There were only 37 Skye Terrier puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2010
Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of
dog breed
A dog breed is a particular strain of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing around 450 globally ...
s originating in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, and identified by
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...
(KC) as having annual
registration
Register or registration may refer to:
Arts entertainment, and media Music
* Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc.
* ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller
* Registration (organ), th ...
numbers of 300 puppies or fewer within the UK.
The need for such a list was first identified in June 2003, with research conducted by the KC to identify the extent of the vulnerability and viability of each breed.
[ It was a joint project, with the KC working with the British and Irish Native Breeds Trust,][ later to be known simply as the Native Dog Breeds Trust.] The breeds on the list have been promoted at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts
Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, first held in 1891. Organised and hosted by The Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world.
Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for do ...
, and by asking that owners of these breeds mate their dogs rather than having them spayed
Neutering, from the Latin ''neuter'' ('of neither sex'), is the removal of an animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part. The male-specific term is castration, while spaying is usually reserved for female animals. C ...
.
The majority of the list come from the Terrier
Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...
Group, a group mostly derived from breeds with backgrounds in the British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. The most marked drop in popularity is that of the Sealyham Terrier
The Sealyham Terrier ( cy, Daeargi Sealyham) is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working dog. It is principally a white-bodied, rough-coated breed, developed in the mid-to-late-19th century by ...
, which registered 1,084 breeds in 1938, but by 2004 was registering only sixty dogs a year.[ In October 2011, British magazine '' Country Life'' highlighted the breed on its front cover, with the heading "SOS: Save our Sealyhams," and launched a campaign to save the breed.] The Otterhound
The Otterhound is a British dog breed. It is a scent hound and is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a Vulnerable Native Breed with around 600 animals worldwide. , popular during the time of Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, has numbers of less than a thousand world wide and is described by the British & Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust as "twice as rare as the Giant Panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...
."
The list was originally compiled in January 2006, and included 28 breeds. Later in 2006, the Miniature Bull Terrier
The English Miniature Bull Terrier is a breed with origins in the extinct English White Terrier, the Dalmatian and the Bulldog. The first existence is documented in 1872 in ''The Dogs of British Island''.
Description Appearance
Miniature Bul ...
was added. In 2007, after consultation with the breed clubs involved, the Bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...
, Gordon Setter
The Gordon Setter is a large breed of dog, a member of the setter family that also includes both the better-known Irish Setter and the English Setter. Setter breeds are classified as members of either the Sporting or Gundog Group depending ...
and King Charles Spaniel
The King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The other varieties merged into this breed wer ...
were re-classed as "Viable" rather than vulnerable. The English Setter
The English Setter is a medium-size breed of dog. It is part of the setter group, which includes the red Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, and black-and-tan Gordon Setters. The mainly white body coat is of medium length with long si ...
is the newest addition to the list, having been added for the first time in 2012. However, during 2012 the number of English Setter puppies registered increased to 314, so the breed was moved to the Kennel Club's "At Watch" list, which is for breeds with registrations from 300-450. Breeds on the "At Watch" list included in 2013 the English Setter
The English Setter is a medium-size breed of dog. It is part of the setter group, which includes the red Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, and black-and-tan Gordon Setters. The mainly white body coat is of medium length with long si ...
, the Old English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog that emerged in England from early types of herding dog. Obsolete names for the breed include Shepherd's Dog and . The nickname ''Bob-tail'' (or ''Bobtail'') originates from how dogs of the breed ...
, the Irish Terrier
The Irish Terrier ( gle, Brocaire Rua) is a dog breed from Ireland, one of many breeds of terrier. The Irish Terrier is considered one of the oldest terrier breeds. The Dublin dog show in 1873 was the first to provide a separate class for I ...
, the Irish Wolfhound, the Welsh Springer Spaniel
The Welsh Springer Spaniel (''Welsh'': ''Llamgi Cymru'') is a dog breed, breed of dog and a member of the spaniel family. Thought to be comparable to the old Land Spaniel, they are similar to the English Springer Spaniel and historically have ...
, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi (; Welsh for "dwarf dog") is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of two breeds known as a Welsh Corgi. Pembroke Welsh Corgis descended from the Spitz family of dogs. The other i ...
, and the Welsh Terrier
The Welsh Terrier ( cy, Daeargi Cymreig) originates from Wales and was originally bred for hunting fox, rodents and badger; but during the last century, it has mainly been bred for showing. Despite this, it has retained its terrier strength o ...
.
image:Two otterhounds.jpg, The Otterhound was described as "twice as rare as a Giant Panda"
image:Wilczarz hart 0001.jpg, A Scottish Deerhound, and a Greyhound, two sighthounds on the list
image:Seter irlandzki i gordony.jpg, An Irish Red and White Setter, and two Gordon Setters
Listed breeds
;Key
;Table
Notes
*A ^ The breeds are listed by their names official registration names with the Kennel Club.
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
British Heritage Dog Breeds
Dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom
*
Dog breeds originating in Ireland