A "doggie dating website" has been launched to help breeders find a match for their pooch that will improve the health and genetic diversity of pedigree dogs.

A "doggie dating website" has been launched to help breeders find a match for their pooch that will improve the health and genetic diversity of pedigree dogs.

The Kennel Club has launched the website to help breeders find mates for their dogs that will maximise the chances of producing healthy puppies. It comes in response to a number of criticisms sparked by a BBC documentary, which claimed pedigree dogs were suffering from a high degree of genetic illnesses.

The Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club have since run an independent inquiry, which raised points to tackle puppy farming, inbreeding in pedigrees and other welfare issues for dogs.

Health tests which accredited breeders must have carried out on their dogs, along with details of surgery, pedigree, ancestry and genetic diversity of the breed will all be included in the Mate Select programme.

A database will then determine how a proposed mating would impact on the breed's genetic diversity by checking how closely related the prospective pair are.

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