For every dog you see paraded around at Crufts, there’s a story you don’t see – the chronic, painful health problems that pedigrees often endure from generations of inbreeding and being bred for unnatural, exaggerated characteristics.
Someone has to raise their voice for these dogs – and as judges announced the “Best in Show” winner at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, one gutsy activist did just that! Student Luke astounded the crowd by leaping onto the show floor and displaying a sign reading, “Mutts Against Crufts”.
Luke was escorted from the building by security – but not before he had made sure that everyone in the packed auditorium understood the toll that “breedism” takes on dogs.
Many bulldogs, pugs, Pekingese and other brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs cannot even breathe properly – let alone go for a walk or chase a ball without gasping for air – because of their unnaturally shortened airways. Almost all pedigree dogs suffer from abnormally high rates of disease and have much shorter life spans than their mixed-breed cousins do.
Breeders and breed lovers who purport to care about dogs need to consider the effects of their actions and recognise that it’s the animals who pay – often, the ultimate price – for their frivolous pursuit. What’s more, as breeders continue to churn out litter after litter of pedigree puppies, thousands of charming, healthy mutts are desperately waiting for loving homes in shelters across the country.
Please don’t buy into breedism – boycott Crufts, and urge Channel 4 to follow the example of the BBC by refusing to broadcast next year’s show.
