![A rare breed](https://cdn.magzter.com/1422876029/1675865839/articles/Nq2nzyxxx1676984186503/A-RARE-BREED.jpg)
Have you ever seen an otterhound? Appearing in many different colour combinations - wheaten, sandy, black, blue, tan, liver, grizzle and white - this playful breed is friendly, energetic and affectionate, with a bearded face and drop ears hanging down the side of its head. Its big personality matches its size, with male otterhounds weighing up to a hefty 52kg, compared to a golden retriever at around 30kg.
But despite its good looks and conviviality, the otterhound today is a rare sight and at risk of becoming extinct. Otterhound numbers worldwide are only in the hundreds. In the pandemic puppy boom of 2021, a record-breaking 349,013 puppy births were registered - but just 42 were otterhounds. And by late 2022, only 14 otterhound puppy births had been registered, compared to the most popular breed, the Labrador retriever, with 61,559 puppies recorded. Small wonder that the Kennel Club describes the otterhound as "one of the rarest of all the vulnerable native dog breeds". So why the decline? The answer, it seems, is fashion.
Bill Lambert, spokesman for the Kennel Club's Save Forgotten Dog Breeds campaign, explains. "There are more than 200 dog breeds in this country, each with different personalities, characteristics and needs, and yet people are increasingly opting for the fashionable or obvious choices. Sadly, it seems that TV, celebrities and social media - rather than responsible research - are normally the guiding force behind our choice of dog, and which breeds move in and out of fashion."
The Kennel Club's aim, says Bill, is to maintain "a rich diversity of breeds, so that people can get a dog that is truly right for them. One of the main reasons there is such a decline in popularity of these dogs is because people simply don't seem to know of them."
HUNTING HISTORY
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Adam Henson](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/oP-A_N1Bj1721286988417/ADAM-HENSON.jpg)
Adam Henson
What can you do for our farmers? Go to an agricultural show this summer and talk to them
![Strange sunfish](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/XeJhV_oUa1721286491796/STRANGE-SUNFISH.jpg)
Strange sunfish
Is it missing something? Spot the bizarre head only’ ocean sunfish in UK waters in summer
![SCOTTISH ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY ON CAMERA](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/QvSvD_ihz1721286216322/SCOTTISH-ECOLOGICAL-RECOVERY-ON-CAMERA.jpg)
SCOTTISH ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY ON CAMERA
A unique photographic record brings Scotland’s nature restoration into sharp focus
![FARMING AND THE RISE OF SUPERBUGS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/iI9JcnfGb1721285866035/FARMING-AND-THE-RISE-OF-SUPERBUGS.jpg)
FARMING AND THE RISE OF SUPERBUGS
Antibiotics save lives but unless farmers stop overusing them on animals, scientists warn they could become useless, triggering a global health crisis. Caroline Stocks finds out how British farmers are taking action
![Sense of place](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/M5_-T-FSj1721285360000/SENSE-OF-PLACE.jpg)
Sense of place
Vivienne Crow enjoys a classic summer walk in the Peak District with Amar Latif, the blind adventurer and president of the 4 Ramblers, who is set on making the world more accessible to all
![TOP 10 PIERS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/y-3Jyj0m81721284576602/TOP-10-PIERS.jpg)
TOP 10 PIERS
What could be more redolent of an oldfashioned holiday than a walk on one of Britain's piers? When it comes to length, the following 10 have no peers, says Dixe Wills
![American INVADERS!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/G5YYxlYuA1721284172157/AMERICAN-INVADERS.jpg)
American INVADERS!
Escaping from fur factories in the 1950s, mink flourished in the countryside and began devastating native species. Now conservationists in East Anglia are finally turning the tide on the...
![Colour therapy](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/DipLxP4li1721283469535/COLOUR-THERAPY.jpg)
Colour therapy
Before synthetic dyes, we turned to plants to provide colour in our lives. Steph Wetherell meets a Devon farmer who is not only growing gorgeous dye plants - she's helping people bloom too
![Wild silence](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/xASclTZCt1721283203090/WILD-SILENCE.jpg)
Wild silence
What happens when you spend three days walking wordlessly across Dartmoor, wild camping along the way? Maria Hodson finds out...
![DISCOVER Coast to Coast adventure](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8845/1761289/vlS9ySOeK1721282730996/DISCOVER-COAST-TO-COAST-ADVENTURE.jpg)
DISCOVER Coast to Coast adventure
Alfred Wainwright's breathtaking Coast to Coast walk passes through England's three most spectacular national parks. But more than that, it is a chance to slow down, live the simple life and absorb the stories of the land, enthuses Vivienne Crow