Dogs Today UK – Issue 377 2026

Summary

Issue 377 of Dogs Today hits newsstands in February 2026 with Beverley Cuddy's defiant 14-page pushback against the government's Innate Health Assessment tool – a visual scoring system that her new Union of Good Dog People warns could fail 67 British breeds, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkshire Terrier.

Issue 377 of Dogs Today runs a 14-page cover investigation into the Innate Health Assessment (IHA) tool that editor Beverley Cuddy calls 'the greatest threat to pedigree dogs in our lifetime'. Her editor's letter announces the death of her own dog Betty on Christmas Eve, then channels grief into a new campaign group, the Union of Good Dog People, which now claims nearly 4,000 members in five weeks. The issue publishes a working list of 67 breeds at risk, from Affenpinschers to Yorkshire Terriers, and signals a direct fight with the Royal Kennel Club and Professor Dan O'Neill over breed preservation in Britain.

Beyond the cover fight, the magazine reports from Cardiff Bay, where Senedd members voted 36 to 11 on 16 December 2025 to progress a bill that would make Wales the first UK nation to ban greyhound racing, with a possible April 2030 phase-out. It also covers the 26 January 2026 Westminster Hall debate on licensing dog and cat rescues, where campaigners Niki Roe and Charlotte McConnell watched nearly 110,000 signatures trigger a government consultation. Pages inside also follow Jack's Giant Journey's Gambia neutering trip, where two vets sterilised 74 street dogs and projected 904,872 lives saved over five years.

The behaviour section opens with Birgitta Marais arguing that aversive training methods, including shock collars and leash corrections, raise cortisol and can break working detection dogs. Victoria Stilwell contributes a touching tribute to the late Sarah Fisher, founder of ACE Free Work. Susan Renno introduces the White Swiss Shepherd in a breed crush feature, while Beverley Cuddy's 'Confessions of a dogaholic' column tackles veterinary corporatisation after the BBC Panorama investigation. Sustainability gets a story in the Chiora Project, which spins brushed-out husky undercoat into a fibre 80 per cent warmer than sheep's wool.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.6 · The greatest threat to pedigree dogs in our lifetime

Editor Beverley Cuddy uses her letter to announce her own dog Betty's death on Christmas Eve, then launches a new campaign group, the Union of Good Dog People, which she claims already has nearly 4,000 members after five weeks. The investigation targets the Royal Kennel Club, the All-party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group, and Professor Dan O'Neill, arguing the Innate Health Assessment (IHA) tool could force the homogenisation of 67 British pedigree breeds. Cuddy calls for breeders to lobby MPs before any visual scoring becomes law. Readers should screenshot the breed list and contact their local APDAWG representative this month.

▸ Investigations

p.40 · The final lap?

Senedd members in Cardiff Bay voted 36 to 11, with three abstentions, on 16 December 2025 to support the general principles of a Welsh bill that would phase out greyhound racing by April 2030. The article quotes Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, RSPCA head of companion animals Dr Sam Gaines, and Greyhound Board of Great Britain CEO Mark Bird. The 2024 GBGB data is set out: 123 greyhounds died on track and 346 died from racing-related causes. Readers in trackside constituencies should write to their MS before the next Senedd vote.

p.34 · Rescue regulation

Campaigners Niki Roe and Charlotte McConnell describe the 26 January 2026 Westminster Hall debate, secured after nearly 110,000 people signed a petition calling for licensing and regulation of English dog and cat rescues. Sir Alec Shelbrooke chaired the session, with MPs Ruth Jones, Richard Holden, James McMurdock and Irene Campbell speaking in support, and minister Angela Eagle pledging a government consultation. The Crays Hill, Essex neglect case is cited as the moral argument. Readers should submit written evidence when the Defra consultation opens and demand Rescue Back Up as a licensing condition.

p.36 · Global action

Niki Roe reports from the latest Jack's Giant Journey trip to Gunjur, Gambia, where two vets and three nurses sterilised 74 dogs, vaccinated 49 and treated skin conditions in partnership with Gunjur Dog Patrol. Footsteps Eco Lodge hosted the team. The magazine highlights a 904,872-dog five-year lives-saved projection and explains the switch from ear-tipping to tattoo marking after three dogs arrived too injured to help. Donors can transfer to sort code 30-99-50, account 29-29-24-60, and should lobby airlines to carry veterinary cargo to West Africa.

▸ Breeds & Welfare

p.54 · White Swiss Shepherd Dog

Susan Renno's breed crush profile of the White Swiss Shepherd draws on her own four-dog foundation line, from Asha imported from Spain in 2009 to Coua born in the UK. The article traces the breed from Lobo White Burch in 1966 through Swiss Kennel Club recognition in 1991 and Kennel Club acceptance in 2017, and recommends hip, elbow, degenerative myelopathy and pituitary dwarfism screening. Owner survey data shows 90 per cent rating their dogs 'very clever' or 'genius', and a third reporting picky eaters. Prospective owners should request hip scores and meet both parents before committing.

p.16 · Great Debate: is it time for the merle gene to be eradicated?

Twenty reader responses debate whether the merle gene should be eradicated under the IHA, with breeders Jo Kreimeyer and Beccie Fysh warning that removing merle could wipe out Cardigan Corgis and Old English Sheepdogs, while Jill Spurr calls for compulsory genetic testing instead of pattern bans. The column cites Mary Langeuin's SILV insertion research into Mc to Mh genotypes. Buyers considering a merle cross should request a copy of both parents' DNA test results and check the inbreeding coefficient before paying any premium.

▸ Training & Behaviour

p.48 · Negative forces

Behaviourist Birgitta Marais, who has trained detection dogs, sets out the scientific case against shock collars, prong collars and leash jerks, citing Ziv (2017) and Vieira de Castro et al (2020) on elevated cortisol and impaired learning. The article warns that suppressing a growl can skip straight to a bite, and that fearful detection dogs risk fatal errors in the field. Owners currently using any corrective collar should switch this week to positive reinforcement and book a force-free behaviour consultation before their next walk.

p.46 · Be More Sarah

Victoria Stilwell honours Sarah Fisher, who died in December 2025, the Tellington TTouch and ACE Free Work pioneer whose Tilley Farm workshops reshaped force-free training. The tribute quotes Sarah's final message, 'On we shall go, one determined, peaceful and beautiful day at a time', and cites Andrew Hale's view of professional lives divided into before and after hearing her speak. Readers grieving her loss should sign up for a Victoria Stilwell Academy course or attend next year's Dog Behaviour Conference in her memory.

▸ Features & Regulars

p.30 · Hairy business

The Chiora Project team explain how double-coated breeds shed 600 to 800 grams of undercoat a year, and how their dehairing process turns it into a fibre up to 80 per cent warmer than sheep's wool. The piece warns against leaving brushed fur out for birds, since flea-treatment residues are toxic to chicks. Owners should collect at least 500 grams of husky, shepherd or retriever undercoat in a cardboard box and request a pre-paid shipping label via chiora.org before the March processing batch.

p.66 · Confessions of a dogaholic

Editor Beverley Cuddy uses a personal column to recount three veterinary encounters: a 1980s vet who tried to pop a dermoid cyst on her Beardie Charlie's head without pain relief; a chain emergency-vet trauma that pushed her into the BBC Panorama investigation; and the 'serene' independent vet who helped Betty at Christmas. The piece closes by tying in with the Competition and Markets Authority. Readers unhappy with corporate practice should check CMA complaint routes before changing vets.

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Editor's Take

This is an unusually fierce issue of Dogs Today, and that is its strength. Beverley Cuddy uses her own dog's death on Christmas Eve as the jumping-off point for a 14-page investigation of the government's Innate Health Assessment tool, naming 67 breeds she argues could be wiped out if the proposed visual scoring becomes law. The Welsh greyhound racing ban, the Westminster Hall rescue debate and the Gambian neutering clinic give the issue real geographic reach. Victoria Stilwell's tribute to Sarah Fisher lands with genuine weight. Weak spots: the Q&A pages read like unedited transcripts with typos that distract from the expert advice, and the White Swiss Shepherd feature leans on Etsy price tags where it should have profiled another working dog. Best read by pedigree campaigners, breeders and behaviour professionals rather than first-time puppy owners.

Strengths
• Beverley Cuddy turns personal grief into a 14-page IHA investigation with named contacts and a 67-breed watchlist.
• Investigative reach spans Cardiff Bay, Westminster Hall and a Gambian clinic in a single issue.
• Victoria Stilwell's tribute to Sarah Fisher captures a real loss in the force-free training world.

Weaknesses
• Q&A pages read like unedited transcripts, with typos breaking the expert advice.
• Cover dog Wilma never reappears inside; ad pages outnumber sustainable feature space.

Verdict: Recommended — Angry, agenda-driven issue for pedigree owners, campaigners and behaviour professionals; light on everyday puppy tips.