Rural Dogs

With all this talk of devolution and the recession I feel in a “Billy No Mates” sort of way a bit like the English Setter. This story is actually as sad as it is funny and Mrs A has already said in response to my feeling of a need to offer a paw of hope to this dog breed – “No!” The story itself tells us:

“The English Setter, a dog breed which has survived for more than 400 years is on the brink of extinction because owners now prefer fashionable (‘toy’) dogs! Apparently the number of native breeds is tumbling while exotic breeds are flourishing – with long-coated Chihuahuas(a breed owned by celebrities like Paris Hilton) rising from 5,397 in 2010 to 6,121 in 2011.   

According to Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, “celebrities, popular culture and fashion play a big part in today’s society and unfortunately dogs are not immune from our fickle tastes”.  To test your knowledge of native dog breeds, the BBC News Magazine is running an online quiz (there are only 7 questions to answer)

Similarly, this piece in The Telegraph reports on the discovery of a pair of dog skulls proving that they were domesticated over 33,000 years ago (long before sheep, cows or goats), meaning they really are our best friend.