2016 APDT Annual Educational Conference and Trade Show The Pet Dog Is He Going Extinct? John Rogerson & Sue Sternberg
Extinct UK breeds of companion dog These are breeds that were kept purely as companions and lived in the house with the family.
The Turnspit Darwin said, look at the spit dog. That s an example of how people can breed animals to suit particular needs.
Allowed to go to church where they were used as foot warmers
The Gredin A small black toy Spaniel type kept purely as a household companion which later gave rise to the very popular:
The Toy Trawler Spaniel Evolved in England and was also highly prized as a household companion in Holland and Italy but did not survive past the first world war.
The Comforter Also called the Spaniel Gentle Used as living hot water bottles to heal the sick One of the original breeds which gave rise to the term lapdogs
The only known Comforter in the world
What breeds do people in the UK now buy as household companions? Mostly breeds that were never designed to live in a house with a family!
Household companion??
Household companion?
Household companion?
How about in China A great breed of companion dog in Peking (now Beijing) was favoured by royalty
The sleeve Pekinese
Does this make a better household companion?
Speying and neutering Replaces household companions with exotic breeds never designed to be companions Rather than being a solution this has become part of the problem If it worked then why are we building more and more shelters?
Are Animal shelters causing rather than curing the problem? Blanket speying and neutering removes good behaviour genes from the gene pool as well as bad Surely we need to keep good genetics and remove bad
Many breeders LOVE animal shelters! Speying and neutering increases the population of pure bred/ designer dogs It also increases their profits on puppy sales! Shelters provide a convenient dumping ground for dogs that were never designed to be household companions.
The scene in the UK 75% of all dogs in the UK are purebred! Less than 2% in the 1920 s were purebred Precious few purebred dogs were developed as family companions
The scene in the USA Cost of taxpayer money annually to round up, house, kill and dispose of homeless animals $2 billion Total number of nationwide animal shelters 5,000 Average annual number of companion animals that are euthanized at shelters 3.5 million
In the UK the Dogs Trust set aside 73 million pounds in 2013 to acquire new rehoming centres and develop their existing ones. Why is this madness allowed to continue Why are we not waking up to the facts
When the percentage of purebred dogs in any country starts to increase it signals the demise of the traditional family pet. What we are doing now is simply not working
The way ahead?? Devise a behaviour test for socialibility, affinity to people, companionship and ease of training. Spey and neuter dogs in shelters that fail the test leave the rest alone and home to responsible owners.
Utilise the test for ALL dog sports and competitions as a requirement for entry. So many dog sports encourage the breeding of dogs that are borderline on temperament.
What if we do nothing? More anti dog legislation More breed bans More out of control and anti social dogs