs suggests that these campaigns are not very effective. It is clear that simply listing the health problems does not deter people from purchasing these dogs. Instead, the emphasis should be on highlighting that health issues should not be considered normal or acceptable characteristics because they often cause pain and suffering for the dogs. Dog owners need to be made aware that their choices play a significant role in shaping the health of dog breeds," said Zsófia Bognár.
注释：
innate: adj
表示" 天生的；固有的"，means " (of a quality, feeling, etc.) that you have when you are born"，如：Ability is not innate, but comes through practice. 本事不是天生的，是锻炼出来的。
paradox: n
表示" 悖论；似非而是的论点；自相矛盾的话"，means "statement that seems to be absurd or contradictory but is or may be true"，如：The gorilla is something of a paradox in the African scene. 在非洲大舞台上大猩猩有点象似是而非的隽语。
pug: n
表示" 哈巴狗"，means "small compact smooth-coated breed of Asiatic origin having a tightly curled tail and broad flat wrinkled muzzle"，如：This plush pug - dog is a new product . 这只长毛绒狮子狗是新产品。dystocia
表示""，means ""，如：
corneal: adj
表示"角膜的"，means "of or related to the cornea"，如：She had undergone the corneal transplants. 她接受了角膜移植的手术。
ulceration: n
表示" 溃疡；溃疡的过程"，means "a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue; the process of ulcer formation; the process of becoming ulcerated"，如：One consequence of acute inflammation is ulceration. 溃疡形成是急性炎症的结局之一。
insensitive: adj
表示" 不敏感的；麻木不仁的"，means "not responsive to physical stimuli"，如：I've never known anyone as insensitive as Gina.我从未见过像吉娜那样麻木不仁的人。
中文简要说明：
法斗、巴哥等扁平脸（Flat-faced）的犬种通常有严重的呼吸问题等天生疾病，寿命普遍较短，照顾起来较费心力，不过这类犬种却相当受欢迎，匈牙利学者探究这个现象后意外发现，这类犬种的饲主普遍经验较不足，即便知道毛小孩有天生疾病，但会「正常化」这些问题，甚至将打鼾、发出呼噜声等可能是生病警讯的现象视为「可爱」。
综合科学新闻网站「Phys.org」、英国《每日邮报》（Daily Mail）报导，法斗2022年挤下霸榜至少30年的黄金猎犬，荣登全美最受欢迎犬种，事实上不只法斗，巴哥、斗牛犬、波士顿㹴（Boston terriers）等扁平脸犬种都相当受到欢迎。
不过这类犬种因为脸型限制，通常会有相当严重的呼吸问题等天生疾病，例如半数品种会经历呼吸困难、经常有眼疾，超过80%生产时需要剖腹，平均寿命也短了3至4年，其中法斗的平均寿命更只有4.5年。
但为何这类犬种还是如此受欢迎？为了探究这个现象，匈牙利罗兰大学（Eotvos Lorand University）团队为此进行研究，成果已刊登于《应用动物行为科学》（Applied Animal Behaviour Science）期刊。
研究人员在在线发布问卷，调查答题者的人格特质、同情心、教育程度、饲养犬种、以及对扁平脸犬种的了解，最终一共有1156人填写。
研究人员原本预期，扁平脸犬种较易与人类进行眼神接触，因此更受欢迎，尤其水汪汪的眼睛惹人怜爱，不过当研究人员让受试者从25张狗儿正脸照及别开眼神的照片中进行挑选时，对扁平脸犬种有好感的受试者仅随机挑选其中几张，显示这类犬种擅于眼神接触可能不是牠们受欢迎的主因。
研究人员分析受试者的特质，发现特别喜爱扁平脸犬种的受试者通常较年轻、教育程度较低，对狗儿的专业知识与经验也较不足，这个族群以女性及孩童居多，他们也有较高的同情心。
研究人员原本也预期这个族群并不了解扁平脸犬种的健康问题，但令人意外的是，99%受试者知道扁平脸犬种有呼吸困难问题，90%知道会难产，61%知道角膜会溃疡，显示受试者对扁平脸犬种的健康问题有一定认知。
即便饲主或偏爱扁平脸犬种的受试者有一定健康问题意识，但研究人员发现，这些饲主的经验相对较少，因此可能没有留意到狗儿的沟通讯号，不一定能辨识出疼痛迹象，反而可能将这些健康问题视为正常的品种特色，带领这项研究的罗兰大学动物行为专家库宾伊（Eniko Kubinyi）说，「例如，一只打鼾、发出呼噜声的斗牛犬在饲主看来相当可爱，而不是生病及呼吸困难」，因此即便饲主知道这类犬种的天生疾病，但并不妨碍他们的偏好。
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