French charm: University students cuddle bulldog pups for World Animal Day

Toffee, Florence and Frankie visit Auckland University of Technology for World Animal Day. Photo / Supplied

It was a case of puppy love for Auckland University of Technology students as they came face to face with a cuddly collection of bulldog pups.

The pups owned by members of the Auckland Bulldog Club were on hand to promote World Animal Day and "the wellness of bulldogs".

Daniela Guevama cuddles a bulldog pup at Auckland University of Technology for World Animal Day. Photo / Supplied

The rumbly-tumbly pups also acted as a stress-reliever for the students, giving them a chance to take a break ahead of their upcoming exams, club president Amanda Rutherford said.

She said British and French bulldogs are the fourth and fifth most popular dog breeds in the world, while French bulldogs are the second highest trending dog breed on Instagram.

Despite this, some people still incorrectly thought the breeds could not lead healthy lives, Rutherford said.

"Often people believe that all British and French bulldog breeds will have health complications, but with ethical breeding from reputable breeders, most bulldogs are healthy," she said.

The event comes after Trade Me banned the sale of pugs and British and French bulldogs on its website in March.

Policy and compliance team leader James Ryan said at the time the breeds "suffer acutely from brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which dramatically impacts the quality of their life".

"Even when the dog is not severely affected, BOAS will cause noisy breathing, snorting and snoring," he said.

Erica Nuvcel. Photo / Supplied

But fans of the dogs said the problems were caused by "backyard breeders" with reputable breeders avoiding these issues by breeding from dogs without health problems.

Founded in 1926, the Auckland Bulldog Club was dedicated to ethical breeding practices, Rutherford said.

The club said in a statement that bulldogs were one of the gentlest dog breeds who thrive on attention and human contact.

"They have very human-like antics and big personalities."