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Huge increase in unregulated dog breeding clinics which 'could produce bigger, more muscular' XL bullies
8 January 2024, 09:27 | Updated: 8 January 2024, 09:40
Irresponsible dog breeders without any qualifications are increasingly operating in the UK, and are capable of producing animals which are “bigger, more athletic and more muscular” than American XL bullies, LBC has been warned.
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Figures shared with LBC show there has been an eleven-fold increase in so-called canine fertility clinics across over the last three years, offering artificial insemination and dangerous procedures like ear-cropping, which is often intended to make dogs look more menacing.
There are now understood to be 412 such practices across the UK, which can be set up by anybody regardless of their background and qualifications. In 2020, Naturewatch Foundation, an animal welfare charity, recorded 37 of these practices, and said only one of these clinics existed less than a decade ago.
The British Veterinary Association fears a coming "animal welfare disaster", noting a sharp rise in the number of vets citing irresponsible breeding as the most pressing issue facing their practices. New polling amongst their members shows it’s the number one concern for more than 50% of vets.
Carla-Marie Moore, a trustee at dog fostering charity Phoenix Rehoming, told LBC: "The types of dogs they’re breeding are a genetic mess; they are destined to be suffering [and] are an animal welfare disaster.
“Lots of those dogs end up with unsuspecting owners who then surrender them to rescues, which are picking up the pieces, footing very expensive vet bills for health and welfare-related issues that are happening on a daily basis.
"Irresponsible breeders don't care about the temperament of their dogs - they care about making them bigger, more athletic, more muscular. They're not being considerate as to what it is they're producing and what those offspring are going to produce."
She said the dogs produced by rogue breeders, which are often being 'designed' for their owners, often experience behavioural issues.
"These are dogs who perhaps don't like other dogs, who don't like other people, who perhaps don't like children. Any dog with a temperament like that does pose a risk to the public, other people and other people's dogs."
Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux, Junior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association, told LBC many of the clinics are "thriving businesses" where owners can choose the design of their puppies.
"Artificial insemination means characteristics can be chosen that wouldn't normally happen, so different colours, fluffy coats, no coats at all, very muscular dogs or very long, low dogs.
"This is really problematic from a health perspective too, a lot of these odd traits are linked to other genetics that cause these dogs real health problems going forward."
Dr Mullineaux told LBC many of the breeding services feature XL bullies on their webpages, and advertise themselves as being 'qualified breeders', despite no such qualification existing. Alarmingly, some of them offer courses for other people to train, she said.
Amongst those to arrive at Phoenix Rehoming with health complications was five-month-old French Bulldog, Coco. Soon after purchasing Coco from what was believed to be a reputable breeder, her owners were forced to give her up due to the huge vet bill they faced.
Vets there told LBC Coco couldn’t breathe and was unable to sleep without waking up gasping, because her nostrils were so small that air couldn’t pass through. She needed surgery to increase the diameter of her nostrils and to open up her airway inside her mouth so she was able to breathe.
She also needed three different procedures carried out on her eyes so they would last her and not become infected, for which the bill was £3,500.
Trustee Carla-Marie Moore told LBC: “Every day we are turning away dozens of dogs. We don’t want to turn them away, but we just physically have nowhere to put them. Undoubtedly some of those dogs will face euthanasia if a place isn’t found - and lots of other rescue centers are in the same position.”
The British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association are calling on Government to license all premises offering dog breeding services, including canine fertility clinics.
The BVAs said: "Many of these facilities have been linked to organised crime, the breeding of ‘in-fashion’ dogs like XL bullies for extreme features, as well as unethical and dangerous dog breeding practices.
Vets are concerned that such unregulated facilities are putting the health and wellbeing of dogs and their litters at risk and fuelling a potential animal welfare disaster."
