Endangered breeds - out of favour, out of time

19th century Skye Terrier

Winding up to Discover Dogs this weekend, the Kennel Club has trotted out its usual spiel about endangered breeds - those that attract less than 300 registrations a year - urging pet owners to buy them to save them from extinction. But small numbers spell big trouble in terms of tiny and inbred gene pools and/or the risk of inherited disorders. My advice? Steer well clear. Dog breeds often fall out of fashion for good reason - sometimes because the work that prompted their creation no longer exists (as in the Otterhound); other times simply because they just ain't that attractive or distinctive. Sure, celebrity ownership influences a gullible public (something else the KC is whinging about) but that's just life.

Imagine coping with that coat on Skye in winter....

The KC refers to them as "vulnerable native breeds", making them sound rather special. They're not. They're out of favour and out of time and if no one wants them beyond a handful of show-breeders trying to preserve them in aspic (as is often the case) we should let them go. And don't you get misty-eyed about the demise of Greyfriars Bobby (the Skye Terrier that, legend says, sat on his master's grave for 14 years). The dog no longer works, breeders have selected for a more and more impractical coat and there are other similar terrier breeds with much larger gene pools.

Mark Evans leaves the RSPCA

The show-world mostly loathes him, and pedigree dog reformers like me love him... but there's no doubting that you always know where you are with vet Mark Evans, who has just - and rather suddenly -  left the RSPCA after three years. Outspoken Mark will probably forever be remembered for his controversial description of dog shows ("a parade of mutants") in Pedigree Dogs Exposed and he got a lot of flak for it. But the world needs people who will stand up and speak out on issues they feel strongly about, especially when it comes to animal welfare. 

Certainly, without Mark, I do not believe the RSPCA would have backed Pedigree Dogs Exposed the way they did. I had contacted them before Mark joined and they had sent me a bland one-paragraph statement on the issue.  After he joined, I tried again and Mark phoned me back almost immediately: "I've been waiting 20 years for someone to make this film," he said and then galvanised the RSPCA into standing up and being counted on this important issue.

When Mark came to see us here in our home/office shortly before Pedigree Dogs Exposed aired, he spent the first 10 minutes on the floor smooching with my Flatcoat, Maisie. Evidence of a true dog-lover, I reckon. (Well, her breath ain't that sweet...)

I've spoken only very briefly with Mark since his departure and he says that he's proud of what he's achieved at the RSPCA (pet obesity was another big campaign for him) but felt it was time to move on. Officially, he's leaving to concentrate on his TV career (he's the accomplished presenter of Channel 4's Inside Nature's Giants for which he's currently filming another series). Unofficially?  He's not saying, but there's no doubt that there were those who were very keen to see the back of him. Mentioning no one's specific name from the Kennel Club, of course.

For a taste of the vitriol about Mark, have a look at the comments about his departure on Our Dogs' Facebook page. What nasty people. Hopefully, Mark is storing it up for a biography at some point. But, either way, I sincerely hope that the celebrations of those in the show world who have this week cheered his departure will be short-lived. After all, a Mark Evans unconfined by the strictures and politics of the RSPCA could be an even greater force to be reckoned with.

The UK's first GM Dalmatian - and she's a winner!

Fiona (or Fiacre First and Foremost as she's more properly known) may look like any other Dalmatian but this spotted girl is a revelation - the first Dalmatian in the UK that is not homozygous for the gene that can cause the painful (and sometimes lethal) build-up of sediment in the urinary system cause by high uric acid levels (ubiquitous in the breed).  Better still,  and at her first outing last Sunday, Fiona won Best of Breed at Coventry Open Show against several "normal" Dals under an all-rounder gundog judge who was probably unaware of what she was and how very controversial this dog's appearance was in a UK showring.

Fiona is a product of the Dalmatian Backcross Project, pioneered by visionary scientist/dalmatian breeder Bob Schaible who, in the 1970s, crossed a Dal with a single Pointer in order to introduce the low-uric acid gene into the breed. Fourteen generations later, thanks to careful selection, the descendants of this one-off outcoss still carry the healthy gene and are indistinguishable from standard Dals except that they are not predisposed to the crippling problems that "purebred" Dals suffer from.

What not to like, eh?

But when I first broached the subject of these dogs with Dal breeders at Crufts 2007, one British Dalmatian Club official told me that she would rather have a suffering purebred dog than one of these "mongrels". Opinion is softening a bit here in the UK (although the British Dalmatian Club fought their recent acceptance by the Kennel Club) although I hear mobile phones ran hot ringside on Sunday when Fiona won.

Meanwhile, breeder Julie Evans (Tyrodal) tells me that she has a long waiting list for Fiona's future pups with the interest mainly coming from pet owners.  Hurrah! If more pet owners demanding healthier dogs, we'd be in a better place.

I hear that the situation in the USA regarding the LUA Dalmatains (as they are known) is also under review. Predictably, the Dalmatian Club of America (which not so long ago even banned discussion of these dogs) is fighting their acceptance but it may be a battle it will soon lose.  I understand the AKC has put the case out to an independent panel comprising vets and scientists. If this is true, it can only be a matter of time. The only objection to these dogs is on the grounds of breed purity, which of course is a nonsense argument. Time to shed these outdated notions.

If you're interested in the history of the backcrossed Dalmatians, check out this great article by guest writer Ron Zimmerman on the Terrierman blog.

Welcome...

I should have got this blog up and running when Pedigree Dogs Exposed was first broadcast in August 2008. Guess I hoped there wouldn't be a need... And anyway, I fully expected to have moved on to pastures new by now...

It is now more than two years since PDE. I could never have guessed that the film's subject would have turned into such an ongoing passion. But passion it is, along with running Black Retriever X Rescue and living with my own dogs - trying not to count but there appears to be at least seven of 'em at the moment, plus two fosters.

Inherited disorders and welfare issues related to conformation effect millions of dogs all over the world and much of the problem is due to an antiquated breeding paradigm promoted by a kennel club system founded in England and exported to more than 100 countries. The price is paid by the dogs who suffer unnecessarily and by their owners seduced by a certain look unaware of the welfare cost that often comes with it. This blog will be highlighting continuing problems and also celebrating progress on the road to ensuring that all dogs are born to live happy and healthy lives - so if you have news, good or bad, that needs to be out there.... let me know.