AN animal rights protester from North Yorkshire has spoken out after she was part of a demonstration at dog show Crufts.

Julie Hayes, 39, who is a former business editor at The Press in York and is originally from Tockwith, joined fellow protesters who unfurled a banner saying 'boycott breeders'. 

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Julie who now lives in Hull, is an editor at PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and says she clung on to the railings with a fellow activist shouting 'adopt don't shop' before security staff intervened and dragged the protesters from the arena at the weekend.

She said: “Anyone who has ever had the privilege of becoming acquainted with a dog will know they’re individuals with their own thoughts, feelings, and personalities.

"They’re not products to be bought and sold. Crufts celebrates everything that’s wrong with the dog-breeding industry: The Kennel Club’s breed standards, against which dogs at Crufts are judged, encourage the unnatural breeding of dogs to have extreme features that some humans may find aesthetically pleasing but which cause debilitating health problems."

"I held up a banner, reading ‘Boycott Breeders’, because whenever someone buys a dog, they deprive a homeless individual of a good home, support the exploitation of dogs repeatedly used for breeding, and encourage breeders to bring more puppies into the world – many of whom will suffer from health problems and be surrendered to shelters or abandoned by people who bought a dog on a whim because they’re marketed like toys.

"Anyone who genuinely cares about dogs should adopt, not shop, and can help by telling Channel 4 to stop giving airtime to the shameful event ."

A Crufts spokesperson said: "Crufts is a unique platform which educates breeders, owners and judges about the importance of ensuring dog health is their top priority, as well as millions of visitors, and viewers on Channel 4, about how to get the right dog for your lifestyle, so that all dogs - whether rescue dogs or puppies - are happy and healthy, with a home for life.

"And The Kennel Club, which organises the event, is at the forefront of improving dog health by investing in research and developing health tests, some of which we offer for free to those at Crufts. 

"The event is a forum for promoting improved health and moderation, providing breeders with evidence-based tools and resources to protect and improve dog health, and is a vital educational platform which urges people to ‘stop and think’ before getting a dog.

"While Peta believes that it is wrong to own dogs as pets at all, there are millions of dog lovers that would disagree, and millions of dogs that are well cared for by responsible owners."