5 Videos That True Dog Lovers Need to Watch During Crufts
Crufts – the world’s largest dog show – is a celebration of everything that’s wrong with dog breeding. The event glorifies pedigree breeders’ obsession with the “perfectly” designed dog, to the detriment of the animals’ well-being.
These five videos show just how harmful this annual freak show really is:
-
The Bizarre Truth About Purebred Dogs
This video runs through the history of pedigree dogs – and exactly how much humans have manipulated their genetics to create “new looks”. It’s a quick but insightful look at dog breeding that everyone should watch
-
6 Reasons Why Crufts Is Messed Up
This video highlights the six biggest reasons why you should skip Crufts this year – and for the rest of time.
-
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
This powerful BBC documentary highlights the severe health problems that pedigree dogs commonly suffer from, and its revelations caused many reputable organisations – such as the RSPCA and PDSA – to withdraw their support of Crufts. The BBC decided to stop broadcasting the event – and PETA is urging Channel 4 to follow suit.
-
Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three Years On
The BBC’s follow-up to Pedigree Dogs Exposed examines some of the changes that have been made to the regulation of the pet trade and exposes the continued suffering of pure-bred dogs.
-
How 100 Years of Breeding Changed These Popular Dog Breeds
This video provides a harrowing look at how much humans have “played” with dogs’ genetics, breeding them to suffer from countless health issues and diseases in the name of vanity.
What’s Wrong With Crufts?
Crufts and other dog shows glorify canine eugenics, rewarding breeders for producing pups with “ideal” physical traits, with little to no regard for the animals’ welfare. Such extreme breeding practices put them at a high risk of suffering from a frightening array of birth defects, congenital health conditions, and other painful diseases.
Dachshunds, for example, are specifically bred to have long, “stretched-out” spines, which often causes them to develop disc disease or other back problems. Cavalier King Charles spaniels are genetically manipulated to have skulls that are nearly flat on top, and more than a third of them suffer from an agonising condition called syringomyelia because their skulls are too small for their brains. Afflicted dogs often scream in agony, scratch themselves raw, and become progressively weaker until they can barely walk. Some become paralysed. The “pushed-in” faces of English bulldogs and pugs make it so difficult for them to breathe that many can’t even enjoy the activities that dogs love, such as chasing a ball or going for walks, without struggling for air.
The culture of breeding also has wider implications for canine welfare. Because breeders are churning out litter after litter of unhealthy pedigree puppies, thousands of healthy, adoptable dogs in animal shelters are denied their chance at a loving home.
What You Can Do for Dogs
Even though the BBC stopped broadcasting Crufts and the RSPCA has publicly condemned the unethical event, 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.
