Fancy designer pets, such as flat-faced pooches and folded-ear cats, could soon see themselves banned in the Netherlands, should new laws be given the green light.
According to Euronews, Dutch authorities are looking to expand the scope of legislation concerning the ownership of designer pet breeds with the goal of prohibiting the ownership of such animals.
“The cited concern is that such pets are actually suffering throughout their lives due to accumulating health problems caused by their unusual head or body shapes,” said online governance news site Mayor.eu.
When talking of designer pets, think of flat-faced dog breeds, such as pugs or French bulldogs, or cats with folded ears.
Although these pets appear to be exceptionally cute and endearing, because of their features, research has already shown that these pets tend to live shorter lives and suffer more health problems, such as trouble breathing, headaches and ear and nose infections from mucus build-up.
“We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are ‘beautiful’ and ‘cute’,” the country’s Minister of Culture, Nature and Food Quality, Piet Adema, said in a statement.
“That is why today we are taking the big step towards the Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance,” he said.
The ministry will look at the outright ban on the ownership of these breeds as well as photographs of them on advertising and social media.
Although the breeding of designer pets was banned in the Netherlands in 2014, the government is now looking to close loopholes aimed at stopping the import and trade of these breeds.
Pets such as flat-faced dog breeds and cats with folded ears have soared in popularity over the years in part due to social media influencers and celebrities, and while they may look cute, these breeds often suffer from health problems as a result of their appearance.
Dogs bred to have a short snout such as King Charles spaniels, pugs and French bulldogs frequently suffer from breathing problems.
Known as brachycephalic breeds, a 2020 study from the Royal Veterinary Society in the UK found that they were generally less healthy than other breeds and proved that they were more likely to suffer from a range of health disorders, including a painful eye disease called corneal ulceration.
The ban on breeding these animals in the Netherlands was updated in 2019 so that it specifically applied to dogs whose snouts were less than half the length of their skulls.
Adema said that new laws would use a list of banned characteristics that were proven to cause permanent suffering. It could be expanded as research reveals further harmful features.
“Dogs that have a deviant skull shape may suffer from a permanent headache,” he said in a letter to the Dutch Parliament.
“Cats with folding ears have deviated cartilage that can cause them a lot of pain,” he said.
If the ban is introduced, there will be a transition period where people who currently own designer pets will be allowed to keep them until they die.
Last year, a Norwegian court ruled that the breeding of English bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels breached the country’s Animal Welfare Act, citing that the practice was cruel and resulted in “man-made health problems” for these animals.
This resulted in a ban on breeding these flat-faced dogs due to the negative effect their appearance has on their health.
But the ban in Norway doesn’t include the ownership, sale or import of these breeds, meaning that these breeds can still be imported from other countries as pets.
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