Following on from Six Good Reasons to Pass up on Crufts, the biggest dog show in the world is getting more bad press.

Crufts has come under fire for awarding a “deformed” German Shepherd the “Best of Breed” title. The dog, named Catoria, has an abnormally sloped back and a painful-looking limp. According to the RSPCA, “Many other dogs at Crufts showed visible signs of poor health and/or discomfort,” including the winner of the Toy Breeds, a Pekinese who was “panting heavily and struggling to breathe.”

The motto of the Kennel Club, organisers of the event, is “Making a difference for dogs”. Yet their flagship show, where dogs are treated as fashionable prized possessions, rewards breeding practices that severely compromise health and welfare – the exact opposite of its declared aim, “to look after the health and welfare of dogs”.

The prestigious show, in what I call The Crufts Effect, fuels the market for pedigree breeds, a market ruthlessly exploited by the unscrupulous with no regard for even basic animal welfare.

Soaring demand for designer dogs fuels the brutal £100 million industry

The aggrandization  of pedigree breeds leads directly to the situation we have in the UK where 75% of dogs chosen for pets are pedigrees. With the result that 14 strays are euthanised every single day and dog lovers choose to overlook the many thousands more languishing in shelters up and down the country.

Please sign this petition urging the Kennel Club to put an end to this misguided show and start promoting welfare for all dogs.

Sign petition here