Author: beverleycuddysmith@gmail.com
What does the future look like?
Imagine a Britain where dogs have never been more popular, but breeding a litter in a loving family home has become almost impossible. Beverley Cuddy asks where our puppies will come from if the Royal Kennel Club continues to decline and regulation drives good small breeders away. It is 2036 and a family has decided…
New Report Raises Serious Questions About the IHA
This week’s Our Dogs announces the launch of a major new evaluation of the Innate Health Assessment. Today, the full report is published. It raises serious questions about whether the IHA is evidence based, proportionate, or fit for purpose. A Detailed, Evidence Based Evaluation This report has been developed on behalf of the Union of Good Dog…
The author of our new report tells us why this matters to her
Guest Blog | The Union of Good Dog People The debate around the Innate Health Assessment (IHA) is intensifying.Supporters present it as a simple, necessary step forward for welfare. Others have serious concerns about its design, evidence base and real world impact. Researcher and campaigner Julia Carr sets out, in detail, why she believes the IHA must…
Watch this space!
Something is coming. Be ready… There is a direction of travel emerging in academic and policy circles that should concern everyone who loves dogs. A future where diversity is quietly replaced with uniformity.Where difference is seen as the problem.Where the end point is not better dogs, but fewer types of dogs. You may have seen…
“No thanks. We don’t want generic brown dogs.”
A new claim doing the rounds, amplified by the Daily Mail, suggests that if left to their own devices, dogs would eventually “merge” into one bland, medium-sized, brown, wolf-like type within a few years. The implication is clear.Breed diversity is artificial.Difference is the problem.Uniformity is the solution. We couldn’t disagree more. This isn’t evolution. It’s erasure.…
The power of yes. And why the dog world keeps getting this wrong
A recent editorial in Vet Record by Suzanne Jarvis quietly lands a point the dog world urgently needs to hear. It should not be controversial. But it is. Because it exposes why so many well-intentioned policies, campaigns and “solutions” are failing dogs. At its heart is a simple truth: “Carrots tend to give better results than sticks.” And yet,…
The system is breaking. And it won’t be fixed in rescue.
A major new study from the University of Bristol has confirmed what many of us working in dogs have been seeing with our own eyes. More dogs are entering the system.More dogs are staying longer.And more dogs are dying as a result. Between 2021 and 2023, the number of dogs entering local authority shelters rose from 16,310…
Vets and Pets All Lose in a Game of Monopoly
It was meant to fix a broken system. Instead, it risks reinforcing it. The CMA arrived like a wrecking ball, promising to take on a veterinary sector that many believe has become a game of Monopoly. Too few players. Too much power concentrated in too few hands. At first, it felt like real change was…
The Dulux dog never gets old!
Yesterday marked a rather special birthday. The Dulux dog turned 65, and I was delighted to be there to sing Happy Birthday to the latest star of the role – a delightful young Old English Sheepdog called Dorothy, or Dot for short. She will soon be appearing in a new TV advert, launching in the…
This Is How Truth Gets Gaslit
Somewhere between a carefully researched article and a viral headline, the truth got lost. This story began with a serious, nuanced piece in Dogs Today, an in-depth exploration of the proposed Innate Health Assessment (IHA) and what it might mean for the future of pedigree dogs. It was never a list of “banned breeds”. It…
DogLost warns of spring danger
Enjoy the Countryside Responsibly – New Law Strengthens Protection for Livestock Spring is a wonderful time to get out walking with our dogs. The countryside is bursting with life, lambs are being born, calves are finding their feet and farms are busy with the new season. But DogLost tell us this is also the time…
Every breed should have its day!
On Sunday 29 March, something rather special will be happening at the Kennel Club Building in Stoneleigh. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Great Dane Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, the club is hosting a public event called National Great Dane Day — a full day dedicated to celebrating one of the most iconic breeds in the dog world.…
Pet Theft Awareness Week
Pet Theft Awareness Week shines a light on a devastating crime: the theft of beloved pets. The Union of Good Dog People is proud to support Pet Theft Awareness Week and to stand alongside the many organisations and families campaigning for stronger protection for dogs. Why dogs are stolen Some dogs are taken for breeding. These dogs…
Last call for National Treasures…
We are working to recognise Britain’s dog breeding traditions as part of our living heritage. The response so far has been incredible. Some breed communities have really stepped up. Huge congratulations to the Shetland Sheepdog and Cardigan Welsh Corgi communities. Your response has been amazing. 👏 But we urgently need more support from owners, breeders and enthusiasts in the…
Dogs are iconic Brand Ambassadors
Why Dogs Sell — And Why They Deserve Protection Dogs have been some of the most powerful ambassadors in advertising for decades. A single wagging tail can make people smile, soften their scepticism and instantly make a brand feel warmer and more trustworthy. There is a simple reason for this. People trust dogs. Dogs symbolise…
Daily Express delivers
One very sad thing in the double page spread Express piece today is that it shows how much confusion there still is about what the Innate Health Assessment actually does. The gentleman who supports the IHA speaks movingly about losing his Cavalier to syringomyelia and heart disease. Anyone who loves Cavaliers knows how heartbreaking those…
Why do people love to hate dog breeders?
Hatred of breeders runs very deep, doesn’t it? Unlike racism or other forms of discrimination, it is often treated as a kind of public service. Crufts tends to bring it all bubbling to the surface each year, and the anger ramps up again. This has been a particularly polarising year. But I stand firm in…
Crufts Was Ruff for the RKC
Claudia Winkleman was magnificent. Her love of dogs shone through every moment she was on screen. But in the corners, the haters were busy shredding the reputations of some of the winners with obvious glee. At times it felt as though the judges had decided to give the press office a very long weekend indeed.…
Clarkson Unleashed:
The Week the Dog Breeding Row Went Mainstream A week ago it felt like we were standing in front of a juggernaut. The Innate Health Assessment was being presented as inevitable. The people behind it seemed completely unmoved by the concerns of breeders. When we raised practical questions, many of us were dismissed as “hysterical”…
Circular Logic & the IHA
You know what’s interesting? If we calmly point out that the Innate Health Assessment (IHA) may be too blunt a tool and should have been sanity-tested on healthy dogs as well as obviously exaggerated ones — just to make sure it doesn’t produce false fails — we’re immediately accused of all sorts of things. Apparently we’re using “media privilege” to unfairly defend small…
