Is UK dog breeding due an upgrade?
As recently reported in The Times, there are moves in progress which could alter dog breeding standards in Britain. Controversy about stud dogs and dog breeding is not new, but some of the ‘great and the good’ are now wading into the debate.
For example, Sir Patrick Bateson is putting his head above the parapet and wants to exert pressure to improve the standards that UK dog breeding sticks to. As the current President of the Zoological Society and a professor, Sir Patrick’s views are guaranteed to carry weight. Sir Patrick believes that there can be a paradigm shift in the way that some dog breeders behave. He reasons that just as zoos have adapted to new social concerns about their role with respect to animals, so the dog breeding fraternity can change to accommodate emergent social concerns in relation to dog breeding standards.
Sir Patrick is convinced that the way people purchase canines is due an upgrade. He said, in relation to zoo standards:
People are affected by what they see on TV and they have revulsion in seeing animals in small cages and this has brought a change in zoos that is altogether for the good.
Sir Patrick contended that most dog lovers would greatly appreciate it if ‘bad’ dog breeding could be eliminated in the same way as nineteenth century zoological practices. He stated that the dog buying public would like the opportunity to ensure that responsible dog breeding was maintained. He pointed out that if dog breeding standards were upgraded, it would probably be possible to have Crufts, the world’s biggest show of its type, televised on BBC again.
