Photo Op: ‘Pugs’ on Oxygen to Slam Japan’s Largest Dog Show: ‘Flat-Faced Breeds Suffer for Life!’

What:               Wearing dog costumes and pug and bulldog masks, on Friday a pack of PETA supporters will descend on the JKC Sakura Annual Show—Japan’s largest dog show. Carrying oxygen tanks, they will alert the public to the breathing difficulties of flat-faced dogs and urge them to adopt dogs and never buy “purebreds” from pet stores or breeders. The action will draw attention to the multitude of health problems caused by these breeds’ grotesquely distorted airways, which cause the dogs to pant, snort, wheeze, and struggle to breathe—all to satisfy humans’ desire for a certain look.

A pug, exhausted from simply breathing. Credit: PETA

Where:           Outside Tokyo Big Sight (between the square and the station), 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo. Google Maps link here.

When:             Friday, 28 March, 12:00 pm sharp

“Would-be animal guardians need to know that flat-faced dogs will be unable to chase a ball or enjoy a walk without gasping for air, and many will die prematurely,” says PETA Asia Senior Vice President Jason Baker. “PETA condemns the cruel glamorization of breathing-impaired breeds and urges everyone to adopt from their local animal shelter, which will help keep more pugs, boxers, and bulldogs from being brought into this world only to suffer.”

A number of countries, including Norway, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, have banned or restricted the breeding of some or all flat-faced dogs.

Interviews will be available on-site and remotely. Photos of the protest will be available here after 3 p.m. on Friday.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that every animal is someone. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.