26 May 2020
“...we don’t agree that a simple ban on brachycephalic breeds is the solution to this complex issue” – Bill Lambert, The Kennel Club head of health and welfare.
James Westgate
Job Title
The Kennel Club has no plans to ban bulldog puppies – despite its Dutch counterpart ending registration of the dogs along with 11 other flat-faced breeds.
British bulldogs will no longer be registered by the Dutch Kennel Club, along with the following breeds:
However, despite numerous campaigns to highlight welfare concerns among brachycephalic breeds, The Kennel Club has announced it will not be introducing a similar ban.
Bill Lambert, head of health and welfare at The Kennel Club, said: “The Kennel Club is pleased that there is growing awareness of how extreme physical features, like very flat faces, can have a damaging effect on dog health and well-being.
“However, we don’t agree that a simple ban on brachycephalic breeds is the solution to this complex issue. We’re concerned that this absolute approach could further fuel the ongoing crisis of irresponsible breeders, illegal puppy smuggling and uninformed puppy buyers.
“While a full breed ban hasn’t been accepted in the Netherlands, we do have some similar concerns about the approach of not issuing pedigrees to some dogs, as such laws can be hard to enforce and could encourage more irresponsible underground breeding, resulting in more issues the legislation seeks to address.”
Instead, The Kennel Club will continue its approach of working with breeders, vets, scientists and welfare organisations to further research and take evidence-based action to eliminate the health problems that the breeds can face.
Mr Lambert added: “This is the remit of the Brachycephalic Working Group, formed by The Kennel Club in 2016 and made up of all of the major stakeholders in dog welfare in the UK, including the BVA, Defra, Dogs Trust and academics who specialise in brachycephalic health and breeders.”
Mr Lambert said: “We also need evidence-based and practical tools, like The Kennel Club-funded Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, to help responsible breeders to improve brachycephalic health and to enable us to learn more about diseases such as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which is far more complex than equating a short nose with the inability to breathe freely.”
