Vet shares the five dog breeds she’d never own

Some 3.2 million households in the UK bought pets during the Covid lockdown, but the RSPCA has recorded an “alarming” 73 percent rise in the number of puppies being abandoned following the spike in demand.

The cost of living crisis has contributed somewhat to the volume of dogs being abandoned, as prices for food and medical care have increased.

If you’re considering adopting, rehoming or buying a dog, UK vet Cat, has revealed the five dog breeds she wouldn’t personally own and her reasons why.

Cat, who is known as @cat_the_vet on TikTok, explained: “As with videos like this, there’s going to be loads of you out there who only breed and love these dogs, and that’s absolutely fine. Just hear me out, okay?”

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1. German Shepherd 

“Absolutely beautiful dogs, and bred to be a guarding breed, but they’re not bred to guard, they’re bred to be suspicious and anxious which makes them really reactive dogs,” Cat said. “If they have a bad experience, they never forget it.

“They’re beautiful, but they’re big, they’re powerful and they can be really, really challenging – so just not for me.”

2. Flat-faced breeds 

“Next up is any of our flat-faced breeds,” the vet revealed. “Again, absolutely fabulous little dogs but they do not deserve to suffer as much as they do.

“And I could just absolutely never contribute to that suffering by deliberately owning one.”

Flat-faced dog breeds include the commonly known pug, French bulldog, boxer, and Shih Tzu.

3. Border Collie 

“Number three is the working border collie,” Cat continued. “I see quite a lot of these in practice bought from farms and kept as pets.

“Huge numbers of them have mental health problems – these are dogs who need a job. I just do not have enough time in my life to put into them to make sure they’re living their best lives with me.”

4. Shar Pei 

“Just generally a breed that doesn’t appeal to me personally,” she added. “But also again lots of health problems and lots of behavioural issues as well – which relates to their health, they’re in pain and discomfort – and that makes them grumpy.”

5. St. Bernard 

“Number five is a St. Bernard dog or any large dog with lots of jowls, quite honestly, I cannot cope with the slobber,” Cat admitted.

“I had a client once tell me that she had slobber on her ceilings! I am 5’2, I would need a step ladder to reach it. Quite frankly, there is more than enough to clean without me having to worry about the ceilings as well.

“Really lovely dogs, very sweet – but honestly, I am just not good enough a housewife to keep up with these guys.”