List unveils most vulnerable breeds

King Charles Spaniels, Irish Wolfhounds and Mastiffs have been named in The Kennel Club’s list of most vulnerable breeds of British and Irish origin that are considered at risk of disappearing in the coming years.

If a breed has had less than 300 to 450 registrations with the Kennel Club in a year, it is considered ‘vulnerable’. If it has had less than 300, it is added to their ‘at watch’ list.

Venerable native breeds are: Bloodhound, Collie (Smooth), Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Deerhound, English Setter, English Toy Terrier (Black and Tan), Fox Terrier (Smooth), Glen of Imaal Terrier, Gordon Setter, Greyhound, Harrier, Irish Red & White Setter, Irish Wolfhound, King Charles Spaniel, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Lancashire Heeler, Manchester Terrier, Mastiff, Norwich Terrier, Otterhound, Retriever (Curly Coated), Sealyham Terrier, Skye Terrier, Soft Coasted Wheaten Terrier, Spaniel (Clumber), Spaniel (Feild), Spaniel (Irish Water), Spaniel (Sussex), Spaniel (Welsh Springer), and Welsh Corgi (Cardigan).

At watch breeds are: Bearded Collie, Bull Terrier (Miniature), Jack Russell Terrier, Old English Sheepdog, and Welsh Terrier.

The Kennel Club said: “To give these dogs the chance they deserve, it is important that if you’re thinking about getting a dog you consider the lesser known breeds.

“There are over 200 breeds of dog recognised in the UK so there is a breed for everyone. We find that people tend to choose a breed from the pool of breeds they have heard of before, which means that the perfect breed for them and their lifestyle might be overlooked.”