The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals has followed the breeding of animals closely for several years and is very concerned about the development. Already in 2015, The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals Oslo and Akershus commissioned a status report from The Norwegian University of Life Science on the health aspects of the breeding of purebred dogs in Norway.
Prolonged breeding with the main focus on appearance has for several breeds led to both problems with inbreeding and health challenges. The consequence is that more animals live with several different health problems and painful, chronic disorders. At worst, the disorders prevent the animals from performing their natural functions and from living normal, pain-free, and comfortable lives. The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals is very concerned about these animals and believes that much of today’s breeding is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
Today’s breeding is largely planned and carried out by breeders in a system where the main focus is often prizes and ribbons on dog shows, and where appearance trumps health and robustness. The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals believes that we have come to the point where some breeds are delivered with a guarantee for disease.
” The Animal Welfare Act is intended to protect animals from the irrational actions of humans. We can no longer sit and watch Norwegian law being broken systematically.” – The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals
In Norway, we have legislation that requires animals to be bred with good function and health, and which prohibits breeding that continues negative hereditary systems. Despite this, the breeding is mainly based on the animal’s appearance, and a show judge’s subjective experience of this.
The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals believes that some breeds now have such a large burden of disease and are so closely related, that further breeding of these breeds is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. For some of the breeds, the situation has become so severe that the only solution would be to cross in a healthy dog from another breed.
