New call to axe ‘extreme dog feature’ advertising

A canine welfare group has called for an immediate global halt on images of dogs with extreme conformations being used in advertising and on social media.

The International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICECDogs) has issued new guidance it hopes will help to end the “normalisation” of harmful canine body shapes in public life.

The group believes dogs with features such as brachycephaly should only be used within campaigns that are intended to protect canine health and well-being.

‘Shock reactions’

The group’s new guidance document, published on 12 July, said: “Images of dogs with extreme conformation are often selected for promotional materials to elicit ‘cute’, ‘adorable’ or even shock reactions.

“However, sharing such images is recognised to drive up demand for dogs with innately unhealthy body shapes and, therefore, harms animal welfare.

“Decreasing habitual public exposure to imagery of dogs with extreme conformations is critical to prevent further normalisation of innately unhealthy body shapes in dogs.

“Anyone sharing imagery of dogs must consider their ethical responsibilities as influencers in shaping public perceptions.”

Raise awareness

The latest intervention comes after the group, which works with stakeholder organisations in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden, warned in April that there was an “urgent need” to raise public awareness of healthy dogs’ appearance.

The new document highlights nine examples of extreme conformations that advertisers should avoid, such as brachycephaly, bulging or domed skulls, eyelids turned in or out, facial or body skin folds and chondrodysplasia, where the legs are shortened and twisted.

Other features to avoid include broad heads and shoulders, large and protruding eyes, taillessness at birth and an overshot or undershot jaw.

Different breeds

It also lists 11 different breeds that often show signs of extreme conformation, including the English and French bulldog, dachshund and pug.

Other breeds highlighted include the basset hound, Boston terrier, German shepherd, Neapolitan mastiff, Pekingese, Shar Pei and Welsh corgi.

The guidance has been supported by research through the RVC VetCompass programme, which estimated more than 500,000 owned French bulldogs were in the UK last year, plus 250,000 miniature dachshunds, more than 180,000 pugs and 130,000 English bulldogs.

Academics believe much of that growth is connected to the depiction of dogs with extreme features in promotional materials.

Cautious

ICECDogs wants companies to be cautious about the images they use and avoid using any pictures of dogs where there is any doubt about whether they have extreme features.

They have also called on the public to report images that breach the guidance to their national advertising standards agencies and lobby the companies concerned directly.

UK Brachycephalic Working Group chairperson and ICECDogs co-founding member Dan O’Neill said: “Millions of dogs continue to suffer worldwide every year from extreme and unnecessary body shapes.

“This new ICECDogs message calls on advertisers to play their part in ending the normalisation of suffering from extreme body shapes and will hopefully contribute to the ongoing worldwide movement to instead celebrate healthy body shapes in dogs.”

Visit the website for the full guidance.