Otterhound tops ‘at risk’ dog breeds list

♦ The otterhound is the country’s most at-risk dog, as rare native breeds are being “forgotten”, the Kennel Club said as it launched its Save the Forgotten Dog Breeds campaign.

The organisation warned native pedigrees such as the otterhound and the Glen of Imaal terrier had for so long been overlooked that even at Crufts, dog lovers failed to recognise some endangered breeds on show.

Just 24 otterhound puppies were registered in 2017, a drop of 40 per cent from 2016.

Otterhounds are rarer than otters, which is as it should be. But these hounds are, of course, no longer used to hunt otters, so it is a worry that only 24 puppies of the breed were registered with the Kennel Club last year. The same pattern of British breeds becoming endangered applies to the Skye terrier, of which the most celebrated example was Greyfriars Bobby, whose statue in Edinburgh commemorates his 14-year vigil at the graveside of his master. People prefer fashionable breeds like French bulldogs, it seems, or crosses marketed as “designer breeds”, such as the cockapoo. If only the Clumber spaniel (a favourite of George V) could feature in the next Netflix hit box set, as the corgi has in The Crown, then it too might benefit from a resurgence in popularity – as long as viewers realise a dog is for life, not just for the TV series.