Bred for Profit, Born to Suffer: The Tragic Truth of “Micro Bullies” and “Exotic Frenchies”

by | Apr 23, 2025 | dog rescue, greeders | 0 comments

Bred for Profit, Born to Suffer: The Tragic Truth of “Micro Bullies” and “Exotic Frenchies”

Let us tell you a story… On a recent afternoon in Los Angeles, two young dogs were surrendered to an overcrowded city shelter. One was Bella, a petite “micro bully” with bowed front legs and a chest so broad she wobbled as she walked. The other was Ollie, an “exotic Frenchie” mix whose curly, corkscrew tail hinted at a spinal deformity. Both dogs panted noisily, struggling for breath even at rest. Sadly, Bella and Ollie’s story is not unique – it’s emblematic of a growing crisis created by unethical breeding. In the pursuit of profit and cute looks, so-called “greeders” (greedy breeders) have manipulated these dogs’ genetics to extremes, leaving them born into bodies that make every day a struggle.

Extreme Breeding, Extreme Suffering: Health Consequences for Micro Bullies and Frenchies

“Designed” to be adorable and marketable, micro bullies and French Bulldog mixes often pay for their looks with their health. Breeders have shrunk and exaggerated these dogs’ features – shorter snouts, broader heads, squat legs, tighter curls in tails – to the point that their essential bodily functions are impaired. Veterinary experts and welfare organizations warn that centuries of selective breeding for appearance have saddled these breeds with inherent health problems. Here are some of the most common issues these dogs face:

  • Breathing Difficulties (Brachycephalic Syndrome): Many of these dogs have flat faces and narrow airways. French Bulldogs and their mixes are brachycephalic – their “cute” smushed noses can cause chronic respiratory distress. They snort and gasp because of elongated soft palates and tiny nostrils that often require surgical correction just so the dog can breathe normally. Bella, the micro bully, snored and wheezed even awake; Ollie, the Frenchie mix, would collapse after brief play sessions due to a lack of air. They are also highly prone to heat stroke since panting is less effective for them. Flat-faced breeds struggle so much that even when discounting breathing issues, they’re still far more likely to suffer problems like heat exhaustion and pneumonia than other dogs.
  • Joint and Mobility Issues: The signature “micro” size comes at a cost to the skeleton. Breeding for ultra-short legs and heavy musculature in bullies leads to skeletal abnormalities and joint disorders. Elbow and hip dysplasia are common, and malformed joints cause pain and lameness. Many micro bullies develop bowed, bandy legs that can barely support their weight. Vets in the U.K. report seeing young “pocket bullies” with severe elbow/hip dysplasia and even hyperextension of the wrists from distorted limb anatomy. Bella’s X-rays showed early arthritis in her elbows at just 2 years old. Their spines can be affected too – the tightly curled “screw” tails (a sought-after look) are vertebral deformities that often coincide with spinal nerve problems and hind-end weakness. It’s not cute – it’s crippling.
  • Chronic Pain and Organ Stress: Carrying a large body on a mini frame causes constant strain. Bulldog-type breeds often suffer from congenital elbow/hip dysplasia, back pain, and arthritis at a young age, primarily when bred for exaggerated girth. Their movement is labored; they tire quickly from poor breathing and joint pain. Even internal organs can struggle – heart disease is prevalent, exacerbated by obesity and poor genetics. Many of these dogs also have compromised immune systems and skin issues (e.g. infections in their excessive skin folds, allergies) because of the genetic trade-offs made for appearance.
  • Reproductive Problems: Paradoxically, these dogs are in demand, yet many cannot reproduce without human intervention. French Bulldogs have been bred to such an extreme that males often cannot mount females, and females usually cannot give birth naturally due to the puppies’ large heads. Most Frenchie litters are delivered via costly Cesarean section because the mother and pups would likely die otherwise. This means every Frenchie puppy you see was probably born in a surgery – a stark indicator of how unnatural this breeding has become.
  • Short, Painful Lives: All these issues add up to a greatly diminished lifespan. A healthy mutt might live 12–15 years, but “micro” bullies often live only about 5–7 years. The vast majority of micro bullies suffer severe health issues – from breathing problems to joint pain, meaning many will never enjoy an everyday, active life. One veterinary technician lamented seeing micro bullies come into her clinic, “hardly able to walk… never seeming fully ‘with it’… always breathing so loud” that she’d constantly check if they were turning blue. “The breathing sounds are horrific,” she said, describing how these poor dogs live in distress. It’s heartbreaking that what should be a beloved pet is essentially born to suffer for a trend.

None of these health problems are flukes or coincidences – they directly result from deliberate breeding for extreme traits. When breeders prioritize a tiny size, a flat face, or a flashy coat color over the dog’s well-being, the outcome is predictable: animals like Bella and Ollie who are “cute” by Instagram standards but live in misery. As one summary of the issue put it, there is “sharpening debate over whether there’s anything healthy about propagating dogs prone to breathing, spinal, eye, and skin conditions”. Animal welfare experts say no – it isn’t ethical at all.

“Greeders” and Genetic Manipulation: Appearance Over Everything

Who is responsible for Bella and Ollie’s plight? Behind each such dog is usually a breeder – or, as animal advocates call the worst of them, “greeders” – who engineered these traits. These individuals intentionally manipulate genetics and ignore health for the sake of profit and novelty. It’s a disturbing trend characterized by several unethical practices:

  • Breeding for Extreme Features: Greeders select parents with the most exaggerated traits to produce puppies that stand out in the market. In bully breeds, that means ever more muscle on ever shorter legs; in Frenchies, ever flatter faces and rarer coat colors. The overemphasis on making dogs “micro” or “exotic” harms the dogs’ health. As one analysis noted, the pursuit of a tiny size “often leads to a range of health issues, such as skeletal abnormalities, respiratory problems, heart conditions, and compromised immune systems.” In short, the desired look is directly tied to the dog’s suffering.
  • Intensive Inbreeding: To lock in these coveted looks, many breeders resort to inbreeding – mating dogs that are close relatives, far beyond what any reputable breeder would consider. This excessive inbreeding increases the risk of genetic disorders and shrinks the gene pool. For the puppies, that means higher chances of things like cleft palates, immune diseases, or neurological problems on top of the known breed issues. Genetic diversity is sacrificed for consistency, making dogs more susceptible to illness and defects.
  • Crossing Breeds and Hiding the Truth: In the rush to create the smallest bully or the most “unique” Frenchie mix, greeders will mix in other breeds – then lie about it. Micro bullies, for example, aren’t an official breed but a mix of breeds. Often they come from crossing an American Bully (itself derived from pit bulls) with smaller breeds like Patterdale Terriers and even English or French Bulldogs. This is done to shrink their size further or introduce rare traits. However, breeders “rarely disclose” these practices to buyers. A family might think they’re getting a purebred “micro Bully” when it’s half French Bulldog – bringing along all the Frenchie’s health woes. Similarly, “exotic Frenchie” puppies marketed as unique might be French Bulldog mixed with Boston Terrier or Bulldog to exaggerate features. The greeders don’t care if they can sell the pups at a high price.
  • Neglecting Health and Welfare: Unethical breeders notoriously cut corners in dog care. They focus on producing litters and selling puppies, not the well-being of the parents or the offspring. Many breeding dogs live in poor conditions – cramped cages, little exercise – and don’t receive proper veterinary care or genetic screening. A former breeder-turned-whistleblower in California described a “heinous scheme” where breeders sold sick puppies and kept going even after being fined by the courts. This is not uncommon. Puppies are often sold unvaccinated or with undisclosed illnesses. Buyers like Ollie’s original owner are frequently fooled by promises that the puppy is healthy, only to end up with a very sick dog weeks later. By then, the greeder has disappeared with their money.

The driving motive behind all this is money and hype. Rare “exotic” puppies can fetch thousands of dollars in online marketplaces and on social media. In Los Angeles, especially, French Bulldogs have become status symbols – remember when Lady Gaga’s Frenchies were stolen in 2021, illustrating how valuable they are on the black market? For micro bullies, some breeders flaunt them at specialized dog shows or on Instagram, creating buzz that increases demand. To unscrupulous breeders, these dogs are products, not pets. One Reddit user aptly noted, “Micro Bully dogs are more or less a status symbol to the people who breed them.”  The greeders capitalize on the craze, churning out as many quirky-looking puppies as possible, with zero regard for the pain built into those pups’ lives.

What’s especially tragic is that the suffering is utterly predictable. Breeders know the puppies will have problems – many of these dogs can’t even mate or give birth without human help – yet they continue to produce them because buyers keep paying. As long as people see only the cute wrinkles and big heads (and not the surgeries and agony behind them), greeders will exploit that ignorance. Animal welfare advocates now openly call this breeding what it is: cruelty. In one country, officials even took the dramatic step of banning the breeding of certain bulldog breeds altogether – in 2022, a court in Norway prohibited the breeding of English Bulldogs (and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels) unless it was to improve the breeds’ health. The court recognized that decades of inbreeding and exaggerated features had essentially made it inhumane to keep breeding these dogs as-is. That ruling sent shockwaves worldwide. While most places haven’t gone so far, the message is clear: we must change how these dogs are bred.

Backyard Breeders in Los Angeles: A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

Los Angeles has long been a trendsetter – and unfortunately, that includes trends in “designer” dogs. With French Bulldogs now the #1 most popular breed in many cities (including L.A.), the city has become a hotbed for backyard breeders specializing in Frenchies, bullies, and other “exotics.” Stroll through specific neighborhoods or browse local online classifieds, and you’ll find no shortage of ads for “micro bully puppies” or “rare blue Frenchie – L.A. pickup today!” These sellers operate from homes or rented garages, often without any license.

Local shelters and rescues are feeling the effects. The six city-run shelters in Los Angeles have been inundated with dogs, and notably, many are purebreds like French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs – breeds that used to be relatively rare in shelters. As the novelty wears off or vet bills pile up, owners are dumping these dogs in record numbers. Los Angeles Animal Services reported an “influx of purebred dogs being dropped off”, especially after the pandemic puppy boom. Frenchies that sold for $5,000 as puppies a couple of years ago are being surrendered because they need a $4,000 surgery for their airway or because the owner’s landlord banned brachycephalic dogs (due to noise and health issues). Shelters are bursting at the seams – overcapacity with abandoned pets – and a significant part of the inflow is driven by irresponsible breeding.

City officials have begun to acknowledge this problem. In 2024, the Los Angeles City Council started to freeze all new dog breeding permits to stem the tide. By then, over 1,100 breeding permits had been issued in just the first half of 2023 in L.A.  – and that’s just the legal breeding. (Contrast that with the roughly 8,000 dogs that entered L.A. shelters in the same period – the math is alarming.) Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who championed the breeding moratorium, said it was unacceptable to keep approving more breeding while “thousands of animals are suffering from overcrowded conditions in our shelters”. The temporary ban on breeding permits will remain until the shelter population drops significantly. Animal welfare groups applauded the move; PETA noted that L.A. is finally targeting “the source: the breeders who’ve been churning out even more animals in a city already bursting with abandoned dogs and cats”. In other words, the city recognized that you can’t escape an overpopulation crisis if breeders keep adding fuel to the fire.

However, the Los Angeles breeding scene has a significant underground element. Many of the worst offenders never had a permit to begin with. An investigative report by the L.A. Times exposed a shadowy “puppy pipeline” funneling trendy breeds into California. Truckloads of French Bulldog puppies (and other popular breeds like “doodles”) have been shipped from out-of-state puppy mills into the L.A. area, where local brokers resell them by posing as small “home breeders”. Buyers meet them in parking lots or via Instagram deals, never realizing their puppy was born in a Midwestern mill. This scheme bypasses California’s laws that banned pet stores from selling commercially bred puppies. As the Times report found, loopholes and a lack of enforcement let thousands of these puppies flood the market. Even when interstate health certificates are required, California officials admitted they were deleting those records, effectively turning a blind eye to the black market trade.

For local bully and Frenchie breeders in L.A., the story is similar. Setting up a breeding operation in a backyard or warehouse and advertising online is easy. Unless neighbors complain about noise or filth, many go unnoticed by authorities. And if they do get caught, penalties are often weak. In one egregious case, a Los Angeles County judge fined an unlicensed breeder over $177,000 (plus $1.2 million in legal fees) for what he called a “heinous” scheme selling sick puppies. But even that didn’t entirely stop the operation; records showed that the same seller still received hundreds of puppies from Midwest suppliers thereafter. It’s a lucrative enterprise, and the demand in L.A. remains high.

All the while, shelters and rescue groups pick up the pieces. SoCal Bulldog Rescue and French Bulldog Rescue organizations in Southern California have seen their intakes skyrocket. Many of the dogs they save are young, under 2 years old, surrendered or found as strays, often with serious medical issues. “We get Frenchies with spine malformations, with breathing so bad they need emergency surgery, with skin infections from neglect,” one rescue volunteer notes. “These are the byproducts of backyard breeding.” The rescue veterinary bills are enormous; one Frenchie with a significant airway obstruction can incur thousands in costs. And for every one dog they rehab and place, there are dozens more still out there being bred or sold.

Legislative reform is on the horizon. Animal welfare advocates are pushing for stronger laws to rein in irresponsible breeders. In California, lawmakers introduced bills in 2025 to crack down on the puppy supply chain. One proposal (AB 519) would ban third-party brokers from selling dogs in the state, aiming to shut down the pipeline of out-of-state puppy mill dogs flooding markets like L.A. “The broker ban is the big swing,” said an ASPCA policy director, one of the final valves to shut off for the puppy mill pipeline into California. Other bills seek to increase oversight of anyone selling puppies and strengthen consumer protections. At the local level, activists are calling for better enforcement of existing laws, such as requiring all dogs in L.A. to be spayed or neutered unless the owner has a breeding permit. (That law has been on the books since 2008, but many ignore it.) Enforcing spay/neuter and cracking down on illegal breeding could significantly reduce the number of accidental and backyard-bred litters, adding to shelter populations.

There’s even discussion of whether specific breed-focused regulations are needed – for instance, requiring health clearances for brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds or banning the breeding of dogs with extreme features. The U.K.’s Kennel Club has started revising breed standards to discourage harmful traits, and some countries have banned certain extreme breeds outright. We are not there in California yet, but public sentiment is shifting. The more people learn about the suffering behind that cute Frenchie face, the louder the calls for reform grow.

Choosing Compassion: How to Help End the Cruelty

The plight of Bella and Ollie, and countless dogs like them, can feel overwhelming. However, we can fight against these cruel breeding practices as individuals and a community. Here’s what you can do to make a difference:

  1. Adopt, Don’t Shop: The most straightforward and most immediate action is to refuse to buy puppies from breeders or pet brokers, especially “designer” types like micro bullies or exotic Frenchies. Every dollar spent on an irresponsibly bred puppy fuels the demand that keeps greeders in business. Instead, opt to adopt from shelters or rescue groups. Not only will you give a home to a deserving dog, but you’ll also literally save money and heartache – rescues often have already addressed the medical needs of the dogs. You might be surprised how frequently these specific breeds are in shelters; French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, and mixes are increasingly common in rescues. By adopting, you deprive greeders of a sale and hit them where it hurts: the pocketbook.
  2. Educate Others: Many people genuinely don’t realize how much suffering is behind that trendy “teacup bully” or rare-colored Frenchie. Share what you’ve learned. If a friend is considering buying one, gently inform them about the health issues and suggest adoption as a humane alternative. Public awareness is crucial; greeders rely on ignorance to sell their puppies. The more the public knows (for instance, that a Frenchie likely had to be born via C-section and may struggle its whole life, the less novelty there is in owning one. We can change the culture of demand by making animal welfare part of the conversation every time someone gushes over a cute, squish-faced dog.
  3. Advocate for Stronger Laws: Use your voice as a citizen. Support legislation that cracks down on puppy mills and irresponsible breeding. Contact your local representatives to express support for bills like California’s proposed bans on puppy brokers. Push for enforcing spay/neuter mandates and licensing in your city. If you live in Los Angeles, hold the city to its promise of reform – ask the Mayor and Animal Services how they are stepping up inspections on illegal breeders and enforcing the breeding permit moratorium. Policy change tends to happen when voters make it clear that animal cruelty masked as breeding will not be tolerated.
  4. Report Suspected “Backyard” Breeders: If you suspect someone in your area is running an unlicensed breeding operation – for example, continually selling litters of Frenchies or bullies out of their home – report it to local animal control. Even if there isn’t an immediate shutdown, creating a paper trail of complaints helps authorities prioritize enforcement. These reports sometimes lead to investigations that rescue dogs from neglectful conditions. At the very least, it puts shady breeders on notice.

By taking these actions, we chip away at the market for unhealthy, unethically bred dogs. It’s important to remember that the dogs are innocent victims. Bella and Ollie didn’t ask to be born with deformities or to endure pain. They deserve loving homes and proper care, and thankfully, they got a second chance through the shelter. Our ire must be directed at the humans who create and perpetuate this cycle of suffering for profit.

In the end, the solution comes down to love and responsibility. If we genuinely love these breeds – the Frenchies with their goofy grins, the bullies with their big heads and big hearts – we must demand better for them. That means no longer supporting “cuteness” at the expense of welfare, and instead supporting breeding only when it’s done ethically, responsibly, and with the dogs’ health as the top priority. As one animal advocate said, “We say dogs are our best friends, but we are not the bulldog’s best friend at all if we continue like this.”  It’s time to change that. By not buying into the cruelty, rescuing those in need, and pushing for laws that put puppy welfare over breeder wealth, we can ensure that one day no more dogs have to endure what Bella and Ollie went through.

Every dog deserves to breathe easily, walk comfortably, and live fully. Let’s keep working until that’s the reality – and until “greeders” are a thing of the past. Remember the story behind the face the next time you see an adorable Frenchie or a muscular bully. And help write a new story for the future – one of compassion, health, and hope for these loving companions.

 

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