And they called it puppy love
A dating website has been launched with a slight difference. It’s for dogs (the canine variety, as opposed to unattractive women). The scheme, which is more of a stud dog and bitch directory site, has been set up by the Kennel Club to ensure that pedigree puppies are free from genetic problems.
Mate Select is what the Kennel Club are calling this project and they want to ‘promote in every way the general improvement of dogs and will connect pedigree dog breeders’
The KC hopes the scheme will dramatically reduce the amount of inbred dogs that are born with defects because they have been mated from a closely related dog.
In the past few years dogs are no longer been bred mainly for work purposes and many homes want the best looking dog they can get. This, however, usually comes at a price. Dogs that are in-bred, or over bred as they are sometimes known, can develop serious health problems. Pugs can have difficulties breathing, German Shepherds can have problems with their joints and Dalmatians can be born deaf.
A kennel club Spokesman said:
“It basically enables breeders to perform hypothetical matings online and see what impact a mating will have on the genetic diversity, the long term health, and viability of the breed that they love.”
“It will enable breeders to begin to assess the impact that a proposed mating between Kennel Club registered dogs will have on the genetic diversity of a breed. The service is intended to safeguard the future of pedigree breeds.”
Puppy buyers are also been taken into account with the KC spokesperson also adding:
“It also enables puppy buyers to find out health test results for the parents of potential puppies that they buy. This will help to stop people falling into the hands of backstreet dealers, as the results of every single dog registered with the Kennel Club are on this site and so everything is transparent.”
