The government of the Netherlands plans to ban designer pets such as flat-faced dog breeds and cats with folded ears that suffer major health problems
The Netherlands could soon introduce a law in the country that would impose a ban on owning a designer animal with genetic health problems.
This was announced by the country´s Minister of Culture, Nature and Food Quality, Piet Adema, who said, “We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are ‘beautiful’ and ‘cute”, as cited by Euronews on Monday, January 23.
Adema added, “That is why today we are taking the big step towards the Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance”.
He also said that aside from a ban on ownership of designer animals, a ban should also be imposed on posting photos of them on social media or using them for advertisement.
Netherlands had already announced a ban on the breeding of designer pets in 2014. It was then updated in 2019 to include dogs with snouts less than half the size of their skulls.
Now the government plans to introduce a regulation to stop the import or sale of such breeds in the country.
“Dogs that have a deviant skull shape may suffer from a permanent headache,” Adema said in a letter to the Dutch Parliament, as per the report.
It added, “Cats with folding ears have deviated cartilage that can cause them a lot of pain”. The authorities have also said that if the ban is imposed, people who own such designer pets will be allowed to keep them until they die.
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