An animal welfare group has called for adverts featuring dogs such as daschunds, pugs and English bulldogs to be banned due to concerns about the health impacts of their features.
The call asks big name insurers Churchill (known for its nodding bulldog) and Vitality (known for Stanley the daschund) to change tact.
The group International Collaborative on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICE Dogs) has issued the set of new guidance calling on all advertisers to stop using images of dogs with “extreme conformation”, which it defines as an appearance “so significantly altered through selection by humankind” that they “commonly suffer from poor health”.
Churchill’s ‘Enjoy the Leap’ advert is one which featured a more realistic take on the nodding dog.
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Guidance from the group tells publishers that they dogs with flat-faces, clearly overshot or undershot jaws, large and protruding eyes, shortened twisted legs, facial and body skin folds or a bulging and domed skull.
The group argues that unless the purpose of the advert is to raise awareness of the impact of these features there is no need to feature images of these dog types, as there is access to an array of other dog types without the condition.
It is not the first time advertisers have come under scrutiny for their use of such dogs, the Brachycephalic Working Group (which focuses on dogs with flat faces and linked breathing problems and includes the RSPCA, the Kennel Club, the Dogs Trust, the British Veterinary Association and more) raised the impact of their presence in advertising back in 2017.
Featured image: from Churchill’s ‘Enjoy the Leap’ advert
