Pedigree Dogs Exposed is a BBC One investigative documentary, produced by Jemima Harrison, which looks into health and welfare issues facing pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom. It was originally broadcast on 19 August 2008.
The Kennel Club (KC), the governing body of pedigree dogs in the UK which runs the prestigious dog breed show Crufts, was criticised for allowing breed standards, judging standards, and breeding practices to compromise the health of pedigree dogs.
The programme generated much criticism of the Kennel Club. It also caused various sponsors and trade exhibitors to withdraw their participation from Crufts and other Kennel Club events. The BBC—which had broadcast Crufts for 42 years—withdrew its coverage of Crufts in 2009, and chose not to renew it thereafter.
The Kennel Club initially denied the filmmakers' assertion that many of the dogs suffered from diseases and stated that the vast majority of dog breeds are healthy. It also lodged a complaint with broadcasting regulator Ofcom, claiming unfair treatment and editing. Due to strong public reaction, it later rolled out new health plans and reviewed breed standards for every breed, an action which some breeders condemned as an overreaction. Ofcom's final ruling upheld KC's complaints regarding the lack of a right of reply for some allegations made by the programme, but dismissed complaints made in various other areas. The ruling also acknowledged that KC's geneticist Jeff Sampson's views were misrepresented, but stated that as a whole, the KC was not treated unfairly by the programme.
Three separate health reports were commissioned as a result of the programme. Reports by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare and Sir Patrick Bateson (funded by the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust) concluded that breeding practices held by the KC were detrimental to the welfare of pedigree dogs and made various recommendations to be taken by the Kennel Club and breeders to improve pedigree dog health.
A follow-up programme, Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three Years On, was broadcast on BBC 4 on 27 February 2012.
Content
The documentary follows a number of dog breeds, investigating health and welfare concerns arising from the breeds and their breed standards. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is shown suffering from syringomyelia, a condition that reduces the space available inside the skull for the brain; veterinary neurologist Dr Claire Rusbridge describes the brain in this condition as a "size 10 foot that's been shoved into a size 6 shoe", and estimates that up to a third of the breed suffers from this problem. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are also explained to suffer from higher rates of heart disease, with cardiologist Simon Swift explaining that roughly half of all Cavaliers aged 5 experience heart murmurs, a rate increasing to almost all Cavaliers by ages 10 to 11.
The documentary states that around three-quarters of the 7 million dogs in the UK are pedigree breeds, resulting in £10m of vet fees weekly. Geneticist Steve Jones attributes the issues faced by pedigree breeds to inbreeding; RSPCA Chief Vet Mark Evans singles out competitive dog showing as responsible for pedigree breed health issues.
The programme goes on to explain how breed standards have developed and changed in comparison with breed standards of the previous century. Old photos of the Dachshund, Basset Hound, Bull Terrier, Bulldog, Pug and German Shepherd Dog illustrate these changes, with working German Shepherds closer to old breed standards than a German Shepherd shown in the show ring. Crufts Judge Terry Hannan insists that working German Shepherds are anatomically incorrect, and that it is the show dog that conforms to the breed standard. The programme puts to the Chairman of the Basset Hound Club that the club is breeding congenital dwarfism into the breed; the chairman rejects this accusation, claiming that modern-day Basset Hounds resemble those of the 1800s closely.
Historian David Hancock counters the claims that Bulldogs are bred for extreme traits, such as a severe underbite and facial wrinkles, to reflect tradition, and that these traits were bred in historically for fighting purposes. The programme states that Bulldogs heads have become so large that the majority of Bulldogs undergo Caesarian sections, as they are unable to give birth without surgical intervention.
The programme analyses that dogs were initially bred for practical functions such as hunting and guarding, but in the middle of the 19th century, breed standards began to shift, as dogs became a status symbol and dog breeding became a sport, and the function of a dog became a secondary consideration after appearance. Evans describes Crufts as a "parade of mutants" and "a freakish, garish beauty pageant that has frankly nothing to do with health and welfare", pointing out that breed standards take no account of temperament and fitness for purpose.
The programme traces the Kennel Club's history to the eugenics movement, on which it says purebred dog breeding is based . A Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder interviewed for the documentary advocates for the culling of healthy puppies that do not display the "ridge" trait of the breed, as breed standards forbid ridgelessness; one in 20 puppies is born ridgeless. The Chairman of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club states that ridgelessness is a genetic fault; the ridge, a genetic trait, is claimed to increase the likelihood of the dog suffering from dermoid sinus. The programme mistakenly claims that the ridge itself is a mild form of spina bifida . A section of the code of ethics of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club is shown to state that "Ridgeless puppies shall be culled."
When asked about the practice of culling healthy puppies (with the implication that killing them was what was meant), Kennel Club chairman Ronnie Irving denies knowledge of such practices, and states that they were not acceptable. Following the interview, the documentary shows that the Kennel Club wrote to the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club to condemn the practice, and requested that the club review their code of ethics. The breed club responded that the Kennel Club knew about the code of ethics, as they are ratified by the Kennel Club each year.
Apart from Ridgebacks, other examples of culling for cosmetic reasons mentioned include Great Danes with nonstandard markings, white German Shepherds, and white Boxers. It is stated by the programme that culling by slaughter is not as common as it previously was, as more breeders choose to neuter individuals who do not meet breed standards, with there being a demand for pure-bred, but not show-standard, dogs available as pets. The documentary states that selectively-bred dogs had "poorer health" than mongrels.
The documentary shifts to focus on the practice of deliberate inbreeding within pedigree dogs, said to result in the serious genetic diseases present in many breeds. A 2006 report by the Companion Animal Welfare Council calls for the controlling of inbreeding practices within pedigree dogs, and that "animals with genetic defects should be barred from breed shows". Irving rejects the claims in the report, saying they are based on emotions rather than science. A 2004 paper authored by the Kennel Club's own geneticist Jeff Sampson mentions that "Unfortunately, the restrictive breeding patterns that have been developed as part and parcel of the purebred dog scene have not been without collateral damage to all breeds..." and that "increasingly, inherited diseases are imposing a serious disease burden on many, if not all, breeds of dogs." When interviewed for the programme, Sampson claims that "the vast majority of dogs we register [...] will live long, happy, and healthy lives." A study by Imperial College, London, shows that the 10,000 Pugs in the UK are so inbred that their gene pool is the equivalent of only 50 individuals.
The documentary shows that of the more than 200 breeds registered by the Kennel Club, compulsory health tests exist only for the Irish Setter and the Irish Red and White Setter. The Kennel Club defends the lack of health testing requirements, stating that increasing these requirements would drive breeders away from the club. The President of the British Veterinary Association, Dr Nick Blayney BVSc MRCVS, agrees with the Kennel Club, stating that "if it becomes too reactionary and loses the support of the majority, it would cease to have any influence", and the club was "doing the best they can in a very difficult situation".
The programme points out that no official system for recording hereditary diseases exists, and claims that any health screens that exist are "often inadequate or ineffective"; responsible breeders of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have used heart screening tests since 1995, but the programme reports that many breeders ignore veterinarian advice to only breed dogs over a certain age, thus having no impact on the rates of heart disease within the breed.
The programme acknowledges the Kennel Club's attempts to fix health issues, in the form of the Accredited Breeder Scheme, and funding for DNA tests, but states that neither fix the issues of inbreeding faced in pedigree dog breeding. The programme also acknowledges that Chairman Ronnie Irving had previously spoken out about the exaggerated traits in some breeds, such as the Bulldog's, and that breed standards had been changed to temper these exaggerations; the Kennel Club had also added health and welfare issues to the curriculum for judges.
The programme shows examples of individuals with serious inherited diseases being crowned show champions. Such individuals are not forbidden from being bred and some go on to produce offspring who inherit the same diseases. It reports that the 2003 Crufts champion – a Pekingese – had to sit on an ice pack to have its photo taken, as the breed has a tendency to overheat, caused by an inability to cool down as a result of its flattened face. The dog was revealed to have undergone a soft palate resection earlier. Professor Dan Brockman from the Royal Veterinary College explains that the condition is inherited and is very likely to be passed down to later generations.
The programme states that attempts by individual dog breeders to change the system face difficulties, and that though the Kennel Club had begun funding research into syringomyelia in Cavaliers, many breeders did not take the issue seriously. A Cavalier that won a Best-in-Show was revealed by Carter to have syringomyelia. Despite veterinarian advice not to breed from the dog, the dog went on to sire 26 litters, adding to the eight litters sired before the diagnosis.
When told that the Kennel Club was not doing enough, Irving rejects the claim that many breeds were in trouble, and states that the Kennel Club and its Charitable Trust are doing much to fix the problems in "some breeds". The programme ends with Evans calling for a "complete top-to-bottom review of breed standards and the rules and regulations of dog showing to move it away from its obsession with beauty through to quality of life".
Reaction The programme, which spanned a production period of two years, was watched by 3.9 million viewers.
Before the programme aired, the Kennel Club issued a statement warning that the programme may be highly biased. After the airing, it released multiple press releases questioning the neutrality and "sensationalism" of the programme. It also lodged a complaint to broadcasting regulator Ofcom claiming "unfair treatment and editing". The BBC has stood by the journalism in the documentary.