RSPCA asks Kennel Club to take further action

The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) has told the Kennel Club that it still needs to take action to improve the health and welfare of pedigree dogs.

The warning comes five years after a BBC documentary, called Pedigree Dogs Exposed, revealed the suffering many purebreeds endure to look a certain way.


Since the documentary, the Kennel Club has developed DNA testing and health screening tests for hereditary diseases and introduced veterinary checks on "high profile" breeds.

However, the RSPCA believes more should be done to relieve suffering.

A recent Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Dog Control and Welfare report concluded that too many dogs still suffer ill health due to breeding and in-breeding in order to produce exaggerated characteristics.


"Although some progress has been made by the dog world to address the issues raised in Pedigree Dogs Exposed, it has not been nearly enough," said RSPCA chief vet James Yeates. "Five years on the problems are still far from being solved."

Meanwhile, Jemma Harrison, producer and director of the documentary, said: "It is unethical to continue to breed dogs like pugs and bulldogs which have such flat faces that they cannot breathe."


In the 18 months following the documentary, three major reports were published concerning dog breeding in the UK, each determining that the welfare issues associated with pedigree dog breeding are very serious.

All three reports made recommendations of ways in which the Kennel Club could improve, including for dogs to be judged on their health, welfare and behaviour rather than appearance at shows such as Crufts, and for puppies to only be registered if their parents have been properly and fully health screened.

The RSPCA’s Born To Suffer campaign calls for a change in breed standards so that health, welfare and temperament are prioritised over a dog’s looks.