Fraser Hale rocks

I laughed out loud today at a post by veterinary dentist Fraser Hale on Facebook which features the above pic. But it carries an important and serious message.Fraser is a campaigner regarding brachycephalic mouths/teeth, pointing out that dogs with squished muzzles are suffering much more than we realise from the consequences of shoving the normal number of teeth into a mouth where they can't fit - i.e. misaligned teeth banging against...

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The bald truth about the Chinese Crested

The top dog for 2010 in the Dog World/Arden Grange table (UK) is the Chinese Crested Ch Vanitonia Unwrapped (left), who clinched the title by winning best in show at the LKA,reported Dog World just before Christmas.  Vanitonia Unwrapped - pet name "Nora" - is believed to be the first dog to take eight Best in Show awards at UK all-breeds championship shows during one show season, and she is still less than two years old. I've been having...

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Bred for Looks, Born to Suffer

Tomorrow, if you're walking down Clarges St in London's Mayfair and hear strange popping noises, it will be Kennel Club staff's heads exploding in response to the RSPCA's new  Bred for Looks, Born to Suffer campaign, launched today with the above ad in the Mail on Sunday.I have to confess to feeling a little uncomfortable about some aspects of the campaign myself.I'm fine with the ad above as I feel really strongly that we should...

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Bull Terriers: head case

1915 This is what a Bull Terrier looked like 100 years ago - a fit and functional, well-balanced and in-proportion dog. Note in particular this dog's head... there's nothing abnormal here. And here's a modern Bull Terrier - bred by a chap in called Lyndon Ingles in Wales who breeds for a Bull Terrier that is a working all-rounder.  The breeder of that 1915 Bull Terrier would have no problems recognising Lyndon's dog. But what on...

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World's first striped pug

Striped pug, anyone? German scientists have succeeded in transplanting a key gene that codes for the zebra's stripes into a dog - to produce the world's first litter of striped pugs. The researchers say they have been inundated with requests to buy the transgenic animals, which will inevitably be a surefire hit with breeders and owners looking for something completely different.It is the latest in a series of efforts to transplant genes into...

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The demise of the Great Dane

The two line-drawings at the top are taken from British Dogs, Their Points, Selection, And Show Preparation by W.D Drury, published in 1903. They formed part of the Great Dane breed standard adopted by the Great Dane Club (UK) at the time. The two pictures underneath are of modern show dogs (on the left, UK; on the right a French champion).One hundred years ago, the breed looked like this... b.1899 Today we see dogs like this (below) in...

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BREAKING NEWS: KC survey reveals apocalyptic drop in purebred dog longevity

There has been a catastrophic decline in purebred dog longevity, according to the results of a long-awaited health survey released by the Kennel Club yesterday. It has taken the KC over a year to report on its 2014 health survey - the largest ever survey of its kind - and a follow-up to its 2004 survey.  It makes for grim reading. Across all the breeds, median longevity has dropped by 11 per cent in a decade. Kennel Club registered...

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