The German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund) has pointed out that animals with torture breeding characteristics are placing an increasing burden on animal shelters. Difficulties are inevitable with many popular pet breeds: Animals with torture breeding traits not only have to struggle more with health problems, but also suffer psychologically. Depending on the restrictions, they also have considerable problems with their own species-specific communication. Due to high veterinary costs or excessive demands on the owners due to health or behavioural problems, the animals often end up in animal shelters and wait a particularly long time to be rehomed. In May, the organisation therefore named Lou, a French bulldog from the Detmold animal shelter, as ‘Shelter Animal of the Month’: one of many cases that show how difficult it is for animals with agony breeding traits to lead a good life in a long-term home.
‘Animals with torture breeding traits such as the French Bulldog Lou have to live in bodies that make it practically impossible for them to lead a normal dog's life. Due to their breed-typical external characteristics, French Bulldogs often suffer from limited communication, especially with other dogs of the same species: Their limited facial expressions, short usually almost non-functional tail and rasping breath are often misunderstood by other dogs. This can quickly lead to conflicts,’ explains Lisa Hoth-Zimak, pet specialist at the German Animal Welfare Association. ‘In the end, animal shelters suffer when breeders prioritise the health of the animals and owners are not sufficiently informed - and the very breeding characteristics that were visually desirable lead to major problems.’
More than half of the most popular dog breeds affected
More than half of today's most popular dog breeds1 are affected by breeding problems, including Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, German Shepherds, Miniature Poodles and Dalmatians. According to studies, many owners often do not even realise that their animals have health problems due to breeding2. At the same time, many animals are surrendered or abandoned precisely because of their physical ailments, as recent reports from animal shelters show. 74 per cent of animal shelters confirm that more sick animals have been handed in since 20223. Excessive demands and increased veterinary costs are among the main reasons cited by owners when surrendering animals. The animals then often have to undergo cost-intensive treatment at the animal shelter and be patiently cared for before they can be rehomed. Many wait a particularly long time for a home or even remain at the shelter for the rest of their lives. The suffering of the animals is also psychologically stressful for the staff in the organisations.
Politicians must define torture breeding more concretely
The owners of two-year-old Lou also surrendered their dog to the animal shelter after conflicts arose with their other dogs. Lou is not compatible with other dogs and should in future live as an only dog with experienced people without children. ‘To prevent animals like Lou from being bred in the first place, the next German government must finally take action,’ says Hoth-Zimak. Although there is a ban on torture breeding in the Animal Welfare Act, it is hardly ever applied in practice. ‘In order for authorities to take better action against torture breeding and to be able to enforce breeding bans more easily, there must be a clear definition of what is considered torture breeding.’
1 Evaluation by CHECK24 for the year 2024: www.check24.de/hundehaftpflicht/die-beliebtesten-hunderassen
2 Study by Packer et al, 2019: Great expectations, inconvenient truths, and the paradoxes of the dog-owner relationship for owners of brachycephalic dogs.
3 Trend survey conducted by the German Animal Welfare Association in collaboration with Fressnapf on 22 May 2024 (n=218)
Note to the editors: As part of its ‘Animal shelters help, help animal shelters’ campaign, the German Animal Welfare Association chooses a new ‘Animal Shelter Animal of the Month’ every month to support its member animal shelters in finding homes for animals and to draw attention to the precarious situation of animal shelters. More information about Lou can be found here: www.tierheime-helfen.de/tierheimtier-des-monats
