And they urgently need our protection!

Britain has 60 native dog breeds. Today, two-thirds face an uncertain future.

Britain gave the world so many gifts: Parliamentary democracy. The rule of law. The steam engine. The railway. The World Wide Web. Shakespeare. Darwin. The Beatles.

Ideas that reshaped civilisation. Inventions that changed how humanity lives. Cultural treasures that endure across centuries.

But Britain also gave the world something much more important.

Our dogs.

From the hills of Wales to the Scottish Borders and the farms of England, British dog breeds were shaped by landscape, labour and loyalty. They are not trends. They are living chapters of our national story.

And like all national treasures, they deserve safeguarding.

Many of our best creations are in our past – but we are lucky that these dogs still walk beside us – but they are under imminent threat.

Many of them would be affected by the Innate Health Assessment Tool should it be rolled out into legislation without reform.

And even before that further degree of difficulty, dozens of Britain’s gorgeous native dog breeds are now very scarce.

That is why the Union of Good Dog People is applying for their recognition as national treasures.

We are making the case that traditional welfare-led, home-based great British dog breeding of native breeds should sit within the UK’s Inventory of Living Heritage.

We want to safeguard something culturally valuable before it is lost.

Thankfully Irish dogs have already been protected, but it’s long overdue that the British dogs were, too!

Living Heritage Means Living People

The Living Heritage process recognises traditional skills that are:

• Passed down through generations
• Actively practised today
• Culturally distinctive
• Supported by a community
• Being safeguarded for the future

Traditional ethical home breeding meets those criteria.

Behind every historic breed stands a small-scale breeder who studies pedigrees, plans carefully for health and temperament, whelps puppies in the home, socialises them from birth and provides lifelong support.

If those custodians disappear, the knowledge disappears with them.

Vulnerable Native Breeds

These are not commercial mass breeds. They are fragile threads in our national tapestry.

If regulation becomes blunt or cultural context is ignored, fragile threads snap first.

How the Process Works

1. We submit a formal Expression of Interest outlining the cultural, historical and practical significance of ethical home breeding.
2. We demonstrate active community support through named signatories and documented evidence of knowledge transfer.
3. The submission is assessed against cultural safeguarding criteria.

Why We Need You

Living Heritage status cannot be claimed by one voice. It must be demonstrated by a community.

If you are:

• A small-scale ethical home breeder
• A multi-generation breeder
• A breed club officer
• A veterinary professional
• A canine historian
• A custodian of a British native breed

we need you to urgently step forward as a signatory.

This shows policymakers that this tradition is alive, responsible and organised.

Become a Signatory

Support recognition of Britain’s dogs as Living Heritage.

Click here to become a signatory:
👉 https://beverleycuddysmith.typeform.com/treasureddogs

Be the Face of the Campaign

We are also inviting breeders and custodians to put a human face to this movement. If you are willing to be publicly associated with safeguarding British dog heritage:

Step forward here:
👉 https://bit.ly/Faceofthecampaign

Join the Union of Good Dog People

The Union exists to ensure that ethical breeders and responsible owners have a calm, credible voice in policy discussions.

We believe:

• No dog should be bred to suffer
• Welfare reform must be evidence-led and proportionate
• Small-scale custodians deserve representation
• Britain’s native breeds deserve safeguarding

If we do not organise constructively, decisions will be made without us.

Joining strengthens our credibility, our evidence base and our ability to protect what matters.

Click the link to join:
👉
https://bit.ly/UnionofGoodDogs

A Personal Note

I have spent more than four decades writing about Britain’s dogs, their breeders and their stories.

I have watched dedicated families preserve bloodlines through economic hardship and changing legislation. I have seen mentorship passed from one generation to the next. I have seen vulnerable breeds rescued from the brink by sheer commitment.

This application is not about nostalgia.

It is about responsibility.

Britain’s dogs are national treasures.
But treasures only survive if people are willing to safeguard them.

If you care about our native breeds and the ethical custodians who preserve them, please step forward.

Beverley Cuddy
Founder, The Union of Good Dog People
Editor, Dogs Today

British Native Dog Breeds
The List

Key
⚠️ = Currently listed as a Vulnerable (or at risk)- Native Breed (low annual registrations)

England

• ⚠️ Airedale Terrier
• Beagle
• ⚠️ Bedlington Terrier
• ⚠️ Bloodhound
• Border Terrier
• Bull Terrier
• ⚠️ Bull Terrier (Miniature)
• Bulldog
• ⚠️ Bullmastiff
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• Cocker Spaniel
• ⚠️ Clumber Spaniel
• ⚠️ Curly Coated Retriever
• ⚠️ English Setter
• English Springer Spaniel
• ⚠️ English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan)
• ⚠️ Field Spaniel
• Flat Coated Retriever
• ⚠️ Foxhound 
• ⚠️ Fox Terrier (Smooth)
• ⚠️ Fox Terrier (Wire)
• ⚠️ Greyhound
• ⚠️ Harrier
• ⚠️ Jack Russell Terrier
• ⚠️ King Charles Spaniel
• ⚠️ Lakeland Terrier
• ⚠️ Lancashire Heeler
• ⚠️ Manchester Terrier
• ⚠️ Mastiff
• ⚠️ Norfolk Terrier
• ⚠️ Norwich Terrier
• ⚠️ Old English Sheepdog
• ⚠️ Otterhound
• ⚠️ Parson Russell Terrier
• ⚠️ Pointer
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• ⚠️ Sussex Spaniel
• Whippet
• Yorkshire Terrier

Scotland

• ⚠️ Bearded Collie
• Border Collie
• ⚠️ Cairn Terrier
• ⚠️ Dandie Dinmont Terrier
• ⚠️ Deerhound 
• Golden Retriever
• ⚠️ Gordon Setter
• ⚠️ Rough Collie
• ⚠️ Scottish Terrier
• Shetland Sheepdog
• ⚠️ Skye Terrier
• ⚠️ Smooth Collie
• West Highland White Terrier

Wales

• ⚠️ Cardigan Welsh Corgi
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• ⚠️ Sealyham Terrier
• ⚠️ Welsh Springer Spaniel
• ⚠️ Welsh Terrier

Let us know if we’ve missed any!

Become a Signatory

Support recognition of Britain’s dogs as Living Heritage.

Click here to become a signatory:
👉 https://beverleycuddysmith.typeform.com/treasureddogs

Be the Face of the Campaign

We are also inviting breeders and custodians to put a human face to this movement. If you are willing to be publicly associated with safeguarding British dog heritage:

Step forward here:
👉 https://bit.ly/Faceofthecampaign