Edinburgh Dog Show Takes Heat from PETA Over Flat-Faced Breeds
Edinburgh Dog Show Takes Heat from PETA Over Flat-Faced Breeds
Edinburgh, Scotland – Ahead of Scottish Kennel Club Championship Show, PETA sent a letter to Mrs E A MacDonald, President of the Scottish Kennel Club calling on her to disqualify pugs, Pekingese, French bulldogs, and other brachycephalic breeds from the competition.
In the letter (available here), the group cites a recent study by the Royal Veterinary College that found some of these breeds can no longer be classified as “normal dogs” due to their health irregularities. A recent court ruling in Norway recognised that these dogs suffer severely and should no longer be bred, and the Netherlands is considering a ban on advertisements featuring these animals to address the cruelty of producing dogs with unnatural features that cause severe health problems.
“It’s time to stop promoting breeds with deformities that make it difficult for many of them to breathe – let alone chase a ball – without gasping for air,” says PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner. “PETA is calling on flat-faced breeds to be kept out of Scottish Kennel Club Championship Show and encourages the public to instead champion healthy mutts – many are waiting in shelters right now, hoping someone will take them home.”
In addition to promoting dogs with unnatural physical characteristics, dog shows exacerbate the homeless companion animal overpopulation crisis by encouraging people to dash out and buy “must-have” breeds. Meanwhile rescue centres – which take in an estimated 130,000 dogs every year – burst at the seams with lovable animals waiting to be adopted.
PETA has long spoken out against the superficial dog breeding industry. Last month, two PETA supporters, one of whom is disabled and in a wheelchair, peacefully protested the “Best in Show” at Crufts, the world’s largest “pedigree” dog show, before being violently assaulted by security staff. One of the animal allies holding a sign reading, “🖤 Dogs? Boycott Breeders,” was thrown to the ground in his wheelchair, and the other was repeatedly punched before being dragged off the premises.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 207-837-6327; [email protected]
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