What You Need to Know About the Crufts Best in Show Winner 2020
Wire-haired dachshund Maisie has been named the Crufts 2020 Best in Show winner – but that’s nothing to celebrate.
Maisie the wire-haired Daschund, this year’s best in show at #Crufts pic.twitter.com/OqClvoKhQr
— Jacob King (@jacobkingphoto) March 9, 2020
Crufts supports churning out dogs to look a particular way at the expense of their health. This canine “beauty” pageant actively encourages extreme breeding practices and the inbreeding of closely related animals.
Breeding deformed animals like Maisie in order to win trophies is just cruel.
Losing at Life
Wire-haired dachshunds like Maisie commonly suffer from a plethora of painful ailments, all because humans have selectively bred them to fit breed standards, not for health.
Dachshunds are bred to have disproportionately short legs, extremely long backs, an elongated head, and large ears. This Frankensteinian genetic manipulation means that they often endure ailments such as these:
- Intervertebral disc disease (weakened vertebrae)
- Patella luxation (loose knees)
- Hip dysplasia (hip deformity)
- Eye issues
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Cancer/tumours
- Immune system disorders
Dachshunds are just one example of the breeds whose pedigree lineage all too often comes at the cost of their health and fundamental well-being.
Crufts encourages viewers to purchase a puppy based on how dogs look, rather than who they are. Every time the Kennel Club – the organisation running the event – picks a Best in Show winner, breeders rush to cash in on the increased demand for the winning breed and churn out those types of puppies.
As more and more dogs are bred to match a desired look, fewer dogs in shelters will be adopted and more healthy and lovable dogs will be euthanised for lack of good homes.
What You Can Do
Never ever buy from a breeder – because all dogs, regardless of their “pedigree” or “heritage”, deserve love, a warm spot to curl up, and a place to call home.
Don’t support Crufts, and encourage your friends and family to stay away, too.
Even though the RSPCA has publicly condemned Crufts and the BBC stopped airing it 12 years ago, Channel 4 continues to broadcast this grotesque charade. Please send a message to the channel’s chief executive, Alex Mahon, urging her to take the show off our TV screens:
