Pugs
Their health risks: Pugs, in this writer’s humble opinion, are some of the most beautifully tragic creatures in the world. But their ever-wrinkled faces and flattened skulls make them prone to a bevy of health issues, including labored breathing and skin fold inflammation that can lead to nasty skin infections. They also often can’t walk right, and they can develop a neurological condition that’s become so synonymous with the breed that it’s known as pug dog encephalitis. There has been some debate about whether the breeding of these pugs should be banned as well, but a small community of breeders have also started to outcross pugs with other dogs in an effort to create healthier “retropugs” that resemble what they used to look like centuries ago.
