Sausage dogs could soon be banned in Germany under a new law that prohibits breeds with ‘skeletal anomalies’.
The draft animal protection law could ban breeds with particular features, such as spinal problems linked with the short legs and long back of the dachshund.
The German Kennel Club (VDH) has launched a petition to save ‘our favourite dogs’, arguing the law would leave too much room for interpretation in determining what constitutes a genetic defect.
The petition, which has had 12,500 signatures, reads: ‘A draft for a new animal protection law was published in February.
‘Many of the proposed changes, such as regulating the online trade in animals or taking action against the illegal puppy trade, make sense.
Sausage dogs could soon be banned in Germany under a new law that prohibits breeds with ‘skeletal anomalies’
‘However, the new animal protection law contains requirements that could mean the end of many healthy dog breeds in Germany.
‘The draft lists various disease characteristics that can lead to a ban on breeding healthy dogs.
‘Unfortunately, many of the characteristics mentioned are vague and ambiguous.’
The ‘catalogue of features’ include abnormalities of the skeletal system, movement abnormalities, lameness, hairlessness and a reduction in life expectancy.
The petition argues that ‘abnormalities of the skeletal system’ could be interpreted as a ban on breeding for ‘any significant size deviation’ from wolves – the ancestor of all modern-day dogs.
‘This term can, for example, be assigned to the leg length of dachshunds…and other small dog breeds and these can be banned from breeding,’ it reads.
‘The consequence would be that, for example, you would no longer be allowed to breed dachshunds in Germany.’
Dachshunds have short, stubby legs as a result of a genetic condition called chondrodysplasia, which is a type of dwarfism.
Dachshunds have short, stubby legs as a result of a genetic condition called chondrodysplasia, which is a type of dwarfism
They were purposely bred this way so they could scrabble through undergrowth and burrow down into the ground to hunt badgers.
A common issue for this breed is a form of slipped disc which can be caused by the disproportion between the short legs and relatively long spine, which can lead to lameness.
Last year Peta, the animal welfare organisation, urged people not to buy dachshunds due to their health problems, which can also include arthritis.
However, they remain Germany’s second most popular breed after the Alsatian.
