The 67 Dog Breeds That Could Be Banned in Britain – And What a Ban Would Mean
- What’s on the Innate Health Assessment?
- Why Is the Innate Health Assessment Important?
- What Breeds Might Be Banned?
- What Would the Ban Mean?
- Other Countries Crack Down on Cruel Breeds
- The Cruelty of Dog Breeding
- Take Action for Dogs
Potential future legislation could see around 67 dog breeds, who suffer due to selective breeding for appearance, be banned in Britain, meaning shih tzus, Welsh corgis, and dachshunds might be phased out.
The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for animal welfare developed the Innate Health Assessment, which includes 10 visual health checks to determine whether a dog is healthy. If eight or more of the checks apply to the dog, the dog passes the test. Dogs who do not pass should not be bred under the guidelines.
The checklist is already used by some councils when deciding on breeding license applications. Its use is currently voluntary, but there are calls for it to be added to animal welfare legislation and become law within the next five years, meaning all licensed breeders would need to use it.
PETA supports a ban on all breeding of dogs, including breed-specific laws. Obligatory use of the Innate Health Assessment would be an excellent first step towards ending cruel and exploitative dog breeding for good.
What’s on the Innate Health Assessment?
The checklist includes the following:
- The muzzle is at least one-third the length of their skull
- Their tail is long enough to wag
- They have a spine that can flex
- They have natural leg length (no dwarfism)
- They don’t have merle colouring (diluted colourings that create a marbled or patchwork effect)
- They have smooth skin (no folds)
- They have eyelids that don’t turn in and/or droop
- Their jaw closes correctly with no overbite or underbite
- They have straight legs (no bowing)
- Their eyes sit deeply in their socket (no bulging)
Why Is the Innate Health Assessment Important?
Dogs who do not meet these criteria have been selectively bred to look a certain way to cater for human preferences at the expense of dog health. Flat-faced dogs like pugs and French bulldogs often struggle to breathe – all because people think animals with squashed faces are ‘cute’. Everything that makes life worth living for dogs, like running and chasing a ball, becomes more difficult or even impossible for breathing-impaired breeds (BIBs). Cavalier King Charles spaniels, in addition to being a BIB, also have brains too big for their skulls. They may yelp in pain suddenly and obsessively scratch themselves.
Dogs with very short legs and long spines, like dachshunds and Welsh corgis, also struggle to walk and play, and parts of their bodies are too small to function properly. They suffer from joint problems, arthritis, and up to a quarter of dachshunds have intervertebral disc disease, which causes severe back pain and paralysis, that can be recurring and require surgery.
What Dogs Might Be Banned?
If the Innate Health Assessment becomes law, it will affect dozens of suffering breeds.
The full list is as follows:
- Affenpischer
- American Cocker Spaniel
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Australian Shepherd
- Basset
- Basset Bleu
- Basset Fauve
- Beagle
- Beauceron
- Bergamasco
- Bloodhound
- Border Collie
- Boston Terrier
- Boxer
- Bracco
- Brittany
- Brussels Griffon
- Bullmastiff
- Bulldog
- Cairn Terrier
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Cesky Terrier
- Chihuahua
- Chow Chow
- Clumber Spaniel
- Dachshund
- Dandie Terrier
- Dogue de Bordeaux
- French Bulldog
- Glen of Imaal Terrier
- Grand Basset
- Great Dane
- Japanese Chin
- King Charles Spaniel
- Lancashire Heeler
- Lhasa Apso
- Mastiff
- Mudi
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- Newfoundland
- Norfolk Terrier
- Norwich Terrier
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pekingese
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Petit Basset
- Polish Lowland
- Pug
- Pyr Mastiff
- Pyr Shep
- Rough Collie
- Schipperke
- Scottish Terrier
- Sealyham Terrie
- Shar Pei
- Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)
- Shih Tzu
- Skye Terrier
- Smooth Collie
- Spanish Water Dog
- St Bernard
- Staffordshire Terrier
- Sussex Spaniel
- Swedish Vallhund
- Tibetan Mastiff
- West Highland White Terrier
What Would the Ban Mean?
If the Innate Health Assessment is passed into law, it will mean that no licenses will be issued to breeders planning to breed dogs who do not pass it. In other words, no licensed breeders will be able to sell these dogs.
The ban will not make existing dogs illegal. Guardians will still be able to adopt these dogs from shelters and give them the love, care, and attention they deserve.
Other Countries Crack Down on Cruel Breeds
Britain is lagging when it comes to banning dogs bred to suffer. The Netherlands has banned the breeding of flat-faced dogs and those with folded ears, while Norway has banned breeding of the Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
The Cruelty of Dog Breeding
All dog breeding, regardless of the breed, is exploitative. Animals are individuals. They are someone, not nothing. Humans have no right to use them for profit.
Female dogs used for breeding are often forced to give birth repeatedly until their bodies wear out. Dogs love their babies just like we do, and we have no right to force mothers to become pregnant, give birth and sell her babies.
French bulldogs, who are on the possible banned dog breed list, often cannot get pregnant without forced manual impregnation [PF3] due to their unnaturally small bodies and narrow hips. They, along with breeds like Boston Terriers and chihuahuas, often also require caesarean section. Imagine the toll that must take on their little bodies.
Britain is in a rescue crisis, with tens of thousands of dogs in shelters because their guardian was no longer willing or able to take care of them. With each dog bred and sold, an animal in a shelter misses out on a loving home.
Take Action for Dogs
Help dogs today by calling on Channel 4 to cut ties with Crufts, which glorifies the breeding of exploited dogs:
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