THE RISE OF SLACTIVISM

Phew! Well, last month’s article (and Dog World Blog post) certainly provoked a reaction from both sides of the brachycephalic debate. Obviously a very vociferous element of the veterinary profession didn’t react too well to the criticism aimed at them which was understandable and expected however what wasn’t expected was the level to which some of that reaction (from such esteemed professionals) stooped.

One vet, Dr Judy Puddifoot (what a charming surname, almost Beatrix Potteresque) in reference to my article put this up on Facebook on 17^th March.

‘We all took an oath to protect animal welfare. People yelled, ‘why aren’t vets speaking up for the brachycephalics?’ And yet when we do we get lambasted for it by unqualified lay people who think they know better! #DogWorldD*ckhead’

A CRITICAL FRIEND

What would we do without vets? I know, it’s something most of us prefer not to think about. Of course we all have the odd grumble about the profession (and as a bird keeper/breeder I’ve had more than my fair share of negative experiences with vets who clearly hadn’t got a clue in this admittedly specialist field of expertise) but on the whole, in our hour of need, it’s certainly reassuring to have a good vet nearby.

However, I am increasingly alarmed by the rise of a certain degree of militancy within the veterinarian field. For some reason this thinking is more prevalent among the younger vets in our towns and cities although I certainly haven’t encountered it in our excellent local rural practice, which, contradicting what I have just written, is solely staffed by young vets!

THE KC GROWS SOME KAHUNES

Something that has got a lot of you talking (if my inbox is anything to go by) was Jemima Harrison’s recent threat to sabotage Crufts in all manner of inventive ways, from people dressed as French Bulldogs handing out leaflets, a projection of 40ft French Bulldog nostrils onto the NEC and even a plane flying over the building trailing her CRUFFA (Campaign for the Responsible Use of Flat Faced Animals) message.

Many were quite understandably worried about these shenanigans (especially the threat to disrupt the BIS with “an extra special surprise”) but worry not as Ms Harrison recently announced on her Facebook group that these announcements (in the manner of the infamous Bobby Ewin shower scene which was meant to delete a whole previous series from everyone’s mind) were…well, not quite a dream exactly…but simply all an elaborate “late night joke”.

DON’T LET UNTRUTHS GO UNCHALLENGED

From my ‘Crossing the headlines’ column in Dog World (7th May 2014) where I question various studies into crossbreed health and longevity.

Carrying on with the positive legacy from Crufts, wasn’t it good to read the findings of the Royal Veterinary College last week? Scientists analysed the data of 148,741 dogs expecting to prove the conventional wisdom that selective breeding makes the pedigree dog more susceptible to serious conditions but, to their surprise, they discovered (what time working in boarding kennels had proved to me already) that both the mongrel and the pedigree have broadly the same chance of developing the most common health problems. In fact, for degenerative joint disease, the mongrel was found to be more vulnerable. This study’s findings echoed those published back in June 2013 by researchers at the University of California at Davis.

STILL AGGRANDISING THE CROSSBREED?

From my ‘Crossing the headlines’ column in Dog World (12th February 2014) where I discuss potential pitfalls of designer crossbreeds.

While the dog world has been embroiled in arguments concerning the Assured Breeder Scheme, the media continues to focus on the growing numbers of ‘designer dogs’.

Jody Thompson writing for the Huffington Post (Jan 8) asked a question, “Why are people paying for designer dogs?”

It’s a fair question and one that many of us have puzzled over. Just why do people pay £800-£1,500 for a mongrel? Of course, it’s a free country and, as the old adage goes, a ‘fool and his money are easily parted’ but, why do a growing number of people pay out such a vast sum for their pet when a trip to the local animal shelter could fulfil all their needs for a fraction of the cost? If a long pedigree or owning a mongrel doesn’t bother you then why not simply adopt? This was the point Ms Thompson succinctly made in her well-written article.