What is a good pedigree?
The recent BBC1 documentary has highlighted the not-so-wonderful side of dog breeding. Of most concern is the attitude of the breeders that are in it for the vanity of showing, and the money that comes with it. All will profess to being dog lovers but do they really walk the talk?
Show dogs are selected for their looks and features that conform to the “breed standards” set by the kennel club. These standards were written ages ago by authors who obviously weren’t thinking about the welfare of the animals. Only about some fantasy dog! They recommend culling of some creatures that are born without the correct features. eg. killing a perfectly healthy ridgeback puppy because it doesn’t have a ridge. What is overlooked in the breed standards is whether the poor creature is healthy. It may have a short face and squashed nose (as in the case of pug, bulldog, King Charles Cavalier Spaniel) but can the poor thing breath?
Why have we allowed things to get out of hand?
I believe that people have allowed themselves to get caught up in the vanity of dog shows, such as Crufts. Breeders set themselves goals of breeding the “ultimate” show champion; can we get it’s nose any shorter/forehead any bigger/jaw any thicker? Perhaps if we breed this dog and this dog (never mind if they’re related) we can come up with the ultimate dog. And if we do, we get a big prize and are also quids-in because everyone will want to buy one of the puppies.
Has anyone stopped and thought about health?
The kennel club has brought in schemes for assessing health such as hip-scoring, elbow-scoring and in the recently highlighted condition in King Charles Cavalier Spaniels, an MRI scan. But often breeders will ignore the results of these tests and continue to breed from their champion dogs. No pet entered in any dog show needs to display any health credentials.
Until the public, yes, that’s you, become aware of the health schemes and only pay money for a pedigree dog that has the correct health certificates and a pedigree with no names repeated on it, breeders will continue as they have been for years.
Don’t be seduced by thinking you are buying a Good Pedigree just because it’s gran qualified for Crufts
And the Kennel Club, as you are responsible for the major dog shows, how about requiring that the entrants produce health papers as well as a glossy coat?
So what would I call a good pedigree?
A dog that can waggiest tail competition
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