Purebred dogs and cats : A proposal for a better protection

The definition of a purebred animal, from a scientific perspective, is based on a description of biological parameters and relates to animals having both parents of the same breed or variety, denoting a pure strain obtained through many generations of controlled breeding for desirable traits. In Europe there is a legal definition of what is a purebred. It refers to animals of a breed reared within the framework of a breeding program, which are eligible for registration with a recognized club or society keeping a register of animals of that breed, in order to obtain a pedigree or zootechnical certificate. However, such a definition is applicable to livestock animals and does not cover companion animals. This regulatory gap opens up to uncontrolled breeding of “purebred” dogs and cats, which can jeopardize animal health more than even recognized breeders do, to a certain degree, as well as allow fraud. In Italy this gap has been filled by making dogs and cats covered by the legal definition of purebred animals as “pedigreed animals.” The law which provides for it is little known even in Italy, however, and generally not enforced. This work will propose the application of legal provisions on the breeding of purebred animals to dogs and cats, by adopting a binding framework at European level in order to make more controllable the work of people involved in this activity and to better protect animals.