Britain's rarest breeds have proved a popular attraction at Crufts as the Kennel Club continues to shine a light on the variety of different dogs available.
The Discover Dogs section of the world’s biggest dog show includes examples of all 222 Kennel Club registered breeds, of which 34 are vulnerable.
A breed is classed as vulnerable when it drops below 300 registered births a year, while at-watch breeds have fewer than 450 registrations a year.
A dog that has been identified by the Kennel Club as potentially dropping onto the at-watch list is the Rough Collie, the famous Lassie dog.
And Sophie Wray-Ramsden, a Rough Collie breeder from Boston, Lincolnshire, said: “If the Rough Collie was to die out, it would just be so sad.
“I remember fondly Lassie when I was growing up. Can you imagine a world without Lassie any longer?
“They're just such a great breed, they're a stunningly beautiful breed. It would just be heartbreaking.”
Two breeds joined the vulnerable breeds list in 2023, the Miniature Bull Terrier and the Bearded Collie, while the Bedlington Terrier, Irish Terrier and Otter Hound all became at-risk.
A success story has been the Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) which has been moved off the vulnerable list, with its increase in popularity owing to her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s ownership of the breed.
Bill Lambert, spokesperson for the Kennel Club, said: “The vulnerable breed list is growing, it seems that more people want fewer breeds of dogs.
“This is really disappointing because we have 222 different breeds and the great thing is that all of those breeds are unique and have lots of different characteristics.
“And it's possible to find a dog that fits into your lifestyle. We want to keep that variety and keep that selection available.”
Crufts, run by The Kennel Club, is a unique celebration of happy, healthy dogs and of the loving relationship that they enjoy with their owners. Crufts is held from 9-12 March 2023 at the NEC Birmingham. Viewers can follow all the action and highlights on Channel 4 and More4, and for further information and tickets visit crufts.org.uk
