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Why did a champion bulldog drop dead?

And where shall we place the blame?

In a dark storeroom, encased in plastic, we discover the preserved remains of a world champion British Bulldog named Bungie.

What is this once-famous Brit doing in the basement of a museum in Toronto?

He’s here because he died in Toronto, on a hot day in 1936.  The cause of death wasn’t illness, or accident, or cruelty.

So why did Bungie drop dead?

The secret is revealed in Museum Secrets: Inside the Royal Ontario Museum.

The Secret of the Death of a Champion

Bulldogs, like many dogs, have been bred by humans for centuries. Breeding is a kind of unnatural selection for traits deemed desirable (by people – not dogs). And sometimes the results of breeding have unintended consequences.

The Bulldog has long been popular with breeders because it is extremely susceptible to the breeder’s art. Within only a few generations a skilled breeder can make a bulldog’s snout long or short, its stance narrow or splayed.

Bulldog owners who are reading this will probably already know (or guess) why the champion Bulldog named Bungie dropped dead on a hot summer day.

The reason was... no... we won't provide a spoiler here. But here's a hint: Bungie died because of an unintended consequence. A fatal flaw. One might say… a design flaw.

To learn about the unintended consequences of Bulldog breeding, we invite you to watch this Web Exclusive Video: Unnatural Selection.

Over To You

Do you have a bulldog (or other dog) that you suspect may have an inherited disorder?  You can find information on known genetic disorders online in the Canine Inherited Disorders Database.