Breeders Beware!
Update on breeding …A review of breeding standards for every pedigree dog species in Britain is under way by The Kennel Club in an attempt to introduce more humane rearing for pets and showdogs.
The tough approach was signalled when Pekinese breeders were told yesterday that the dogs’ flat faces were no longer acceptable because they cause breathing problems. The problem has arisen because the muzzle has become obsolete through breeding, and the flesh that would have naturally covered the dog’s muzzle is instead… in its throat.
Other breeds to face scrutiny will include the Clumber spaniel, bloodhound, bulldog, mastiff, German shepherd, basset hound and St Bernard.
Inbreeding of dogs – sons with their mothers and half siblings with each other – is also to be tackled.
As a result, The Dog Trust, Britain's largest dog charity has withdrawn all support for the Crufts Show over controversial breeding techniques for show animals.
The Dogs Trust had decided to follow the lead of the RSPCA, as reported by The Times yesterday, and cut all links with the Kennel Club, which organises the show.
Whew…this is obviously going to make big waves in the US. What do you think about the pressure? Is it necessary?
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Comments (1)
Abby Raffles October 11, 2008 5:15 AM
It's sad but true that the history of dog breeding for competition in shows has not been healthy for many, many breeds. It's fueled by the human compunction to think that "more" is "better." So the slightly flattish face of the Pekingese dog seen in 1800s drawings became the absolutely flat face of today, with no definition of a muzzle at all. The animals snore, gasp and have trouble breathing. Their puppies have so much trouble breathing at birth that they inhale so hard they can pull the ribs, which are still in an unformed, sticky state, against the lungs. This happened to one of my puppies. She needed surgery at 5 weeks. The vet used his college surgery equipment that he'd used operating on rats. It was successful but I never bred like that again and have avoided the problem since. It seems a sad fact of life that humans breed their dogs to win, and convince themselves that things like breathing problems are minor. They have caused their own house to collapse as much as the CEOs of banks and investment firms caused the economic problems.
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