Vulnerable dog breeds of the United Kingdom

Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club (KC) as having annual registration numbers of 300 puppies or fewer within the UK.[1] The KC identified its need for such a list in June 2003, with research it conducted to identify the extent of the vulnerability and viability of each breed.[1] It was a joint project, with the KC working with the British and Irish Native Breeds Trust,[1] later to be known simply as the Native Dog Breeds Trust.[2] The breeds on the list have been promoted at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts, and by asking that owners of these breeds mate their dogs rather than having them spayed.[3]

There were only 37 Skye Terrier puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2010
There are only 60 KC registered Harriers in the UK in 2023

The majority of the list comes from the Terrier Group, a group mostly derived from breeds with backgrounds in the British Isles. The most marked drop in popularity is that of the Sealyham Terrier, which registered 1,084 breeds in 1938, but by 2004 was registering only sixty dogs a year.[1] 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.[4] The Otterhound, popular during the time of Henry VIII, has registration numbers of less than a thousand world wide.[3]

The list was originally compiled in January 2006, and included 28 breeds. Later in 2006, the Miniature Bull Terrier was added. In 2007, after consultation with the breed clubs involved, the Bloodhound, Gordon Setter and King Charles Spaniel were re-classed as "Viable" rather than vulnerable.[5] The English Setter is the newest addition to the list, having been added for the first time in 2012.[6] 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.[7] Breeds on the "At Watch" list included in 2013 the English Setter, the Old English Sheepdog, the Irish Terrier, the Irish Wolfhound, the Welsh Springer Spaniel, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and the Welsh Terrier.[8]

Listed breeds

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Key
*Former vulnerable breeds now viable breeds
**Former vulnerable breeds now watch list
***Former vulnerable breed


Table
Breed[A] Group 2002 Registrations 2005 Registrations 2011 Registrations 2012 Registrations 2013 Registrations Ref
Bloodhound* Hound Group 80 104 59 50 51 [8][9]
Bull Terrier (Miniature) Terrier Group 278 275 216 192 161 [8][10]
Collie (Smooth) Pastoral Group 85 72 75 88 82 [8][11]
Dandie Dinmont Terrier Terrier Group 148 149 98 120 105 [8][10]
English Setter** Gundog Group 568 450 234 314 326 [8][12]
English Toy Terrier (Black and Tan) Toy Group 56 103 95 126 115 [8][13]
Foxhound Hound Group 5 9 0 11 [8][14]
Fox Terrier (Smooth) Terrier Group 167 212 137 94 122 [8][10]
Glen of Imaal Terrier Terrier Group 48 45 67 57 55 [8][10]
Gordon Setter* Gundog Group 250 309 306 273 [12][15]
Greyhound Hound Group 24 49 14 30 40 [8][9]
Harrier Houng

Group

12 38 9
Irish Red and White Setter Gundog Group 99 120 119 89 82 [8][12]
Irish Terrier** Terrier Group 198 270 277 306 362 [8][10]
Kerry Blue Terrier Terrier Group 244 277 212 210 169 [8][10]
King Charles Spaniel* Toy Group 150 193 180 217 169 [8][13]
Lakeland Terrier Terrier Group 269 330 247 208 221 [8][10]
Lancashire Heeler Pastoral Group 125 166 98 104 103 [8][11]
Manchester Terrier Terrier Group 86 140 152 124 198 [8][10]
Mastiff (English) Working Group 476 173 140 139 [8][16]
Norwich Terrier Terrier Group 153 131 158 170 194 [8][10]
Otterhound Hound Group 54 50 38 37 42 [8][9]
Retriever (Curly Coated) Gundog Group 79 82 62 71 118 [8][12]
Scottish Deerhound Hound Group 231 264 237 260 236 [8][9]
Sealyham Terrier Terrier Group 58 58 63 76 68 [8][10]
Skye Terrier Terrier Group 59 30 44 42 17 [8][10]
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier*** Terrier Group 277 321 433 372 [10][17]
Spaniel (Clumber) Gundog Group 170 192 271 151 247 [8][12]
Spaniel (Field) Gundog Group 84 86 46 47 29 [8][12]
Spaniel (Irish Water) Gundog Group 145 106 101 148 101 [8][12]
Spaniel (Sussex) Gundog Group 82 77 52 74 55 [8][12]
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) Pastoral Group 56 77 108 94 102 [8][11]
Welsh Terrier** Terrier Group 270 326 415 352 447 [8][10]

Notes

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  • A ^ The breeds are listed by their names official registration names with the Kennel Club.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Vulnerable native breeds". www.thekennelclub.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Native Dog Breeds Trust to close". OurDogs. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b Eyre, Hermione (9 March 2008). "Canine crusaders: Meet the dog-handlers dedicated to saving the best of British breeds". The Independent.
  4. ^ Hough, Andrew (26 October 2011). "Campaign launched to save Sealyham terriers 'from extinction'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Native Vulnerable Breeds". The Kennel Club. 4 January 2007. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  6. ^ Rincon, Paul (25 January 2012). "UK native dog breeds 'at risk of extinction'". BBC News. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Registrations go down by six per cent". Dog World newspaper. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Tables of Registrations of Vulnerable breeds and Watch List for the Years 2004 to 2014" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-07. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2002 to 2011 Inclusive (Hound Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2002 to 2011 Inclusive (Terrier Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 31, 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  11. ^ a b c "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2002 to 2011 Inclusive (Pastoral Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2002 to 2011 Inclusive (Gundog Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2002 to 2011 Inclusive (Toy Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  14. ^ "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2004 to 2014 Inclusive (Working Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Table of Registrations for the Years 2013 to first quarter of 2014 (Gundog Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Comparative Tables of Registrations for the Years 2004 to 2014 Inclusive (Working Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  17. ^ "Table of Registrations for the Years 2013 to first quarter of 2014 (Terrier Group)" (PDF). The Kennel Club. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Judging - Breeds". Crufts. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
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