Overview
- Campaigners released a list naming 67 breeds they fear could be prohibited under proposed welfare rules, citing popular dogs such as corgis, dachshunds, pugs and bulldogs.
- The Innate Health Assessment uses a 10-point checklist focusing on traits linked to poor welfare, including flat faces, shortened legs, excessive skin folds, bulging eyes, drooping eyelids, underbites or overbites and obstructed breathing.
- APGAW director Marisa Heath called claims of breed bans misleading, saying the tool does not target specific breeds and noting some cited breeds have already passed assessments in practice.
- Reports state several local councils are already using the framework to assess breeders, and coverage suggests aspects could be written into law within about five years.
- Critics, including Beverley Cuddy of the Union of Good Dog People and the Welsh Corgi League, argue the approach risks de facto bans and unfairly labels some breeds as unhealthy.