Crufts slams the door on prizes for flat-faced dogs
Kennel Club tells judges not to give awards to animals with harmfully exaggerated features due to breeding
CRUFTS has clamped down on flatfaced dogs after warning its judges not to award prizes to animals that are unable to breathe easily. Ahead of this year’s event, which begins today, The Kennel Club has issued judges of all brachycephalic breeds a written reminder about exaggerated features.
In previous years, Crufts has come under heavy criticism for awarding prizes to dogs with artificially bred features. Last year a “best in breed” prize was awarded to a German shepherd with an abnormally sloped back and a painful-looking, out-of-step gait.
The backlash forced The Kennel Club to rethink its policy on breeding. Caroline Kisko, the club’s secretary, said: “Dogs with exaggerated features do remain a concern and we want to put a stop to this and change how people breed their dogs. Over the last few years we have introduced a number of new rules and this year we have extended our veterinary final checks to cover all dogs which will enter the main arena for a physical examination.
“All judges involved in the judging of brachycephalic breeds, those with flatfaces, were sent a letter reminding them of the breeding standards and that all dogs should have open nostrils. We remain dedicated to ensuring that breeds which have harmful exaggerated features are not rewarded.”
In 2008 the BBC announced it would not broadcast Crufts due to a dispute over the inclusion of certain breeds of pedigree dog. In the same year the RSPCA also pulled out over concerns relating to disability, deformity and disease among pedigree breeds.
Lisa Hens, an RSPCA dog welfare expert, said: “Some elements of Crufts are a positive celebration of man’s best friend and we enjoy seeing the dogs and their owners coming together to enjoy activities such as agility, flyball and heelwork to music.”
But she added that the RSPCA still had “serious concerns” about the main showing and judging due to the way in which many breeds of dogs have been bred over the years to have exaggerated physical features to appeal to judges and meet best breed standards.
Peta UK, the animal rights organisation, accused the event of being a “Frankensteinian show that glorifies pedigree fetishists’ obsession with the ‘perfectly’ designed dog to the detriment of the animals themselves”.
However, Ms Kisko said audiences were not watching to see “freak dogs” and that hundreds of thousands of viewers tune in because they love animals.