How extreme breeding is making our pets sick - The Saturday Story

狗贩子不会说的秘密:越纯种病得越重!

The Story

2026-08-01

20 分钟
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As demand for fashionable pets soars, vets and animal welfare charities say we're creating breeds that are destined to suffer. So, why are we prioritising cuteness over welfare? And what would it take to change the way we breed and buy our pets? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by: Matt Rudd, contributing editor, The Sunday Times Producers: Emily Webb, Jennifer Kennedy We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: ‘They’re not dogs’: how extreme breeding is making our pets sick Photo: Paul Stuart, The Sunday Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is The Story on Saturday.

  • I'm Manveen Rana.

  • In Britain, we've developed a real passion for boutique pets.

  • We love dachshunds with their tiny little legs,

  • or the 'rat on a rope' as a friend of mine would call it.

  • Dalmatians with their perfect spots, Frenchies with their squashed snouts.

  • But these features aren't natural.

  • They're the product of selective breeding.

  • And this has real health risks, which can dramatically lower their life expectancy.

  • Shocked?

  • I certainly was.

  • Thankfully, Matt Rudd, a contributing editor to The Sunday Times, has been looking into it.

  • We talk about Frankie for half an hour before I meet her, because forewarned is forearmed.

  • Claire Formoy, the senior clinician who operated on her six days ago,

  • begins by explaining how this five-year-old French bulldog

  • has found herself at the Finsbury Park Animal Hospital in North London.

  • She came into the care of the RSPCA a year ago as a case,

  • which means she was either neglected or abused by her previous owner.

  • Her serious health issues, though, are related entirely to her breeding,

  • rather than the difficult life she went on to live.