Britain’s Kennel Club has announced major reforms to breed standards and accepted breeding practices for purebred dogs. The changes come in response to concerns (raised, at least in part, by filmmaker Jemima Harrison’s documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed”) that purebred dogs have serious health problems as a result of breeding for the show ring.
The Kennel Club said: “The breed standards — the picture in words that describes each breed of dog — have been revised so that they will not include anything that could in any way be interpreted as encouraging features that might prevent a dog from breathing, walking and seeing freely. This will help to prevent the practice of exaggeration, where features that are perceived to be desirable, such as a short muzzle or loose skin, are made more prominent by breeders, and which can have detrimental effects on a dog’s health.”
The 209 breeds recognized by the Kennel Club will see their standards change as a result of the reforms. Prominent among the affected breeds is the bulldog, which was cited as one of the breeds most prone to genetic disorders in Harrison’s documentary. Other affected breeds included the Chow Chow, the Chinese shar-pei, the German shepherd and the Labrador retriever.
Groups such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have applauded the Kennel Club’s decision. “This is something the RSPCA has been calling for and shows recognition that close inbreeding of dogs is not a good idea,” the RSPCA’s chief veterinary adviser, Mark Evans, said Wednesday.
Among the dissenting voices are the parent groups of the affected breeds. The BBC noted that one such group, the British Bulldog Council, “fears the loss of a breed emblematic of defiance and pugnacity.”
British Bulldog Council Chairman Robin Searle said: “What you’ll get is a completely different dog, not a British bulldog.”
The new rules will also affect the use of inbreeding (defined by the Kennel Club as the breeding of a mother and son, father and daughter, or brother and sister) as a way to lock in desired traits: Puppies produced through inbreeding will no longer be registered by the Kennel Club, beginning in March.
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