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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
PETA sues American Kennel Club over standards for French bulldogs, other breeds
NEW YORK (AP) — The animal rights group PETA sued Tuesday to try to force the American Kennel Club to abandon the standards it backs for hyper-popular French bulldogs and some other breeds, contending that the influential club is promoting unhealthy physical features. The lawsuit turns up the heat around one of the biggest flashpoints in dogdom: the attributes that have been honed to define some breeds, including the Frenchie, which the AKC ranks as the United States' most popular breed. 'The AKC's official breed standards for the bulldog, French bulldog, pug, dachshund and Chinese shar-pei provide blueprints for the breeding of deformed, unhealthy dogs,' PETA says in the suit. The AKC said it's committed to protecting 'the health, heritage and well-being of purebred dogs' and that responsibly bred dogs that conform to the standards are healthy. 'We categorically reject PETA's mischaracterizations of specific breed standards and their assertion that these standards create unhealthy dogs,' the club said in a statement, adding that dog health and welfare is 'paramount and at the core of our mission.' Founded in 1884, the New York-based AKC is a nonprofit that acts like a league for many canine competitions and runs the United States' oldest dog registry, where owners may choose to document their dogs' existence and accomplishments. Mixed-breed dogs and rescues can be registered as 'canine partners' and compete in some sports, but the club's history is closely tied to fanciers who cultivate and show purebreds. Each breed has its own club that sets the 'standard,' or ideal characteristics, for the dogs. The AKC reviews, approves and promulgates them. PETA, also called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, describes itself as an animal liberation organization. Its advocacy includes boycotts and litigation. Its supporters are known for staging sometimes disruptive protests in settings including a papal audience, a Starbucks and sporting events such as the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The Norfolk, Virginia-based nonprofit opposes dog breeding in general and has clashed for years with the AKC. Peppered with photos and diagrams, PETA's new lawsuit runs through health problems that can beset short-legged, long-backed dachshunds ('the animal equivalent of a poorly designed bridge,' in PETA's view) and shar-peis, which can have spates of fever and inflammation known as 'shar-pei autoinflammatory disease.' The complaint points to pugs' risk of injuries to their marbly eyes and susceptibility to breathing problems and overheating because of their flat faces. The suit zeros in on those and other parts of bulldogs and Frenchies, including the big heads that often prompt caesarian births. The various problems that PETA cites don't afflict all dogs of these breeds, and some do agility, dock diving and other sports. But the conditions can be serious for those that have them. In the U.K. — where research involving about 24,600 dogs suggested that Frenchies have 'very different, and largely much poorer' health than do other canines — the British Veterinary Association campaigns against advertisements that feature flat-faced breeds. The Netherlands has prohibited breeding very short-snouted dogs. Norway's Supreme Court, however, declined to block the breeding of English bulldogs — but upheld a lower court's prohibition on breeding cavalier King Charles spaniels, citing a different set of health concerns. The AKC says the breed standards it approves reflect 'decades of collaboration with veterinary experts and breeders.' Some breed clubs donate to and participate in dog health research, and the AKC says it has given over $40 million since 1995 to its canine health research charity.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Family of 4, including 2 children, killed in North Carolina plane crash
SANFORD, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina family of four, including two school-age children, died when their small plane crashed as they flew back from Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board said an agency investigator was expected Tuesday at the site of the wreckage of Monday's crash, located in a field near some trees northeast of Sanford, North Carolina. The state Highway Patrol identified those killed as Travis and Candace Buchanan, who were both 35; Aubrey Buchanan, 10; and Walker Buchanan, 9. Three of the four died at the scene, while the fourth was pronounced dead at a hospital, the patrol said in a news release. There were no survivors in the crash involving the Cirrus SR22T airplane, which an NTSB official said happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. under currently unknown circumstances. The aircraft ultimately will be recovered and taken to a facility for further evaluation, the agency said. The Raleigh Executive Jetport, located a few miles north of the crash site, said in a social media post that the aircraft was based at the small airport. Federal Aviation Administration records list Travis Buchanan of Sanford as the plane's owner. The plane departed Merritt Island, Florida, about 11 a.m. Monday and was last seen about 1:30 p.m. near Sanford, according to according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Sanford is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh. WRAL-TV reported that the family owned Buchanan Farms in Sanford. Abraham Garcia said he had worked for Travis Buchanan at the farms for more than eight years and 'he helped me all the time.' The Buchanan family was heading back from the beach, he said. Grace Christian School in Sanford said on its Facebook page that Travis and Candace Buchanan were the parents of Aubrey, a fifth-grader this fall at the school, and Walker, an upcoming fourth-grader. 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of one of our Crusader Families,' the post said, referencing the school's nickname. 'During this incredibly difficult time, we stand together in support of their family and one another.'
Toronto Star
8 hours ago
- Toronto Star
A pacing Chihuahua helps Swiss rescuers find a man who fell into a glacier
GENEVA (AP) — Rescuers are hailing as a 'four-legged hero' a furry Chihuahua whose pacing atop an Alpine rock helped a helicopter crew find its owner, who had fallen into a crevasse on a Swiss glacier nearby. The man, who was not identified, was exploring the Fee Glacier in southern Switzerland on Friday when he broke through a snow bridge and fell nearly 8 meters (about 26 feet), according to Air Zermatt, a rescue, training and transport company.
