Editing Rhodesian Ridgeback (section)

===Culling of puppies===
Traditionally, many Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies were [[culling|culled]] at birth for numerous reasons, including ridgelessness. Some breed parent clubs and canine registries in Europe have even made the culling of ridgeless whelps a requirement. Contemporary breeders are increasingly opting for surgical sterilisation of these offspring to ensure they will not be bred but can live into maturity as non-showing, non-breeding pets. It was pointed out on the BBC One investigative documentary ''[[Pedigree Dogs Exposed]]'' that the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain's "code of ethics", which is ratified annually by the [[kennel club]], states that "Ridgeless puppies shall be culled",<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/ethics.html |title= Code of Ethics Page|date=2007-05-22 |access-date=2011-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522040713/http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/ethics.html |archive-date=May 22, 2007 }}</ref> and that "mismarked" puppies will only ever be sold on condition that they are never shown, and are neutered.<ref name="web.archive.org"/> The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club defended itself pointing to the statement that follows, "if a breeder finds this morally impossible [to cull the puppy] the puppy shall be homed..." as indication that culling is not mandatory, but preferred.<ref>[http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/index.html RESPONSE TO BBC PROGRAMME "PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224153057/http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/index.html |date=2008-12-24 }} The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain</ref> It was only after the publicity surrounding the promotion of culling that they reversed their code of ethics to say "no healthy puppy will be culled".<ref>[http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/ethics.html General Code of Ethics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020181718/http://www.rhodesianridgebacks.org/ethics.html |date=2011-10-20 }} The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Great Britain</ref>