Scottie dogs face uncertain future as people turn their backs on breed
Once one of the most popular breeds in the country, there are worrying signs the Scottish terrier – that stalwart of the Monopoly board – has fallen out of favour among a nation of dog lovers and faces an uncertain future.
The small, distinctive Scottie, which is the adopted emblem of Walker’s shortbread and Radley handbags, has registered its lowest numbers since records began.
The Kennel Club has placed the breed on its “at watch” list after only 406 puppy births were logged by breeders in 2023.
It marks a dramatic drop from its last-century peak when there were more than 5,800 registrations in a single year.
The preferred breed of Queen Victoria, the terrier was originally bred to hunt foxes, badgers and other vermin in the Highlands.
At the other end of the popularity rankings, Bernese Mountain dogs and miniature long-haired dachshunds have enjoyed a surge, recording the biggest increases of 24% and 20% respectively.
Other fast “risers” were the English setter, Yorkshire terriers and Jack Russell terriers, which is the favoured breed of the King and Queen Camilla.
The Kennel Club has been monitoring breeds of British and Irish origin with fewer than 450 annual puppy registrations since 2004.
It is the second time the Scottie has been placed on the watch list for native breeds with between 300 and 450 registrations a year, first appearing in 2018.
Jack Russells are the favoured breed of the King. Pic: PA
While the Cairn terrier has also rejoined the category, three other breeds have entered it for the first time – the pointer, rough collie and wire fox terrier.
Read more on Sky News:
The interior designer transforming social housing – with stunning results
Police appeal after hundreds of teens turn up to house party
The club’s “vulnerable” list, for native breeds with fewer than 300 puppy registrations, devised to highlight those which could be at risk of disappearing, includes Sussex spaniels, curly coated retrievers, otterhounds, Irish setters and King Charles spaniels.
Bernese Mountain dogs have enjoyed a surge in numbers. Pic: iStock
There are now more breeds classed as at watch and vulnerable than ever before.
However, the list is not definitive because it relates to club registrations rather than actual births.
Bill Lambert, a spokesman for the Kennel Club, which recognises 222 breeds, said: “The Scottish terrier has been such an iconic and recognisable breed in the UK for decades, and means so much to so many different people, so these latest figures are really worrying.
“We are lucky to have an amazing 222 breeds of dog in this country, each with unique personalities and characteristics, but the vast majority of dogs that you will meet come from within the top ten breeds alone.
“People often opt for the well-known choices and simply forget to dig a little deeper, with the worrying knock-on effect that not only are some of our most iconic breeds in decline but also that people might not be getting the perfect match for them.”
Otterhounds are at risk of disappearing. Pic: iStock
He added: “People simply forget there are so many different dog breeds, with different personalities and characteristics, and it’s not just the well-known ones that could be a great match for our lifestyles.
“While we’re pleased that some of our native breeds saw their numbers increase last year, such as the English setter, others continue to fall rapidly in popularity and are in danger of disappearing forever.
“We are so lucky to have such diversity among our four-legged-friends, and we urge the British public to look beyond the most popular choices, and find out more about the many different breeds there are.”
Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.
Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse
A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.
Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.
Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.
She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.
Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.
Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.
Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child
In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.
Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.
Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.
Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’
But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.
Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.
He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.
Victim awarded £10 compensation
Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.
Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.
Read more from Sky News:
Call for Labour minister to resign over grooming gang remarks
PM says govt will fund further local grooming gangs inquiries if ‘needed’
Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.
Hundreds of millions paid to victims
The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.
In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.
But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.
“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.
For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.
“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway