Dogs reign on vulnerable breeds parade
Beatrix Potter, The Duke of Newcastle and Queen Victoria’s rat catcher, Jack Black, were just some of the historical British characters who took to the main arena at Crufts today in a bid to raise awareness of native vulnerable breeds.
The costumed parade saw 21 breeds each take a musical lap of honour to the “Land of Hope and Glory”, accompanied by handlers that were dressed as characters associated with the breed.
The Kennel Club, which created the native vulnerable breeds list in 2003, keeps a strong focus on those British and Irish breeds that it feels are vulnerable to ensure that they are protected from the threat of extinction. It is believed that a breed needs at least 300 puppy registrations a year to maintain its prosperity but the breeds on the list each fall short of that figure.
Breeds on the Kennel Club’s most vulnerable list include the Lakeland Terrier, who was accompanied by Beatrix Potter, the Glen of Imaal Terrier, escorted by a leprechaun and the Clumber Spaniel with the Duke of Newcastle.
Other breeds on the list include Smooth Fox Terriers, Sussex Spaniels, Deerhounds and Cardigan Welsh Corgis.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said, “The Kennel Club is working hard alongside breed clubs to protect these great British breeds from extinction and the parade at Crufts was a wonderful chance to help people discover just what great characters they are. It is important that we do all we can now to protect them and to ensure that they remain around for future generations to enjoy their companionship.”
- Date:
- 09-Mar-08
- Last updated on:
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