Finally, Ellie, you nailed exactly what I was trying to get across. I think you are right and unhealthy dogs should never be bred.
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This is exactly what needs to stop
I'm going to type something very controversial here...
In my opinion... what makes an English Bulldog is what makes it unhealthy. So, if we really want to stop breeding unhealthy dogs, we should stop breeding AKC standard English Bulldogs altogether. The combination of the short nose, big head, big chest, short legs that makes the AKC standard English Bulldog breed is the leading cause of its unhealthiness. It just can't get the optimum oxygen intake through its short nose to power its powerful body.
But, we love the EB... so, with its ownership comes great responsibility - to compensate for that physical deficiency with optimum combination of proper nutrition, proper exercise, proper grooming, as well as proper environmental conditions. If one can't commit to this responsibility, then one shouldn't get an EB... they can go look at Labradors and Retrievers or some such that are not as health sensitive.
My rescue EB, Angus, is an AKC dog, but his breeder is specifically breeding for something he calls the Amitola EB... he is veering off AKC show standard to improve the health of his EB's. So, Angus has a slightly longer nose and narrower chest and is a smaller dog. He still has that goofy, stubborn EB personality but he is a highly active dog with the energy more like a Labrador than the EB - he could even swim to retrieve a stick from the middle of the pond.
Just my 2 cents.
