The French Bulldog’s Popularity Comes at a Price

• The American Kennel Club has released its 2025 list of the most popular dog breeds with the French Bulldog holding the top spot for a fourth consecutive year.
• Popular breeds like French Bulldogs are exploited in commercial breeding facilities, where producing as many puppies as possible is prioritized over dogs’ health and welfare, to be sold in pet stores and online.
• French Bulldogs are especially at risk for serious health issues because of their extreme physical characteristics, like their flat faces.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) just released its list of most popular dog breeds for 2025. Topping the list at number one for the fourth year in a row is the French Bulldog.

While it’s fun to celebrate dogs, this popularity contest comes at a price. The ranking encourages unscrupulous breeders and sellers to turn a profit at the expense of dogs.

Puppies sold in pet stores and online come from commercial breeding facilities, known as puppy mills, where dogs are housed in crowded, unsanitary cages and litters are produced one after another with little regard for their wellbeing. Pet stores and online retailers want to make sure they have the “right” puppies on demand, and commercial breeders follow those trends to produce more of what retailers can sell. When one breed, like the French Bulldog, becomes popular, they become more common in puppy mills. When they are no longer popular, they are discarded and replaced with the next sought-after breed.

For French Bulldogs, breeding focused on volume is especially dangerous because they are at risk for serious health issues. Their flat faces and other extreme physical characteristics make it hard for many of these dogs to breathe. Flat-faced breeds are at higher risk for respiratory issues, pneumonia, heatstroke and other diseases. Due to their head size, French Bulldogs may also struggle to give birth — a situation that can be deadly in a crowded and dirty puppy mill.

This is what life looks for French Bulldogs in puppy mills.

French Bulldogs wouldn’t be number one on this list without commercial breeders, and the AKC has no policy against registering dogs who come from commercial breeding facilities. The AKC is not an animal welfare organization, it is a registry for purebred dogs, and it makes millions of dollars annually from registering dogs. The greater number of dogs registered, the more the AKC profits, and the AKC registers any dog, as long as both the dog’s parents were the same breed. It is not a sign of quality or guarantee of humane care. In fact, the AKC has routinely lobbied against legislation designed to protect dogs trapped in puppy mills.

The popularity of a specific breed helps the commercial breeding industry, and it helps the AKC, but it hurts dogs tremendously. The AKC’s promotion of the top breeds each year is irresponsible.

How can pet lovers avoid puppy mill cruelty?

If you are looking to add a new pet to your family, make sure you are not supporting cruelty. Adopt from your local shelter or rescue or seek out a responsible breeder rather than buying online or from a pet store. Find more tips and learn more.

Take Action

You can help protect dogs in puppy mills. Urge your members of Congress to support Goldie’s Act, named after a Golden Retriever who died tragically in a puppy mill. Our brief form will let your lawmakers know that new legislation is important to you, their constituent, and is desperately needed to end puppy mill cruelty.