PETA lawsuit AKC dog breeds French bulldog.

FILE - French bulldogs compete in breed group judging during the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, May 13, 2024, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

PETA sues American Kennel Club over standards for French bulldogs, other breeds

The animal rights group PETA is suing to try to force the American Kennel Club to abandon the standards it backs for French bulldogs and some other breeds. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York, PETA contends that the influential club is promoting unhealthy physical features in Frenchies, bulldogs, dachshunds, pugs and Chinese shar-peis. The AKC says it categorically rejects PETA’s assertion that the standards create unhealthy dogs. The club also raps what it calls PETA’s “mischaracterizations” of the standards in question. The lawsuit turns up the heat around a debate over attributes that have been honed to define some breeds, including French bulldogs. The AKC ranks Frenchies as the United States’ most popular breed.

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