Over the past two years, many of us have welcomed new puppies into our households as The Kennel Club has seen dog ownership increase by nearly 8% during the global pandemic. But the growing popularity of imported breeds like the French Bulldog means that some of the UK’s previously established native breeds are heading towards extinction on these shores.
A total of 32 breeds are now “deemed vulnerable” by the Kennel Club, with fewer than 300 annual registrations. Including formerly popular puppies such as the King Charles Spaniel and Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Even the famously loyal Skye Terrier, represented by Edinburgh’s Greyfriar’s Bobby, is at risk.
The Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: “If people don’t look beyond the most obvious options and start exploring the enormous diversity of breeds we’ve been blessed with, we risk losing more of our most iconic and A native dog breed with a long history. There are in this country.”
So if you want to help one of the UK’s struggling breeds, choose one of these instead of the usual Labrador Retriever or Springer Spaniel. Here are the 10 most dangerous dog breeds in the UK.
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The otter hound, a scent hound, is the most dangerous breed in the UK, according to the Kennel Club. Only seven were registered last year, compared with 44 the year before, and it is thought that there may be only 600 left in the world.
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The Skye Terrier breed is known as Greyfriar’s Bobby, the Edinburgh puppy who refuses to leave his owner’s grave. Still, they are the second most endangered dog, with just 36 registered in 2020 after a slight recovery in the previous two years.
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The adorable Emaar Terrier Glenn, also known as the Wicklow Terrier, joins the Bloodhound in third place with 36 registrations in 2020.
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Originally bred to track deer, wild bears, and humans since the Middle Ages as a distinctive breed, it tied for third on this list with just 36 hunting dogs registered last year.
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