Vulnerable dog breeds of the United Kingdom facts for kids

Vulnerable Native Breeds are special types of dog breeds that originally came from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The The Kennel Club (KC) keeps an eye on these breeds because very few puppies are born each year. If fewer than 300 puppies of a certain breed are registered in the UK in a year, that breed is considered "vulnerable."

The idea to create this list started in 2003. The Kennel Club worked with another group called the Native Dog Breeds Trust to find out which breeds needed help. They wanted to know how many dogs of each breed were left and how healthy their populations were. To help these breeds, they promote them at big events like Discover Dogs and Crufts. They also encourage owners of these dogs to let them have puppies instead of having them spayed.

Many of the breeds on this list belong to the Terrier Group. Most terriers originally came from the British Isles. One breed that has seen a big drop in numbers is the Sealyham Terrier. In 1938, over 1,000 Sealyham Terrier puppies were registered. But by 2004, only about 60 were registered each year! In 2011, a magazine called Country Life even put the Sealyham Terrier on its front cover with the message "SOS: Save our Sealyhams" to help save the breed.

Another rare dog is the Otterhound. This breed was popular way back in the time of Henry VIII. Today, there are fewer than a thousand Otterhounds in the whole world. The British & Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust says they are "twice as rare as the Giant Panda!"

The first list of vulnerable breeds was made in January 2006 and included 28 breeds. Later that year, the Miniature Bull Terrier was added. In 2007, some breeds like the Bloodhound, Gordon Setter, and King Charles Spaniel were moved off the vulnerable list because their numbers improved. They were then called "Viable" breeds.

The English Setter was added to the vulnerable list for the first time in 2012. However, in 2012, the number of English Setter puppies registered went up to 314. Because of this, the breed was moved to the Kennel Club's "At Watch" list. This list is for breeds that have between 300 and 450 registrations. In 2013, other breeds on the "At Watch" list included the Old English Sheepdog, the Irish Terrier, the Irish Wolfhound, the Welsh Springer Spaniel, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and the Welsh Terrier.

• 

  The Otterhound was described as "twice as rare as a Giant Panda"

• 

  A Scottish Deerhound, and a Greyhound, two sighthounds on the list

• 

  An Irish Red and White Setter, and two Gordon Setters

Breeds on the List

Here's a look at some of the breeds that have been on the vulnerable list. The table shows how many puppies were registered in different years.

Key to the table

Table of Breeds and Registrations

Images for kids

• 

  There were only 37 Skye Terrier puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Razas nativas vulnerables para niños