Vulnerable dog breeds of the United Kingdom


Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club as having annual registration numbers of 300 puppies or fewer within the UK. The need for such a list was first identified in June 2003, with research conducted by the KC to identify the extent of the vulnerability and viability of each breed. It was a joint project, with the KC working with the British and Irish Native Breeds Trust, later to be known simply as the Native Dog Breeds Trust. The breeds on the list have been promoted at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts, and by asking that owners of these breeds mate their dogs rather than having them spayed.
The majority of the list come from the Terrier Group, a group mostly derived from breeds with backgrounds in the British Isles. The most marked drop in popularity is that of the Sealyham Terrier, which registered 1,084 breeds in 1938, but by 2004 was registering only sixty dogs a year. In October 2011, British magazine Country Life highlighted the breed on its front cover, with the heading "SOS: Save our Sealyhams," and launched a campaign to save the breed. The Otterhound, popular during the time of Henry VIII, has numbers of less than a thousand world wide and is described by the British & Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust as "twice as rare as the Giant Panda."
The list was originally compiled in January 2006, and included 28 breeds. Later in 2006, the Miniature Bull Terrier was added. In 2007, after consultation with the breed clubs involved, the Bloodhound, Gordon Setter and King Charles Spaniel were re-classed as "Viable" rather than vulnerable. The English Setter is the newest addition to the list, having been added for the first time in 2012. However, during 2012 the number of English Setter puppies registered increased to 314, so the breed was moved to the Kennel Club's "At Watch" list, which is for breeds with registrations from 300-450. Breeds on the "At Watch" list included in 2013 the English Setter, the Old English Sheepdog, the Irish Terrier, the Irish Wolfhound, the Welsh Springer Spaniel, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and the Welsh Terrier.

Listed breeds

;Key
*Former vulnerable breeds now viable breeds
**Former vulnerable breeds now watch list
***Former vulnerable breed

;Table
Breed#endnote_A|Group2002 Registrations2005 Registrations2011 Registrations2012 Registrations2013 RegistrationsRef
Bloodhound*Hound Group80104595051
Bull Terrier Terrier Group278275216192161
Collie Pastoral Group8572758882
Dandie Dinmont TerrierTerrier Group14814998120105
English Setter**Gundog Group568450234314326
English Toy Terrier Toy Group5610395126115
FoxhoundHound Group59011
Fox Terrier Terrier Group16721213794122
Glen of Imaal TerrierTerrier Group4845675755
Gordon Setter*Gundog Group250309306273
GreyhoundHound Group2449143040
Irish Red and White SetterGundog Group991201198982
Irish Terrier**Terrier Group198270277306362
Kerry Blue TerrierTerrier Group244277212210169
King Charles Spaniel*Toy Group150193180217169
Lakeland TerrierTerrier Group269330247208221
Lancashire HeelerPastoral Group12516698104103
Manchester TerrierTerrier Group86140152124198
Mastiff Working Group476173140139
Norwich TerrierTerrier Group153131158170194
OtterhoundHound Group5450383742
Retriever Gundog Group79826271118
Scottish DeerhoundHound Group231264237260236
Sealyham TerrierTerrier Group5858637668
Skye TerrierTerrier Group5930444217
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier***Terrier Group277321433372
Spaniel Gundog Group170192271151247
Spaniel Gundog Group8486464729
Spaniel Gundog Group145106101148101
Spaniel Gundog Group8277527455
Welsh Corgi Pastoral Group567710894102
Welsh Terrier**Terrier Group270326415352447