Animal Protection: Stop inbreeding, open registries, ban unhealthy breeds, curtail shows

[Henk ten Klooster]

Ban unhealthy breeds, attack inbreeding by opening up of registries permanently, stop breed standard exaggeration, curtail shows.

That is the advice of the Animal Protection the Netherlands (Dierenbescherming). With more than 40% of purebred dogs something is wrong, states the organization. Main source of that according to Animal Protection: dogshows.

Most Dutch media were focusing on this these days, after broadcasting of the British documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed on television.

How is that in your culture and what is your opinion?

[Henk ten Klooster]

Thanks for joining this debate. As it is silent for some days now, I will close it January 4th. Hopefully contributors have enjoyed a topic in the category We agree to disagree (thanks Ursula) and not one in many about I agree. Good to see there is a follow up of Susan Stone in Is DNA testing enough? Join that one!

[Susan Stone]

Henk, please don't remove this discussion completely, even if you do close it. Thanks!

[Rosie Dudley]

This has been an interesting discussion, but I don't think it actually addressed the topic. Animal Protection the Netherlands (Dierenbescherming), is not an organising I know anything about, but guess that it has a similar role to the RSPCA in the UK. The RSPCA has been given powers which in my opinion far exceeding that we should expect of an unregulated undemocratic organisation. I think there are some wonderful dedicated individuals working for the RSPCA who are there for the animals and care deeply for their wellbeing, their voice is largely ignored. Then there are the higher ranks who make the decisions and policies and advise parliament, and in my opinion they will, if allowed, destroy pedigree dog. They believe we should all have mongrels and pedigree dogs should be banned. In Pedigree Dogs Exposed they had a representative giving his views.

Perhaps you are thinking, why am I so obviously anti RSPCA. My change in attitude towards the RSPCA, started some years ago, it was the year of the Mountain of Dead Dogs poster. The KC refused to allow them to erect the poster at Crufts. Then a television documentary followed. In it, it followed a period of I think three or four weeks, at one of their dogs homes, I think in the Birmingham area. We saw how lots of dogs were brought into the home, many lost/stray dogs collected from Police Stations, and in particular a box containing a litter of unweaned puppies that were less than two weeks old. Others were brought in by their owners, unemployment was high at that time and they could not afford to keep their dogs. What followed was what happened to these dogs. The staff took good care of them and showed them affection; the litter of pups were bottle fed day and night. The policy of the RSPCA was the lost dogs were kept for seven days and if not claimed were put up for sale, for all dogs if not sold within seven days they were destroyed. In conclusion the film showed the majority of the dogs we had seen coming into the home lined up outside a portacabin waiting their turn to die. This included the litter of pups, nobody claimed them within seven days, and nobody bought them in the next seven days and they were put down. This is what changed my view of the RSPCA !

I recognise that there are cases of cruelty that must be dealt with. The UK dog papers regularly report on the RSPCA taking people to court. In many cases very elderly ladies who after a lifetime of keeping dogs have become confused, perhaps with senile dementure and have become unable to care for the many dogs they have. The RSPCA takes these 80 - 90 year olds to court and they are found guilty of animal cruelty, they usually claim the dogs were in too bad a condition to rehome and were destroyed, but they also destroy what life is left of their owners. The KC have protested that if the rescue organisation for the breed were contacted, that they would take care of the dogs and have some compassion for the elderly owner, and that it was inappropriate for the RSPCA to act in the way they had. There are other excellent organisations that would act as the KC describes, the PDSA, the Blue Cross and the Cinammon Trust, they are worthy of support.

Please look at this site and look at the video's !

http://rspcainjustice.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

Perhaps one day in the future there will be no more pure bred dogs or the need for dog shows. Or the risk of breeding a dog that develops a problem becomes too great to continue breeding, we have seen in this discussion, ES members with the name, shame, blame and perhaps even sue the breeders mentality. Perhaps if the answers to breeding only 100% perfect puppies is too far away, the threat of litigation will force breeders to breed stock for themselves and those they trust and cull the rest, and all others can do what the RSPCA tell you to do, get a healthy mongrel from a rescue centre.

I have focused mainly on the dark side of this discussion, and fully except we have a much brighter outlook, but if the dark side is not what we want, we all need to take a greater interest in what legislation, the Animal Protection the Netherlands (Dierenbescherming) and the RSPCA or similar organisation in your country is proposing.

[eva ciechonska]

Rosie to your comments on the RSPCA I would add that, despite many programmes, public outcry etc.against puppy farms, the dreadful conditions the dogs are kept in, the terrible state of their puppies who often reqiure expensive medical treatment for their new owners without any recourse, the Councils STLL licence these establishments and the RSPCA STILL give them a clean bill of health. We MOST CERTAINLY need to take a greater interest in any legislation they and similar organisations who profess to have the well being of dogs at heart propose and make them more accountable for their actions.

[Anna Kazimierowicz]

Henk, don't throw this discussion away, please. I didn't read it yet;)))

[Henk ten Klooster]

Being a champion of free speech, I can not do anything else than re-open this discussion. Both Fran Griffin and Rosie Dudley have offered material/opinions 100% in topic, interested to know your views.