The impact of extreme breeds on animal shelters in Germany

Breeding animals has led to extreme breeds such as flat-faced dogs and cats or lop-eared rabbits, all suffering from these characteristics. Although some countries ban such practices, enforcement is often weak. If owners cannot afford treatment, these animals are frequently taken to shelters, whose burden has rarely been studied. Therefore, we collected retrospective data from 238 German animal shelters belonging to the German Animal Welfare Federation from the year 2024 via an online survey. Most of the shelters had to take care of pets with extreme breed characteristics (81.9% of n = 237). At the top of the list were breeds such as Scottish Fold, flat-faced cats like Persian and British Short Hair and lop-eared rabbits (70.1%, 69.5% and 63.5% of n = 177). Most shelters reported only a small proportion of animals with extreme breed characteristics. Almost all shelters (92.0% of n = 160) faced consequences including higher veterinary costs and an emotional burden for the staff. Rehoming these pets can be difficult. However, most shelters tried to rehome the animals (86.1% of n = 158) subject to certain conditions like a breeding ban. Extreme breeds burden shelters in many ways. The participating animal shelters were calling for stronger legislation and better public education to address the issue.