The RSPCA today (Wednesday) warmly welcomed the Kennel Club’s announcement that they will no longer register puppies whose parents are closely related*.

The results of the Kennel Club’s review of breed standards was also acknowledged as a step in the right direction, but the Society needs to look at the detail to see if enough has been done.

RSPCA chief veterinary adviser Mark Evans said: “The fact that from March the Kennel Club won’t register puppies from closely related parents is brilliant news and a significant step forward for pedigree dog welfare. This is something the RSPCA has been calling for and shows recognition that close inbreeding of dogs is not a good idea.

“We haven’t yet had the opportunity to look at the Kennel Club’s reviewed breed standards in detail, but our initial concerns are that the changes don’t appear to be radical enough to really make a difference. We also question how the standards may be interpreted in the show ring.”

The RSPCA is extremely concerned about the hundreds of thousands of pedigree dogs that are vulnerable to illness, pain and discomfort because they’re primarily bred for how they look rather than with health, welfare and temperament in mind.

The issue became a national debate after the BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed was broadcast in September last year.

* The Kennel Club has defined close relative matings as those between mother and son, father and daughter or brother and sister.

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Related posts:

1. Pedigree Dogs Exposed Documentary Maker Responds to Kennel Club Moves
2. Dogs Trust Withdraws from Crufts and All Kennel Club Events
3. RSPCA Withdrawal from Crufts ‘Unhelpful’ Says the Kennel Club
4. RSPCA Chief Vet Condemns ‘Parade of Mutants’ – Pedigree Dogs Exposed
5. Dogs Trust Issues Statement on Kennel Club Pedigree Dogs Review