Global dog ownership is exploding but is Britain fit to lead?
Jan 14, 2010
© Colin Seddon / WSPA
An independent report commissioned by the Kennel Club and WSPA member society the Dogs Trust has found that current UK dog-breeding practices raise serious welfare concerns.
The UK is known as a nation of dog lovers, with one of the oldest Kennel Clubs in the world. We are looked to by the rest of the dog-owning world as the prime example of how dogs should be treated by their immediate owners, families and wider society.
The reality however, appears to be different from the perception. In August 2008, the BBC aired a documentary called ‘Pedigree Dogs exposed’ and the public debates that followed showed that UK society was broadly willing to allow their dogs to suffer for the sake of looks.
What does the report say?
The independent report, released by Cambridge Professor Sir Patrick Bateson recommends that steps be taken to tackle irresponsible breeders and to change the way the public think about buying dogs.
Highlights from the report include:
- Changes in the law including compulsory micro-chipping of all puppies and a duty of care on all breeders to consider the health and welfare of both the parents and the offspring
- The need for a more robust Accredited Breeder Scheme
- The creation of a independent council to develop breeding strategies which address issues such as inherited disease and inbreeding
- New regulations to replace the now outdated breeding and sales of dogs legislation and better enforcement of good welfare on licensed dog breeding premises
WSPA’s head of companion animals, Dr. Elly Hiby said: “Whether this report will bring the much needed help to our dogs is largely down to both breeders and consumers.”
What does WSPA think of the report?
WSPA welcomes this report and its findings, but also see it as the most recent in a long line of high profile opportunities for change. We hope this report will finally lead the UK to honestly and proactively put the welfare of dogs at the centre of our dog-owning society.
Elly added: “The concept of duty of care applied to the future welfare of parents and offspring will require breeders to do what they have so far, been broadly unwilling to do; to turn their backs on the breed characteristics they have cherished. For example, the pug’s prizewinning flat face is the very same thing that will cause it to suffer with breathing problems.”
A global perspective
© Brian Faulkner/Stray Animal Solutions
In 2008, WSPA commissioned a report into trends in pet ownership around the world.
The study found that pet ownership in many countries is increasing. For example, between 2000 and 2007, Thailand’s pet ownership grew by 52 per cent, while Vietnam saw an increase of 47 per cent.
Countries with a newfound interest in keeping dogs as pets are looking to Western societies for guidance on how to manage this change – everything from how to regulate micro chipping, registration, vaccination to how to ensure good welfare levels. This means that it is vital that the UK takes this latest report and its findings seriously, so that other countries do not make the same mistakes that we did here in Britain.
Why is this happening now?
Below is a timeline of events leading up to the commissioning and release of this report:
- 2008: The RSPCA commissions an independent scientific report into pedigree dog breeding in the UK.
- August 2008: BBC documentary ‘Pedigree dogs exposed’ exposes the extent of the health and welfare problems faced by pedigree dogs in the UK. RSPCA’s Chief Vet calls Crufts a ‘parade of mutants’ in the documentary.
- September 2008: WSPA member societies the RSPCA and Dogs Trust, plus the National Dog Warden Association withdraw their support and attendance at Crufts.
- October 2008: Pedigree foods withdraw their sponsorship of Crufts.
- December 2008: BBC suspends coverage of Crufts, pending further investigation into the health and wellbeing of pedigree dogs in the UK. The broadcaster had, up until this point aired coverage Crufts every year it had been on, since it started in 1966.
- February 2009: RSPCA publishes the findings of its report, showing how breed requisites for dogs bred to appear in shows such as Crufts can also cause pain, behavioural problems and disability and including 14 recommendations for how these problems should be tackled.
- 2009: The Kennel Club revises 209 breed standards to reduce the exaggerated physical characteristics that can lead to welfare problems.
- January 2010: Professor Bateson releases a report on recommendations to improve dog breeding practices, commissioned by the Kennel Club (who run Crufts) and the Dog’s Trust.
Find out more about WSPA’s work with stray dogs>>
Find out more about the Dogs Trust response to the report>>
Read the Kennel Club response to the report>>