For several years, representatives of breeders, veterinarians and shelter managers have tried to make the public and the authorities aware of the phenomenon of hypertypes, these physical characteristics taken to the extreme to meet the expectations of pet buyers.
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A long history of selection and domestication
Throughout their domestication, animals have been selected and reproduced based on criteria considered relevant by humans. Over time, hundreds of breeds of dogs, cats and domestic animals have emerged with behavioral or physical characteristics that meet our needs.
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For example, man has created dogs that are able to slip into caves to retrieve prey from hunters, hardy cows that are able to adapt to wet and cold weather conditions, and horses with impressive muscles that are perfectly suited to work in the field.
Over time, these characteristics have been integrated into breed standards, which describe the ideal that each individual should strive for both in terms of their physical characteristics (body shape and size, skull structure, tail length, coat color, etc.) as well as their character traits (docility, endurance, etc. ).
Standards set by breeders of a specific breed and recorded in a convention. But by wanting to create animals with increasingly pronounced characteristics, animals have arisen with characteristics that are dangerous to their health.
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“In breeding, both feline and canine, there are certain unscrupulous breeders who, under pressure from fads, tend to make selections based on certain physical characteristics without thinking about the consequences that this selection has on animal health.condemns Philippe Henry international show judge and trainer of breeders and judges of the Royal Society of Saint-Hubert.
“The classic example is brachycephalic dogs and cats, that is, with a crushed face such as bulldogs, pugs or King Charles Cavaliers. Animal lovers want animals with increasingly flattened snouts for aesthetic reasons, but in dogs this flattening of the snout results in a narrowing of the airways which reduces oxygenation, leading to breathing difficulties and causing heart problems.”continues the expert.
Another typical example: chihuahuas with increasingly smaller heads and increasingly bulging eyes. “We want chihuahuas with apple-shaped heads. Result: we end up with bulging-eyed dogs. I knew a dog that ended up with its eye completely out of its socket after a collision with a piece of furniture.”condemns Philippe Henry.
Back, joint and balance problems
In large, hypertypical dogs, it is primarily back, joint and balance problems that are mentioned.
“Take the German Shepherd… There was never any question in the breed standards about having dogs with sloping backs like we see today. In the breed standard, German Shepherds have a straight back. But some breeders have begun to favor individuals with sloping backs, and we now find ourselves with animals whose hindquarters are almost at ground level. As a result, these dogs have balance problems and no longer know how to walk properly.”illustrates Philippe Henry.
According to him, these deformities are visible even in dog shows, these beauty contests for dogs, in which Philippe Henry has participated as a judge for years, and which nevertheless has to promote the animals that best comply with the standards of the breed.
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Last April, the Walloon government passed a decree aimed at curbing abuses associated with hypertypes. This includes a list of breeds for which screening for hereditary conditions is necessary, a breeding ban on several breeds of cats – including the Scottish Fold, which suffers from cartilage deficiency, the Munchkin, a short-legged cat, a trait due to a deformity associated with bone- and back problems or Manx, a cat without a tail – as well as a ban on the advertising and exhibition of animals with a hereditary condition to the detriment of animal welfare.
But for Philippe Henry, the public also has a responsibility. “We need to make the general public aware of this problem because it is directly linked to their expectations. We also need to get breeders, show judges and veterinarians to understand that they have a role to play in returning healthy animals that live up to standards.”