MDBA MEMBERS WHO BREED BRACHYCEPHALIC DOGS.
The MDBA has been advised that the AVA in conjunction with the RSPCA will be conducting a public awareness and education campaign on health problems associated with brachycephalic dogs in particular British Bulldogs, French Bulldog and Pugs though the other breeds with this head type will not be spared. This will negatively impact on how the public perceive these dogs and those who breed them if the group they belong to cannot demonstrate that they take this seriously and that they are working on doing something positive about it.
This campaign is scheduled to start in November and it is in response to the large numbers in these breeds which are being treated by vets which are suffering from lifelong decreased quality of life as a result of the way they look.
The MDBA has been aware that there are issues here that need to be addressed and we knew there would be a campaign in regard to this as we were involved in preliminary discussions.
The way forward
Proactive rather than reactive.
As a result we have been working hard to gather research and knowledge and put together a proactive strategy to help our breeders assess their breeding dogs, to be able to more effectively reduce the potential health problems associated with brachycephalic breed characteristics by making appropriate breeding decisions which focus on the health and welfare of their dogs and the dogs they breed into the future.
We must ensure we have a viable strategy with measurable results in place that will be capable of showing improvement and our genuine desire to focus primarily on what is best for the welfare of the dogs if we are to ensure the future for these breeds.
We believe it is preferable to be able to show the public that MDBA breeders are leading the world in addressing this problem, that they are focusing on measurable breeding protocols which demonstrate that they are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Over the next week or so the MDBA will send out information to our breeders via our mail system who are involved in breeding these breeds with details of these breeding protocols and strategies specific to their breeds and educational information will be added to our website specific to Brachy head breeds. We will contact all of our Smart Dog Owners and Responsible Pet owners who own these breeds and invite them to participate in helping to work with us to improve the health and welfare for the future of the breeds.
As always we are available via email or phone if any of our members wish to have a chat with us about this.
The MDBA Team.