Sausage dogs could be banned in Germany, its national kennel club has claimed, citing a draft law that would prohibit breeding practices that inflict long–term suffering on the animals.
There is “shock in Germany” among dog lovers over the proposals, according to the regional newspaper Hochrhein–Zeitung, which said the rules could cover dachshunds, beagles, boxers and schnauzers.
Germany’s Kennel Club (VDH) has warned the law “prohibits our favourite dogs” and launched a petition to scrap the reform which, as of Tuesday, had some 12,000 signatures.
‘Torture breeding’
However, Germany’s agriculture ministry denied that the reform would amount to a ban on certain breeds, such as sausage dogs. A spokesman told the Telegraph the reform was specifically about a ban on “torture breeding”, which it defined as breeding traits that inflict “pain, suffering and damage” on future generations.