Nightline - tonight - exposes "dark side" of showing dogs
 

Nightline which is on now Central time on ABC is suppose to do a segment on show dogs & what they just referred to as the dark side. Turn it on - they are talking about the economy at the moment

It's coming up after the commercial break - "radical steps some dog breeders take to win best in show" -- were the words for their promo

I just turned it on to check it out

Interesting information!

I'll see if they put a video link up later & attach it here.

Very interesting that AKC canceled the interview when they found out who else they were featuring in the piece

I thought the same thing!

I don't think it's right to have a breed of dog that can't breed naturally and can't give birth without a c-section like the bulldogs. I'm sure bulldog lovers would disagree but I just don't think that is healthy for the dog or natural. I agree and disagree with the rest of it. I don't think you have to crossbreed to get desired traits. In the case with the bostons, if they decide to change the standard to the longer muzzle they could just breed the bostons that have longer muzzles and eventually you'd change the appearance.

I'm watching this right now. WOW!

I dont have Tv. Who else was featured?

let me know if the interview pops up on the website. I'd be interested to see this.

I thought the same thing about how you change the standards - I did not agree with that man's idea about mixing the similar breeds to get back to where you would want. Those standards were changed over time - I'm sure it would take time to change the traits again.

I think it is really too bad that AKC didn't speak up. It doesn't put them in the best light to hide.


Well they interviewed some people at a dog show - they were talking about Westminster - but I'm not sure that is where they were at - looked too small, they may have said Westminster since so many know the name. They spoke with a breeder of bulldogs and a breeder of dalmatians (they said one of the inbreeding faults in the dalmatians was a urinary blockage)

They highlighted just a bit of a show that exposed the bad side of dog shows in the UK - which apparently led the BBC to cancel the airing of Crufts

I'm sure they will put up the video - right now it's just the stories from last night (I know because I was watching then too)

I saw it. I wondered if anyone on here was watching.

The link for the video is still not up, but I found this story - which touches on some of the same things & about what is happening across the pond

Controversy swirls around Britain's Crufts Dog Show; animal charity plans to be on hand to advise attendees | L.A. Unleashed | Los Angeles Times

L.A. Unleashed - latimes.com

Controversy swirls around Britain's Crufts Dog Show; animal charity plans to be on hand to advise attendees
3:08 PM, February 27, 2009

With the BBC boycotting -- and animal groups the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and veterinary charity PDSA steering clear -- this year's Crufts Dog Show promises to be an unusual one.

Crufts, the biggest dog show in the world, is expected to draw well over 20,000 canine competitors this year.

The show began to make headlines worldwide months ago, when the BBC announced it wouldn't televise it based on concerns raised by a BBC1 documentary called "Pedigree Dogs Exposed." The documentary showed purebred dogs with severe health problems, including "spaniels with brains too big for their skulls and boxer dogs that suffered from epilepsy," according to a statement from the BBC. The filmmaker behind the documentary, Jemima Harrison, argued that common breeding practices such as inbreeding led to such issues.

Last month, Britain's Kennel Club announced major reforms, including revisions of many dog breed standards and ceasing to register puppies produced by inbreeding (defined by the KC as the breeding of a mother and son, father and daughter or brother and sister).

Now, the Blue Cross (another U.K. animal charity not to be confused with the American insurance company) has announced that it will attend Crufts to fill the void left by the RSPCA and PDSA in educating the show's spectators about the issue of hereditary disease in dogs. The Telegraph explains:

In a survey of more than 1,000 pet owners commissioned by Blue Cross, 74 per cent admitted they were concerned about the issue of inherited health defects in some dog breeds but 38 per cent felt powerless to do anything about it.

A further 33 per cent of pet owners thought they could help reduce the problem if they knew more about it but 65 per cent did not know where to find reliable information about the health and welfare of pedigree dogs. ...

Kim Hamilton, The Blue Cross chief executive, said: "We know that three quarters of pet owners are concerned about inherited health defects in dogs, so it's important that we are at Crufts to reach many thousands of dog owners and give them practical advice on how they can help achieve a brighter future for our pets."

The Blue Cross says it will have an information and advice stand at Crufts, which will last four days beginning March 5.

-- Lindsay Barnett

I know it's not the same with animals as people, but eeeeeeeeeeew. :eek:

I just watched all of Pedigreed Dogs Exposed on YouTube. So heartbreaking to watch. I don't like that it portrays showing dogs as all bad because I believe there are great intentions in the show wold. But some of the breeds are just overall unhealthy, unnatural and deformed. The caveliers with syringomyelia was so sad. It made me do angry that so many breeders weren't acknowledging the huge and aweful problem it is in the breed. And one breeder had a cavalier diagnosed with the aweful disease and was still showing and breeding him. He had sired almost 40 litters, most of which were after his diagnosis! What a piece of sh*t for knowingly passing such a painful defect on to so many puppies! It makes me think of all the yorkies affected with liver shunt and mvd. Aweful.