Germany’s Proposed Ban on Dachshunds Gets a ‘Ja’ Vote From PETA

For Immediate Release:
March 27, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. – Below, please find a statement from Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA and founder of PETA Germany, in response to the exciting draft bill in Germany that could ban the breeding of dachshunds and other dogs who are the victims of “torture breeding”—i.e., intentionally bred to have such malformed bodies that they face a lifetime of health problems:

No dog deserves to have a dachshund’s elongated back, which can cause joint pain or even spinal collapse, or to endure a French bulldog’s desperate struggle to breathe—yet these Frankendogs are deliberately inbred to be malformed simply to provide a look that some humans like—and PETA supports efforts to stop more suffering dogs from being born into a world already bursting at the seams with homeless ones.

PETA notes that most, if not all, “top” dog breeds suffer from numerous ailments because of generations of selective breeding. Bulldogs, pugs, and other breathing-impaired breeds suffer from brachycephalic airway syndrome, which makes breathing nearly impossible for them and is the leading cause of death for bulldogs. German shepherds and golden retrievers suffer from epilepsy and hip and elbow dysplasia. Cavalier King Charles spaniels’ skulls are too small for their brains, forcing the brain tissue to protrude through the base of the skull—a condition called syringomyelia—and dachshunds face a higher risk of lifelong spinal, knee, and other joint problems. Breeding any dog contributes to the homeless-animal crisis, with more than 70 million dogs and cats homeless in the U.S. at any given time.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.