Scottish SPCA warns against 'glorified genetic experiment' breeders after shocking BBC documentary

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Scottish SPCA has warned pet owners to be vigilant of dodgy breeders following a BBC documentary exploring extreme dog breeding.

BBC Scotland's Disclosure episode titled 'The Dog Dealers', which aired on Monday, January 23, follows reporter Sam Poling as she goes undercover to investigate a network of dealers who are making millions by breeding dogs to extremes - including the 'barbaric practices' helping line criminal pockets, with animal cruelty front and centre.

The charity have described the findings of the documentary as 'shocking but unsurprising' and have taken the opportunity since its broadcast to highlight the suffering caused to dogs through extreme breeding practices, such as breeding for excessive skin folds or exaggerated features which dogs would "never have" in nature.Alarmingly, Ian Futter, chief veterinary officer, says that dogs have now been bred to such extreme proportions that "it would be virtually impossible in many cases to eliminate such exaggerated features by outbreeding" because "there are no animals in that breed left with normal copies of the right genes".The expert also cautioned that brachycephalic breeds, like bulldogs and pugs which are incredibly popular with the public, are prone to some of the most 'horrific' health issues, some of which are directly associated with how they have been bred.Mr Futter explained: “Hairless dogs can suffer from issues such as sunburn and skin trauma as they don’t have a coat to protect them.

Breeding to the other end of the scale for an extremely fluffy animal can cause issues with mating, nursing, grooming and even communicating with other dogs.“We also know that breeding for a merle pattern in the coat of the animal can cause even more issues as