Guidelines tackle adverts with dogs with unhealthy body shapes
ICECDogs believes that advertising and social media is responsible for a rise in ownership of unhealthy breeds.
The International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICECDogs) has developed guidelines for advertisers to prevent the promotion of unhealthy dog breeds.
The guidance, based on research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), advises which dog breeds should not be used in advertising because of their extreme body shapes.
The RVC VetCompass research revealed that there were over half a million French bulldogs and a quarter of a million miniature dachshunds in the UK in 2023. There were also more than 180,000 pugs and 130,000 English bulldogs.
The popularity of these breeds, which ICECDogs says have extreme conformations, is believed to be due to their presence in advertising and on social media.
ICECDogs formed to raise awareness of the suffering that extreme conformations and body shapes can cause dogs. Extreme conformations refer to a physical appearance which has been altered through selection and now causes the breed poor health and welfare.
This includes features such as excessive skin folds, short tails, short legs and flat faces.
The group highlights the common issues that these conformations can cause for dog breeds, such as chronic pain and physical incapacity.
To prevent the promotion of dogs with these features, ICECDogs has produced a list of extreme conformations, as well as a list of breeds which commonly present these features. The list includes French bulldogs, dachshunds, shar peis and German shepherds.
Advertisers are being asked to avoid using images of dogs with unhealthy features, and to err on the side of caution if they are unsure. Members of the public can also report media they think contravenes this advice to their relevant advertising standards agency.
Dan O’Neill is associate professor for companion animal epidemiology at the RVC, chair of the UK brachycephalic working group and a co-founding ICECDogs member.
Dr O’Neill said: “Millions of dogs continue to suffer worldwide every year from extreme and unnecessary body shapes.
“This new ICECDogs message calls on advertisers to play their part in ending the normalisation of suffering from extreme body shapes and will hopefully contribute to the ongoing worldwide movement to instead celebrate healthy body shapes in dogs.”
The full guide can be found here.
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