Dogs Among a Dozen Recently Surrendered—Underscoring Health Challenges of the Breed
BOSTON, Aug. 28, 2025 – The MSPCA-Angell is searching for special adopters to open their homes to several French Bulldog puppies who needed serious medical care due to congenital problems that are not uncommon for their breed, the organization announced today.
The dogs are among 12 French Bulldogs that were recently surrendered and will soon be ready to go to new homes.
“Earlier this summer, four one-month-old Frenchies were surrendered in Boston in need of serious care,” explained MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection, Mike Keiley.
“As we often see when a specific breed becomes popular—in this case French Bulldogs—people indiscriminately breed them in the hopes that they can capitalize on the demand, which, unfortunately, frequently leads to dogs with congenital problems that can be costly and challenging to address.”
“With certain breeds, especially brachycephalic ones, this can be particularly prominent, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with French Bulldogs.”
Advanced Care Needed
The puppies—now named Macy, TJ, Kohl, and Marsha—had varying degrees of damage to their eyes when they were surrendered on June 24. They were initially treated in the Emergency and Critical Care Department at Angell Animal Medical Center before moving to the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center Clinic, where some of them required surgery.
Macy underwent surgery to remove both eyes on August 7, while Marsha had surgery to remove her left eye on August 14.
TJ and Kohl have permanent scarring on their corneas that is expected to heal, but could result in glaucoma or other conditions that will require their future adopters to have a close relationship with a veterinarian.
“These puppies have obviously been through a lot, but they’ll be able to thrive with adopters who are able to help them manage their new environments,” said Keiley.
Additionally, there is an 11-month-old French Bulldog named Rylo who was surrendered to the Boston Adoption Center because his family was moving. He has a chronic gastrointestinal issue that shelter staff say is manageable, but he should be the only dog in his adoptive home.
Rylo is available for adoption now at the MSPCA Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem.
“Obviously, caring for these dogs has taken a lot of resources,” added Keiley. “And then we took in even more French Bulldogs, one of which will also need a lot of support.”
MASS Coalition French Bulldogs in Salem
Seven French Bulldogs—ranging in age from roughly 12-weeks to five-years-old—were transported to the Northeast Animal Shelter from Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) coalition partner Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center (TJO) in Springfield on August 22.
“One of these dogs, Mylah, is almost completely blind,” Keiley detailed. “One of her eyes was missing when she came to us, and her other eye is abnormally small. We also think she may be deaf.”
“We expect she’ll need more support in her adoptive home, but we believe she’ll be able to flourish with the right adopters when she’s ready to find them.”
The six other French Bulldogs she arrived with are in relatively good health and are expected to be available for adoption August 28.
“Considering all of the potential challenges with French Bulldogs, we’re grateful that only a handful we’ve taken in this summer needed advanced care,” added Keiley.
“These surrenders underscore a really important issue in animal welfare—overbreeding. It leads to health challenges that are really costly and obviously negatively impact the animal’s quality of life.”
“If people are going to buy a dog from a breeder, we recommend that they visit the home or breeding kennel to meet at least one of the animal’s parents and to see the animals for sale. They should also ask breeders about the health and behavior of both the animals for sale and their parents, and get references,” he advised.
The MSPCA-Angell has additional advice for buying animals from a breeder on its website, here.
Help These Dogs!
The majority of the French Bulldogs are expected to be available for adoption August 28. Interested adopters are asked to visit the Northeast Animal Shelter during open hours, which are Monday – Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Thursday – Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The cost of caring for the French Bulldogs is roughly $15,000. Those who would like to donate to help offset that cost are asked to do so at mspca.org/frenchies.
