Overview
- The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare launched a voluntary 10-point Innate Health Assessment in the House of Lords, with licensing thresholds set at 8/10 now, rising to 9 in five years and 10 within a decade, and some councils already using it.
- The checklist targets visible traits linked to poor welfare such as flat muzzles, excessive skin folds, outward-turning eyes, drooping eyelids, jaw misalignment and very short legs defined by a chest-to-ground gap under one third of shoulder height.
- The i Paper reports the scheme does not ban breeds and that dogs only fail overall if they breach three criteria, with Professor Dan O’Neill saying corgis and dachshunds would not fail and that roughly 10 breeds, including pugs and bulldogs, are most at risk.
- The Kennel Club and breed advocates describe the tool as a blunt, overly visual instrument, warn of unintended consequences for some breeds and highlight the lack of mandatory public data recording and breed progress tracking.
- Media lists claiming 67 breeds could be banned reflect campaigners’ fears if the guidance became mandatory, but that interpretation is disputed by the tool’s backers, and reporting notes several recent Crufts winners would not pass the test.