– I really love cavalier, so I will never get a new one. That’s what dog owner Anita Remman says. She had two cavalier king charles spaniels, Petter and Dennis. Last autumn, Petter started wandering around the home in Narvik. According to his mother, he couldn’t calm down, started breathing and wheezing, and lost his hearing. – One day he had a pain attack of the worst kind. He howled, screamed, and went into a corner. We weren’t allowed to touch him. One could see that the eye almost fell out of the head. It was horrifying to watch. The late Petter (on the left) together with Dennis. Photo: Privat Remman went to the vet several times with Petter, who thought he had chronic headaches (SM). A condition of pain that is not unusual for this breed. Petter was given medication, but nothing helped. – I was willing to do everything for him to be well. He was only three years old, says Remman. In the end, Petter had to be euthanized. After a period of great pain, the cavalier dog Petter had to be put down. Photo: Privat New round in court In January, the judgment came from the Oslo District Court, which said that it is against the Animal Welfare Act section 25 to breed English Bulldog and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breeds. The Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK), two clubs for purebred dogs and six breeders were then banned from breeding these dog breeds. Animal Protection Norway believes that these dog breeds have such serious health problems that they should not be relieved any further. NKK, for its part, claims they can document that there are healthy individuals among the dog breeds in question. The NKK, which is the supreme body for purebred dog clubs in Norway, chose to appeal the case to the Court of Appeal. Together with the breed clubs and breeders, they are now ready for a new round in court. The judgment from the district court caused a dispute between the parties, as they disagree on its interpretation. Afraid of frivolous breeding – In the judgment of the district court, the six defendant breeders were banned from breeding on the breed. If the verdict is upheld, it will still be allowed to breed outside the NKK system, writes NKK head of marketing and communication Cecilie Holgersen in an e-mail to news. She is afraid this could lead to frivolous breeding. – We fear getting into a situation where we – who run responsible, controlled breeding – will no longer be allowed to work with this, while other non-serious actors can continue as before. This will not benefit the dogs, she writes. – We know that these dog breeds are bred outside of our system. Which does not follow our guidelines. This entails serious consequences for many dogs and their owners, and is precisely what we wish to avoid, explains Holgersen. Cecilie Holgersen, head of marketing and communications at NKK Photo: CF-Wesenberg / CF-Wesenberg She adds that NKK and clubs for purebred dogs were not directly banned, as they do not breed dogs, but register and have breed responsibility for them in Norway. – We work with documentation and guidelines. This is work that probably won’t be possible to continue with if the verdict is upheld, Holgersen says. Better organization of breeding – We do not share the concern of NKK. We want to work for better breeding work in general, says the daily manager of Animal Protection Norway, Åshild Roaldset. According to Roaldset, Animal Protection will bring the breeding work into a scientific sphere. She says they will use databases with information from all dogs, test temperament and function to make breeding better, as the EU guidelines are. Åshild Roaldset, day-to-day manager of Animal Protection Norway. Photo: Anne-k. Harkestad/ Animal Protection Norway – We must have much better organization of breeding, what is happening today is far too bad. Our dogs deserve better. Animal protection believes that a ban on breeding of dog breeds is actually an injunction to crossbreed if you wish to breed further. Five days have been set aside for the appeal case, which starts on Monday 19 September in the Borgarting Court of Appeal. – I really hope that this goes in our dogs’ favour. They believe that we breed them healthy, she says. That is why animal protection chooses these breeds. On its own website, Animal Protection Norway writes a justification for why it is the English bulldog and cavalier king charles spaniel that they choose to focus on. These are two breeds where we believe there are no healthy individuals left to breed. Any breeding within these breeds is a breach of the Animal Welfare Act. The individuals within each race are closely related, and produce diseased offspring. The Cavalier is predisposed to more than 25 hereditary disorders. Some of these are very painful. The Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK) has itself approached The Kennel Club and asked to cross-breed cavalier. NKK writes in hundesport 3/17 that it is very difficult to breed out of the problems of the cavalier, without crossing in a healthy dog from another breed. The English bulldog is predisposed to 40 hereditary disorders. Studies show that almost all English bulldogs have varying degrees of hip dysplasia. In addition, the bulldog club says that approximately 95% have a caesarean section, over 90% are inseminated, over 50% have skin problems and more than 40% have eye problems. DNA tests show that all or almost all English bulldogs have robinow like syndrome. The syndrome predisposes to, among other things, back problems that can lead to paralysis and cleft palate. These are two very sick dog breeds, which have also been so inbred over many years that all the individuals within the breed are genetically closely related and we believe that the Animal Welfare Act prohibits further breeding of these breeds. – Something more must be done Matmor Anita Remman was relieved on Petter’s behalf when he found peace. – But at the same time it is very sad. He was my best friend. Dennis, Remman’s second cavalier, is still alive. – I am prepared for everything now. That is why I say that one should never have a dog because of one’s own selfishness. She wants everything to be checked before anyone is allowed to farm. – I want them to stop putting their heads in the sand and realize that we have a big challenge. For everyone who loves cavalier, we are forced to realize that something more needs to be done. Dog mother Anita Remman believes that anyone who wants a cavalier should think twice. Photo: Frida Brembo / news
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New round in court about dog breeding in Norway – news Nordland
