On Sunday SVT (the Swedish state TV channel) recently broadcast the highly contentious documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed (PDE).
PDE first aired last August in the UK and caused an enormous furore primarily because it shows a very one-sided view of how British dog breeders have supposedly caused a string of problems for breeds such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Rhodesian Ridgeback, the Bulldog and the Basset Hound.
This documentary may well upset you.
I’m sure that many of you here in Sweden will have found the section featuring the basset hound distressing. The section of the documentary on the hound claims:
the basset hound is a dwarf breed, and it comes at a price. As they age, bassets commonly suffer from crippling arthritis.
The film also shows a judge unable to explain why bassets have folds of loose skin and goes on to impy that bassets are no longer fit for purpose: i.e. capable of working in the field as they were originally bred for.
The Swedish Kennel Club
Here in Sweden both the national kennel club (Svensk Kennelklubben) and breed club, SBHS, work hard to ensure the health and function of basset hounds. In recent years numerous conferences have been organised to ensure that judges are educated to safeguard the health of bassets. New guidelines that went out to judges earlier this year stipulate that overdone bassets –hounds that have excessive loose skin, are too low to the ground, etc– should not do well in the ring. Greater emphasis is to be placed on soundness of movement and health.
Have you signed the Save the Basset Hound petition yet?
In response to PED the Swedish Kennel Club put out a press release last week (Swedish only) on their website. Unfortunately, I can’t link directly to it as the site uses frames but you’ll find a link to it on their homepage. For non-Swedish speakers the press release catalogues a series of initiatives the SKK has introduced over the last twenty years to ensure our dogs are healthier than those of our British counterparts.
Of course, this is in part a bit of PR spin but I sincerely believe the SKK’s track record speaks for itself. Initiatives have been introduced and the latest round of directives to judges (both Swedish and international who will be judging in the ring in Sweden this year) will go some way to improve things.
Use social media to promote your campaign and get your ideas and opinions across to a wider online audience.
Swedish Basset Hound Breed Club takes proactive stance
This weekend sees a meeting of Svenska Basset Hound Sällskapet, the Swedish basset hound breed club. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss health issues and continue to promote good breeding practice. This is indicative of a club committed to ensuring the continued health and prosperity of the breed in Sweden.
Hopefully SBHS will also put out a statement via the club website after the meeting this weekend to reassure the public of the concrete steps being taken to promote the health of our beloved breed.
Unfortunately, I personally am not able to attend the meeting this weekend. I have a couple of pups to get to new homes and my dog sitter is away on a course herself. Even Mr Teen, who helps out now and then, is away playing football for the national team ! It’s typical that the most important club meeting happens on the one weekend I can’t go.
In spite of this, I would like to make it quite clear that I support the initiative of the breed club in holding this meeting. Through discussion, openness, critical awareness and education, hopefully we can work harder to ensure the continued well-being of bassets in Sweden.
Personally, my goal is to breed healthy bassets that are able to cope with the rigours of long walks and that have the supreme temperament that makes bassets such a wonderful breed. As I’ve said before, I am diametrically opposed to inbreeding and close-line-breeding. Although these techniques have produced so-called “successful” show dogs, I am sceptical of their value in such a small population of hounds. Having earned my PhD and worked as a journalist for many years I know how to do research, talk to scientists and form my own opinions.
Pedigree Dogs Exposed and You
If you’re a basset owner or thinking about a basset and this weekend’s documentary concerns you, please feel free to contact me and discuss your concerns. We’re always happy to talk bassets at Kennel Björkwood. Även om jag skrivar på engelska på min hemsida, går det bra att prata svenska!
Got a kennel? Read my article on how weblogs can help you manage a crisis.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a great fan of the Swedish KC and believe that Swedish breeders lead the way in many respects, particularly re openness about problems and of course, there is much more acknowledgment in Sweden of the problems caused by inbreeding.
And I love the basset hound. Would just rather they looked like the wonderful working bassets found here in working packs like the Albany Basset Hounds.
Have a look at this Sky News report: http://is.gd/qgHS
Jemima Harrison
Producer/Director
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Edited to replace correct quote from film in blog article & link to Sky added.
Jemima,
I appreciate your comments. However, I don’t really regard the Albany bassets as bassets. They’re a complete cross breed. However, I do think they are lovely dogs.
I would urge you to show your viewers how basset hounds can work in the field by visiting hounds in Norway and Sweden. Bassets regularly win tracking events and are fit for purpose.
Jon, your comments are excellent and well written, you always get your point accross so well.
I pity basset owners, however, in Sweden this weekend having to watch PDE. Although this programme touched on some issues about certain breeds that quite obviously do have health problems that need addressing, Ms Harrison chose to pick on Bassets who do not have any severe problems and in general are quite healthy.
As you can imagine basset breeders in the UK were quite shocked to see our beloved breed vicitimized by Ms Harrisons ridiculous and over the top claims. Strangely the dog she seemed to pick on the most, a gorgeous red stallion hound, was actually an imported dog from Sweden who was bred by a Doctor!
We were also extremely frustrated to see that in fact the very first close up clip in this programme of a basset is, in fact a hound we bred!
We were never asked if we could be filmed which I believe ‘by law’ you have to ask an exhibitor if this ok before doing so?
As far as Ms Harrisons comments go about the Albany bassets well, we all know in the UK that Ms Jeffers claims about her hounds being super healthy and fit are all nonsense: they are, in fact, a pack of in-bred crossbreeds which is why they ‘Dont look anything like bassets’.
I have proof that Ms Jeffers has in fact been looking for a KC stud dog (you know on of those unhealthy, overweight, in bred show dogs PDE goes on about) as her dogs are so in-bred and too small!!!
What do you have to say about that Jemima Harrison eh??
Ms Jeffers is not the saint and saviour of the breed she seems to think she is..the comments on the Sky News link she gave you proves exactly what British Basset hound breeders think of her.
I would urge everyone in Sweden to change channels or better still go on a long walk with your hound when this programme aires as it is nothing but pure poison made by someone who knows nothing what so ever about basset hounds!!
And who says basset hounds can’t run? http://tinyurl.com/cmhv96
As a Basset Hound enthusiast with my first basset, I’m shocked and dismayed at the furore over all this, and at how mainstream media is able to cajole and manipulate the public purely to increase viewing figures / profit.
For those that don’t believe they can be misled in this way… why not read the following humourous article on the Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide. Hopefully it will show how biaised presentation of facts can make a compelling argument out of nothing.
(Sorry for going off-topic, but I thought this should how easily manipulation like this can occur)
Ms. Harrison, I am sorry, but sadly you don’t know much about bassets . The people who do are the people you are taking out of context and ignoring to focus on your personal agenda. The bigger shame is that you would portray yourself to the public in a polished media event as someone with knowledge of the breed. For you to even comment on what you like vs. what you don’t like is ludicrous at best.
As for expert testimony from vets, keep in mind that vets see the problems, not the good health. Long ears and wrinkled skin are not health issues if you take care of your basset properly. Short ears and tight skin on any other breed or on bassets can have the exact same problems, if any, maybe worse. Excess weight is the biggest problem for bassets and their diets need to be managed and they need good moving exercise regularly. They were bred for endurance in the field and thrive with scenting on nice long walks in the countryside. Take them for a holiday to the country if you live in city.
All responsible breeders of bassets are looking at health. How could they possibly continue the breed if they didn’t?
Any dog can have a health problem. The only difference between mixed breeds and purebreds is that to some degree we can predict future difficulties and screen for those in advance. Pedigree dogs are allowing for genetic study that will improve the health of all dogs and for humans because we know the genetics behind each dog.
Mixed breed dogs are not a panacea. Most have more health and behavior difficulties, especially than a well-bred, socialized basset. Close to 70% of shelter dogs are unadoptable either due to medical or behavior issues. Even if the public wanted these dogs, most shelters would not consider their adoption due to liability and cost concerns. Here is a truth you can expose.
At some point, someone will “expose the Exposed”. She had plenty of material on good health in bassets and chose to ignore that to have a media splash. The basset person interviewed in the production was lied to and told the filming was on “fun hobbies”. Much of what he had to say ended up on the cutting room floor. The production company specializes in splashy, controversial productions, such as “The use of Ecstasy for Parkinson’s Patients”. This is all about money and a media splash.
So unless you are going to fund genetic research with all of your proceeds, Ms. Harrison, which I have not yet heard you are doing, kindly go do some gardening or something actually productive and helpful instead of attempting to manipulate sound breeding practices by people much more knowledgable than yourself.
Sara,
I appreciate your comments enormously. It’s good to see someone taking a proactive stance. I wasn’t aware that Ms Harrison had “plenty of material on good health”; nonetheless, knowing the breed I know how healthy bassets on the whole are. It’s a shame a more nuanced view wasn’t put forward.
It’s a shame the documentary didn’t go for backyard breeders instead of those of us who genuinely care about the breed.
I’d like to comment on Sara Watson’s comment as follows:
“Mixed breed dogs are not a panacea. Most have more health and behavior difficulties, especially than a well-bred, socialized basset. Close to 70% of shelter dogs are unadoptable either due to medical or behavior issues. Even if the public wanted these dogs, most shelters would not consider their adoption due to liability and cost concerns. Here is a truth you can expose.”
It is incorrect that mixed breed dogs have more health problems than pruebred dogs. Mixed breed dogs actually have fewer health issues because they have a wider gene pool than purebred dogs. It is a documented fact that many purebred dogs having what is called a “genetic bottle neck”. I don’t know where you obtained your percentage rate regarding shelter adoptions or the lack of, but this is also incorrect and possibly just your own personal opinion.
If a shelter dog has a behavioural issue, it is because the dog more than likely came from an abusive or neglectful home. Believe it or not, there are more purebred dogs in shelters than mixed breed dogs. I’m not sure also which shelter you are discussing, but where I live and in many states, shelters take in dogs regardless of breed type. All are available for adoption if they don’t have aggressive issues or other problems. What is the truth is that few people adopt from shelters, regardless of breed type, for the simple reason they don’t know the history or background of the dog who may be available for adoption. It’s also been our personal experience that few people will adopt an adult dog no matter what kind of dog it is. We’ve even had people ask us for YOUNGER puppies even if we have available puppies that are ten or eleven weeks of age and when I explain to them that this is the proper age to adopt a puppy and NOT younger, they don’t understand.
Many shelter dogs are sick or not adoptable because of where they come from….not because they are a mixed breed dog.
Just putting my two cents worth. I love Basset Hounds, by the way, and use to breed them many years ago. They are truly lovely dogs.
Obviously Goldendoodle you hip score elbow score and eye score your breeding stock, as the claim appears to be that crossbreeds are healthier.
As an owner of both Goldens and Bassets i would like to ask how many of the Goldendoodles that you breed from are tested for HD,ED and PRA? These are all conditions that serious Golden Retriever breeders test for before a breeding takes place.
In the past crossbreeding was due to an accident and not done intentionally and it beggers belief that an owner whose dog accidentally had a cross litter had all the tests done before the mating, so i fail to see how anyone can claim that crossbreeds are healthier.
Responsible breeders health screen, know their lines and try hard to breed out any health problems, and the rule of thumb is to outcross every 4 th generation, there is documented proof of the health screening in pure bred dogs. I have asked these questions many times, but the advocates of cross breeding never seem to have an answer. What is the percentage of crossbreeds that are tested and what are the scores in comparison to pure bred dogs? Only when these figures are published can anyone claim that crossbreeds are healthier.
I know of a private study carried out by an HD specialist who was keen to make a comparison, he tested for HD on both crossed and pure bred dogs, the results — no difference.
Perhaps Jemima Harrison would care to publish the results of her Alsation /Setter cross’ HD scores just to prove me wrong, as both those breeds have been scoring for HD over the last 30 years. It would be interesting to know that 2 breeds with problems in HD, mated together can produce a clear crossbreed. Iam sure both Setter and Alsatian breeders would be delighted to learn how to breed out the problem.
@Rosemary
Cross-breeds aren’t automatically healthier, I agree. There’s not the same level of testing.
@Goldendoodle
Appreciate your comments, even if they are slightly off topic.
I would be interested to hear from people who think bassets should be tested for HD scores. At present there is no obligation here in Sweden.
How important is health screening for bassets? We surely can’t leave everything up to show judges to tell us which are and which aren’t healthy dogs.
Hay,
I’m a very fresh Basset Hound breeder and for a very long time in love in this magnificent breed.When I first read what was going on,and what they try to do whit breed I was schocked. I don’t want breed standard to change.The Basset Hound from the early 60′s was suitable for that period of life,when times was diferent.But everything in life goes on and developt.And they want to put the breed back in time and even more,they try to send the breed almoust in stoneage.I see to many poor speciment of breed in our country even the population of breed is small.For that reason I don’t want to breed that type of breed.
It is absurd that they say,that the Basset Hound can run or walk normaly.For breeding licence in our country they must past the hunting test.This is not the test where they tracks,but they must find the game and run after them for 15 minut whit voice.If the judge see what kind of game they chasing the point they get are higher.I have now four Basset hound and I have to pas this test, this year, whit three of them.I also want to say,that this hunting test is not enough.They also must past the working test on state lavel,so they get there working certificate.All of my Basset Hound are in type of standard and runing around thas not couse them any problem.They also does not have any problem whit health.
Sorry, if my english is not correct.
Best Regards,
Tjaša Leskovšek-Sever
Hello Tjaša,
Thank you for your comments. I’m impressed that you have to do field trials. I think that would certainly ensure all our dogs are fit for purpose. It must be very time-consuming but worth it. I love seeing bassets in the field.
Very best wishes,
Jon
I have to comment upon the Albany Bassets! Here in the US they would be classified as a “mixed breed” if you were trying to be polite or as a plain old “mutt” if you weren’t. And even the ones which are closer to a pedigreed Basset don’t look unlike the products of the puppy mills in this country, the places where dogs of multiple breeds are produced using the same techniques as in raising livestock with profit as the only motive, dogs that then are sold in pet shops to unsuspecting buyers.
In the Los Angeles area, we have an active rescue program and house anywhere from 85 to 100 Bassets at any given time at a ranch facility. The Albany Bassets would blend in well at our ranch I must say. And I will also add that the dogs which come through our rescue program have all of the same health issues as show bred Bassets, plus a few of their own added in. Perhaps the biggest difference between the puppy mill Basset and the show ring Basset is in temperament and personality as the show bred Basset is and remains ideally “fit for the purpose” of being a superb family pet and companion.
The show bred Bassets in the US can and do hunt and there have been many dual Champions produced, titled in both the conformation and field trial areas. About the only thing our show Bassets can’t do is be a top Agility competitor as they just don’t have the speed to careen around the course as fast as a lighter breed…after all, they weren’t designed for speed, which is a fact Ms. Harrison appears to have missed!
Interesting comments Sara. I didn’t realise there are so many dual champions in the US. I do think it is wonderful when there are dogs proving themselves in conformation and field work. It’s very much up to breed clubs to encourage this in Europe, I think.
I do think that the success of bassets in field trials would reenforce the whole “fit for purpose” point.
The other important point you make here is that bassets in rescue have health problems. I am assuming that these are often basset-mixes. Are you saying that mix-breeds aren’t as healthy as some people would have us believe?
Of course, for these kind of comments to get above the anecdotal we’d need data and I don’t think vets collect data on basset-crosses do they?
Thanks for commenting, Sue. Very best wishes.
Jon I have to agree, where is the data on the crossbreeds health tests? I deal with a lot of breeds and crosses, and in my experience the pedigree dogs and the cross breeds have just the same amount of problems, health wise. Many crossbreeds i have cared for have eye problems, hip problems, luxating patellas, cancer, etc just the same as their pedigree friends. Most of the pedigrees are from sub standard breeders and who knows where the crosses come from.
Sarah, this is not true. The basset person interviewed in the production was told clearly that the film was about canine health and signed a consent form to that effect. As for our film “Ecstasy + Agony” – it was a serious scientific investigation for the top science series in the UK (BBC Horizon). Indeed, the film won several very prestigious awards and, more importantly, helped prompt new research into Parkinson’s Disease that could help relieve the suffering of hundreds and thousands of sufferers. You’ll find a comment from the lead scientist involved in this research at the bottom of this page on our website which also includes contributions from other leading scientists.
http://www.passionateproductions.co.uk/reviews.htm
Jemima, Thanks for clarifying this.
Not sure you’re going to prove much of a point with my Jake… six years old now, a dog who runs up to 20 miles a day and has not had a day’s lameness. But judge for yourself:
http://www.blackretrieverx.co.uk/Black_Retriever_X_Rescue/Jake2.html
As for “a private study carried out by an HD specialist who was keen to make a comparison”, I’m afraid it’s meaningless unless the study has been peer-reviewed and we can have a look at the data. Having said that, because HD is polygenetic and evident in many breeds, of course the progeny of two breeds that have it are going to suffer too. The difference comes with recessive, breed-specifc conditions and there the evidence is clear – crossbreeds suffer less, at least in the first generation. There is tons of scientific data out there to support this.
I’m sorry Mrs.Harrison but I disagree whit you that the crossbreeds are suffer less.I see a few crossbreeds who have such a strong HD that the vet was recomended an euthanasia.The worst two casses was in 6 month old German Sheperd mix and the second one was a Bernese Mountain dog mix in the same age.And I see a lot of crossbreeds who have problems whit lameness,skin problems,eye problems,cancer,epilepsy…
Now about the crossbreeds are more healty.Even in crossbreeds you can find a matings between a father and a doughter or a mother and a son.I belive they are more offten then we think.I have an oportunity to see that kind of puppy’s too.
I’m not suportting that kind of maiting,by us is aloved that we breed two dogs who are reletive in third generation.I’ still learning about breeding dog’s but I would do everything that my dogs will live a long, healty lives.
But most of all I would prefer that someone do something about “back yard”breeders and puppy mills owners.There you will find all the sadness of dogs world.
Tjaša
One vet’s experience is interesting – but it reveals little, if any, truth about the bigger picture. After all, I could find you lots of vets who would say they treat far more purebreds that crossbreeds for inherited conditions (and certainly, the orthopaedic vets we know all see far more purebreds than crossbreeds). But it doesn’t prove anything; nor does the fact that my GSD/setter x is manificently fit.
After all, I had a two-year-old collie x die from lymphoma last year, bless him. You have to look at the bigger picture – as we did (and, incidentally, it included Swedish pet insurance data). And when you do that, the evidence is unequivocal: mixed breed dogs are statistically healthier, and they live a little longer too. That doesn’t mean crossbreeds are immune to problems – of course they’re not.
And of course many purebred dogs live perfectly long and healthy lives. But on average, the crosses are healthier. There’s a perfectly obvious reason for this: most problems in dogs are recessive which means that both parents must carry the gene for it. If the parents are of the same breed, they’re more likely to carry the same gene.