(well, the one I think they should be making, anyways...)
WE ARE BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE -
AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
"Three and a half years ago, our world was shaken by the BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed and the fall-out that followed. Many of us felt the film was unfair, and it certainly didn't highlight the many excellent, health-focused breeders whose dogs we are proud to register. But there was enough truth in it to ensure that it could not be ignored - especially when the veterinary profession, scientists and animal welfare charities backed the film's message and also demanded that the Kennel Club and dog breeders act to resolve problems.
"The fact is that we had taken our eye off the ball. Inbreeding and selection for the show-ring has caused damage in some breeds. We have not taken enough genetic care of the old breeds we treasure or the new breeds coming on to the register. And the breed clubs are, sometimes, a law unto themselves to the detriment of the dogs. And although this is by no means the whole story, these issues are serious enough to warrant action.
"For several years, and particularly in the last three, the Kennel Club has worked hard to try to address problems while endeavouring to keep breeders on board. We haven't always got it right. But we believe there is no point in wishing for a return where we conducted our hobby away from the glare of public scrutiny; or in believing that the critics will go away if we don't do everything we can to ensure we are producing - and rewarding - happy, healthy dogs.
"After a tumultous Crufts that we know was difficult for some of you, the Kennel Club is at a crossroads. One path leads to a world where our hobby is increasingly conducted behind closed doors, where we try to hide from scrutiny. It is, we believe, the path to oblivion. The other path affords a real opportunity for us and UK dog breeders to lead the world as we did when the Kennel Club - the first of them all - was founded in 1873.
"We believe the expertise, talent and commitment to dogs that define many Kennel Club breeders gives us the potential to do something special for dogs - to reconsider some breeds (and re-write their breed standards) where necessary; to open the door to judicious outcrossing where it is needed (and not just in those breeds that are already on their genetic knees); to be transparent on health issues and welcome outside input; to acknowledge that dog shows do need to find a way to reward good health as much as good looks; to give breeders and the public more tools to help them make better choices; to embrace science and history, and to not be too proud to learn from other Kennel Clubs where they are doing it better.
"To do this, we need your support. Please pledge that support - and tell us what you think and what you'd like to see - by emailing Kennel Club Chairman Steve Dean on steve.dean@thekennelclub.org.uk
Beautifully written!
ReplyDeleteI second that Mike!
ReplyDeleteBut if you read the new Exhibitors Voices and Choices Facebook page, which has over 2000 new members in less than 48 hours, including some of the great and influential people in dog showing, breeding and judging, who wouldnt have been seen dead on Mike Davidsohn's old anti PDE page, you will find there is a sudden anti KC militancy. This isnt about the choices facing the KC, its about revolution , its about taking over the KC , opening it up to a more membership, or even founding a new rival kennel club. And its not nutters on the fringe, its being led by people like Andrew Brace. Could be a good thing if it leads to some real democratically led change, but I fear its more about conservative breeders , exhibitors and show judges making sure that nothing changes
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see Mr Davidsohn has not got himself onto this new group
Well, I won't prejudge the meeting and it it might be a Coup d'Etat (the page blurb is telling), but if the dogs benefit, not just another human or two, I don't mind one bit.
DeleteSome ABS members are marvelling at how fast they have organised themselves. Lets hope the outcome is proactive and equitable with dogs (not a new Chairman) firmly in the forefront.
Dalriach, you couldn't be more wrong - although I know it suits JH's sensationalist journalism to think so. The group is not against reform, but the way in which it is being done. Good breeders don't need to hide or continue in secret but do want a good representative body to fight for what we feel is biased, ill informed, sensationalist reporting from PDE
Delete.
And I third that.
ReplyDeleteI would love to think that the time has come to bury the hatchet. I believe the KC has truly demonstrated a willingness to take on the issues that plague the dogs we all love. There are huge problems to solve and by working together, we can accomplish so much more, so much faster.
The letter has already been sent.
As someone who has two of the breeds on the list of 15(English Mastiff and Dogue de Bordeaux) I am glad to see the start of changes that can only better each breed. There are more than 15 that have health issues due to breeding for the show ring. However, I think to DQ BOB winners was BS. The dogs should have been checked prior and then DQ.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it seemed harsh to do it this way around but it would take months to get vet checks on every single dog entered & to police it so that they where truely inspected by unbiased independant vets would be a complete nightmare.
DeleteIt's not like they did not warn the showies what was happening the writting was very clearly & boldly written on the wall well before Crufts.
I think it's bullshit to take a dog you know would not pass an independant unbiased vets health check. If the vet had allowed the dogs with visable eye issues to progress it would have been seen as a total joke to the general public & other dog breeders who want to see health become a priority when breeding dogs.
"I think it's bullsit to take a dog you know would not pass an independant unbiased health check".
DeleteWith regards to the DQ'd bullbog, the breeder and handler had voluntarily submitted this dog for the health check when they were trialing them at BUBA in 2011. The dog in question passed with flying colours but failed at Crufts! So which indpendent unbiased vet was right and which one was wrong???????????????
Here is the letter I just sent him:
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Dean,
I want to thank you for the courageous decisions the KC made this year at Crufts. I do feel sympathy for the owners/handlers/friends of the few breeds who were disqualified but this is trumped by the knowledge that there can be no winner if a dog must suffer in any way to achieve the trophy.
In the coming weeks you will be getting an avalanche of angry letters. Every single dog show insider who is furious with your decision will write you.
Please trust that for every letter like mine, thanking you for this new policy, there are thousands of people who have not written - but applaud you. In the "real world" dog show politics - who wins, what kennel, which handler, etc - do not register very strongly. But cruelty to innocent animals is something that million of us do care strongly about. We didn't know the "inside" world of the dog show and dog breeders had come to this. The more we learn - we normal folks who are the buyers of dogs, and the folks who watch the show with our kids - the more horrified we are.
Thank you for doing what we can't.
Thank you for putting the health of the dog back into dog shows.
Thank you.
That was very nice.
Deletethe pekingese has no health checks advised or manditery,however the breed clubs and the exhibitors are all working hard to identify problems and get testing in motion.with big reserch programs in operation D&A testing excetera.Thank goodness for the comon sense of the AKC who have informed thier countrymen that no such ill thought out and blantently discriminating measuers would ever be put in place by thier governing body as they have more respect for the exhibitor and would not dream of humiliating a breed specialist judge in this way.I note the absence of any in the terrier group as a highlighted breed and yet i know there are some problems there,but then most of the kc big hiters are terrier men .
DeleteThe AKC may have respect for the exhibitor but do they have the same respect for the health and welfare of dogs - which is surely the point?
DeleteI would have thought 'humiliating' a 'breed specialist judge' is relatively inconsequential in this context. If you give it out - as they do - then you've got to be able to take it. Many exhibitors have been 'humiliated' over the years by the very same people.
I NEVER though I would say this....I am so,so proud of the KC right now!!!
ReplyDeleteI could't agree more, thank you KC for having the "backbone" to finally stand up for the health of dogs. Many of us who care deeply about wrongdoings in the show scene feel initimidated and find it difficult to speak out to protect the dogs we love. By our silence we allow the abuse to be perpetuated.
DeleteNow the KC has taken this stance, it gives us more ability to make things change.
Lets put health and welfare at the top of the agenda for ALL dogs.
I know this to be true for so many breeders who can be quietly intimidated and subtly bullied by the breeders controlling committees, or who become judges with the power to endlessly overlook them in the show ring. The decent breeders need to let the KC how much they support this move- and also, tell the KC of ways they feel this broken system could be changed to be inclusive. And how the KC could be more meaningfully supportive of breeders who have felt the whole system was very wrong. So little has been done til now. I admire the KC for having the guts to stick with plans to bring in vet scrutiny on these breeds. The obvious next question is: what about visible health issues in many other breeds that judges continue to ignore? And more concerning: the invisible genetic issues that some of these winning dogs carry genes for yet are knowingly bred despite test results kept secret? A new health focused show system needs to evolve.
DeleteMy tribute to Mr Dean:
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Dean
I don´t know if you are aware of the exploation BBC´s "pedigrees exposed" has become? The KC and pedigrees has been a hot topic on all swedish dog forum boards worth talking about sense the first movie was released. How the situation is in other countrys I can only guess, but I would think it´s been the same as in sweden.
What ever the different clubs inside the KC is saying, this was needed! I haven´t read any forumpost (yet) in sweden that isn´t positive to your new policy, even if most is saying that more needs to be done, and I think you agree with me here?
Today the KC should held there heads high and be proud. You have tanken a very importent step: forward.
I hope you all manage to keep your spirits up during the next rocky mounths/years.
Best regards
Hanna Jensen, Sweden
Not as good as the previos posted here, but I think I´ll be forgiven considering eng isn´t my first language ;)
At Crufts we went along to campaign for change and I was proud to see 2 things. 1 that the KC were putting veterinary opinion over that of the judges and 2 that the general public seemed more interested in the Golden Retriever display team and other demos than they did the show dogs :) I suspect attendance (on Sunday at the very least) was lower than previous years.
ReplyDeleteThe time for change is now and we must support the KC in their current efforts and push for more helpourdogs.co.uk
Letter of support emailed :) and we will be adding a statement of support to our template letter campaigning for further change.
It may not have been the 'prefect' outcome but it is DEFINITELY the start of stepping in the right direction.
Did Dean ACTUALLY write that letter? I though it was what he SHOULD have written.
ReplyDeleteNo, the title says it's what Jemima would like the KC to say. It's not a real statement.
DeleteThis action took a lot of guts. Other Kennel Clubs throughout the world should follow suit. There is a need to ensure our dogs do not live in discomfort and pain in order to display the exaggerations that the showing of them seems to have created. Interpretation of the standards set does needs to be more defined to ensure that we do bring out the best healthy dogs. I know there are responsible breeders of all the listed breeds who also wish to see their chosen and beloved breed live happy healthy lives. Take the helm and those who already have healthy lines will nod their head in agreement and all who love dogs, no matter, what breeds will work with you to create healthy dogs to continue this wonderful sport of showing. I admire you Kennel Club for taking the lead on what must have been a very difficult decision.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am truly amazed, gob smacked even that I would ever see a statement like this. Well done Steve Dean and well done the KC.
ReplyDeletePlease, please, please keep up the momentum, could it possibly be true that at last the tide is turning.
Not written by Steve Dean!
DeleteI'm still gobsmacked that the KC took what can only be described as a very brave decision, not only to include the vet checks, but to actually stand by the vets decisions. I don't normally support the KC but for this they get full marks. Like many others I was concerned that the vet checks were just put in place to keep the critics quiet, and that they wouldn't have any real bearing on the results. How wrong was I? Wronger than a wrong thing in Wrongsville, but happily so.
ReplyDeleteI do feel sorry for those who's dogs failed the checks, it can't be nice when you think you've won, only to be told afterwards that no, you haven't. But it wouldn't be practical to check every dog prior to the competition - thousands of dogs at Crufts, it'd take weeks. The current system isn't perfect, but better to have the vet checks done after the judging than not at all. And surely it is better to know if your dog has a health issue than to not know? Better for the dog at least.
As for those now threatening to break away from the KC, what for? Now that the KC is (very publicly) taking the bull by the horns so to speak, they will gain public support, something they began to lose after the first PDE. If certain people in the show world think that breaking away is the right way forward then they really ought to think again. Any breakaway organisation will be viewed with suspicion, as people will wonder if they did it to maintain the status quo, just under a different name. And to be fair who could blame us? On the face of it that's exactly what it looks like they are trying to do. The public are much more aware now of the health issues, does the breakaway organisation really want to be known as the ones who broke away because they DIDN'T want health testing on their dogs? Isn't that what so many of them accuse the puppy farmers/ BYB's of doing? If the new organisation doesn't want health tests, are they really likely to do a better job than the KC? The dogs health and welfare MUST come first, trophies and rosettes should be secondary. The KC has it seems seen the light, pity some breeders/ show fanciers still want to live in the dark ages.
Email of thanks and support on it's way to Steve Dean, hopefully the first of many.
Letter of support emailed to Mr Dean, and suggesting blog readers do the same. Will contact Swedish Kennel Club and suggest they make statement in support of the KC.
ReplyDeleteThe likes of Andrew Brace may be the acceptable face of showing but he's no friend of fundamental reform. When he speaks against "generic” or “vanilla” dogs he’s just using code for preserving those features that pose potential health issues.
ReplyDeleteI think we’re seeing true colours coming through and I fully expect the KC to climb down. Still, was good while it lasted.
I don't believe the KC can, will, or would want to climb down as they are in the morally superior position backed overwhelmingly by public opinion including that of the many thousands of breeders who actually care about the health of dogs.
DeleteYou silly silly woman. Posting fake letters from the Kennel Club shows the world exactly how you bend rules to suit yourself.
ReplyDeletehere here look how her sheep follow her baaaa baaa
Delete"Posting fake letters"? Oh you silly, silly anonymous. You have no imagination to appreciate writing with style, but you will put up with breeding for style?
DeleteEven your stupid followers believe your spoof letter! No wonder they believe you!
ReplyDeleteDude, I know I can read. She pretty clearly labeled it as not real. She was just getting her damn point across.
DeleteJust sent mine too !
ReplyDeleteI have to hand it to you Jemima.. your acolytes will believe anything and blindly follow you.. what surprises me is that many of them cannot read.
ReplyDeleteA clever way to inspire people to fill the KC inbox with emails of support :)
DeleteWhat about the people who care about pedigree dog health who didn't form their opinion based on PDE. What about those of us who have long been concerned about the issues surrounding ALL pedigree breeding..via BYB, puppy farms AND show breeders?
If we all love dogs and all want the same thing (healthy, happy dogs enhancing our lives) then we all have to put our ego away, put our backs down and see these issues for what they really are.
there is always the delete button
DeleteBlindly? oh how blind are those who cannot see or who have no sense of feeling apart from your own egos. Congnitive dissonance, or out and out psychopathic? Look up the definition of psychopath ! Those who believe everything should remain cosy in the dog world, because YOU are the expert exhibitors fall into the above categories. Judgmental YES YES YES AND PROUD TO BE SO on the part of those who have no voice.
DeleteOh by the way, I don't follow anybody. I make up my own mind, and was concerned about health issues LONG before Jemimah came on the scene. Come on all of you who truly care about the welfare of dogs, not just health - but the overall comfort of dogs in their day to day life, not just how they look in the ring - time to make that stand. Write to the KC anyway, it will probably get deleted, but if enough of you do it, at least you can jam up their inbox for a long time to come and cause them just a bit more of a headache.
"...what surprises me is that many of them cannot read."
ReplyDeleteCan read just fine, thanks. Too bad so many of the apologists for bad breeders can blindly believe that people who work to improve canine health are in league with animal rights terrorists. No, I don't like PETA and own two pure breed dogs. What Crufts has done is courageous and should be applauded.
Indeed, I am quite tired of being accused of being in bed with AR because I am happy that those within the Fancy are policing themselves. Funny how the KC was one of the "good guys" until they make an effort for positive change and now they are part of a "war on purebred dogs." It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.
DeleteWe appear to be having a bit of a Orson Wells "War of the Worlds" moment, would the Steve Dean had opened up and called for support to save reform from the forces of reaction.
ReplyDeleteA bit of FYI...never think a "democratic" KC will be other than a reactionary and self-serving bunch of nutters.You can bet your life it wouldn't be open to just anyone with a dog. Any democracy would extend to "established dog people". Give those people a democratic fig leaf and they'll think they're God...correction they think they're God already, they'll know they're God!
Dear sweet Anonymouses - or should it be Anonymice? - it is not wholly uncommon to write a "spoof" leading article,for instance, as a way of explaining what you feel somebody OUGHT to say on a specific matter.
ReplyDeleteIs this the best you can come up with? Please do march away from the KC, organize yourselves into oblivion, and give the rest of us and the dogs a break!
Do you ever stop to think - if the status and the legitimacy which the KC stamp gives your litters in the public eye should disappear; are you certain they would be as easily sold at the prices you have been used to?
I think that perhaps you will find out that the KC does better without you than you will do without the KC.
Who cares if its a anonymous comment or not, do you think i bother searching your name to see who you are er gee no, if a comment is valid its valid regardless of whether it has a name (fake or not) attached to it!
DeleteBravo! Exactly. I'd love to see them break away though. Then people will know who NOT to buy puppies from and what new club NOT to believe when it issues empty statements about being pro dog health. The public can then rest assured the opposite must be true.
DeleteBodile
DeleteYou will find most kc reg dogs sell at a lower price than the 'designer breeds' aka MONGRELS ie labradoodle which is in fact labrador x poodle sell for far greater yet these dogs mainly come from unchecked parents n from puppy farms or joe bloggs who have one breed n their mate down road had x breed n they put them together.no thought of the pups or their health just what they can sell the pups for.
Never new there where so many people out there called Anonymous. Must be confusing when you all get together.lol.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the Jemima bum chums never say anything about the anon supporting posts. Whats the difference, its easier to post in this blog using anon imo
ReplyDeleteA golden rule on the net is if you have something to criticize, you can also stand behind it.
DeleteIt´s way to easy to be hard on people/subjects when you can "hide" behind an anon.
Not that hard to chose name/URL when you post, and put your name on your comments.
Its just easier to use "anonymous" as an identity rather then go through all the rigmarole of signing into whatever account and then creating an identity. Lazy? no ! I just suffer from a condition a growing number of pedigree dogs have, and it makes life a bit easier for me. However, IF I was a dog, I would have no choice in the matter, especially reading what these psychopathic individuals keep saying to support their cosy corner image. To them I would just have to get on with it and keep on performing. Sounds rather like the governments mentality of forcing the sick and disabled back into the workplace eh? Psychopaths love their position of power more than anything else in life.
DeleteI just don't have a Google account et al (not massively up on modern inter web stuff) so I have to post as anonymous. I do sometimes put my name, then I sometimes "forget".
ReplyDeleteAs a rule of thumb anything funny, insightful and well written...isn't one of mine.
Kevin Colwill
noted in your profile it says you bring rescue dogs over from ireland,
ReplyDeletewe have Dorset dog rescue that does the same, from a place called instigo, is this the same place as yours comes from
We take rescues from several pounds/recues in Ireland but, yes, including Puppy Rescue in Inistioge - which will always have a special place in my heart because that's where my Jake came from in 2008. I believe the Blue Peter dog also came from there..
ReplyDeleteJemima
Okay, so since you all are so concerned with pedigree dogs, what do YOU suggest the KC and show breeders do to make things better?
ReplyDeleteHere are a few suggestions. Take a long hard look at the whole idea of race and purebred dogs. It is after all a human creation to have separate breeds and closed breed registers. Perhaps breeding for type is the way forward, and it would open the gene pool. Put health and sound mentality before type and confirmation.For the was majority of dog owners a helathy happy dog is far more important than a sick dog who lives up to some estoric fantasy image. Health checks for all breeds. The 15 listed breeds have documented health problems, but that does not mean that all the other breeds are free of health issues. If dogs are proven to have genetic defects that can be inherited they should be banned from breeding. Outbreeding might work in breeds that have al large number of individuals, but in smaller breeds it is just a genetic gamble.
DeleteI am sure others will have many more suggestions.
Petra M, Stockholm, Sweden
So let's do away with dog races all together let's go back in years and let them roam and mate with whatever takes there fancy, male, female, mother father ooohhh wait isn't that what your also supposed to be against.
DeleteYes, lets by all means take things to the other extreme end of the spectrum ;).
DeleteOr we could just modify our thinking when it comes to selective breeding. Somehow I don´t think that putting health before type will mean that dogs will roam free and mate indicriminately.
And where do mosy rescue dogs come from be it cross breeds or pedigrees backyard breeders or puppy farms.most reputable breedrs have contracts stating the dog must go back to them if circumstances change. Proper breeders arnt the issue they are just easy targets because they have someone governing them whereas joe bloggs down the road answers to no-one. Why not concentrate efforts into makin people realise that its the back yard breeders n puppy farmers that are the problem who know that much about breedin n puppy rearing that you could write it on a postage stamp. Ive known of a few,sellin pups a few weeks early,weanin early,no vet checks on pups or parents,sellin pups sick,unsocialised.why did they breed? Because they needed money. Most have ended up in rescues simply because of problens they have. Would a reputable breeder allow or do such things.NO WAY. That is what is needing to be stamped out.if backyard breeders n puppy farms were stopped our rescues wouldnt be full. Ohb n before anyone says im against crosses and rescues all my dogs are rescues.
ReplyDeleteMost dogs in shelters, at least here in the U.S., are young adult dogs who were adopted as puppies and were then dropped off at the shelter when they got to be bigger, less cute, and more work. The problem is not breeders as much as it is irresponsible pet owners who are not in it for the long haul and who see dogs as a disposable item.
DeleteAnon, I don't think you have any real idea of the situation in Ireland or you wouldn't write as you have done.
DeleteJemima
I've fostered lots of pedigree dogs and yes they do sometimes come from show breeders and the backyard and puppyfarm bred ones usually have pedigree's with champions in them ( someone has sold them their original breeding stock at some point , they did not magic them out of thin air)
ReplyDeletemy latest foster dogs who came covered in flea's and bald patches from a show kennel closing down, had been shown in their younger days and had champion parents.
paying to enter a show and winning prizes does not automatically make you better than anyone else, infact it might make you worse as at least puppyfarmers are honest about what they do , not pretending to be superior when they are breeding dogs with defects
This it's all byb, puppy farms, etc. fault for health problems and dogs in rescue is nonsense. It is a major problem and needs dealt with but I can tell you for a fact that about half of the dogs we see at the boxer rescue I'm involved in come for "reputable" breeders and show kennels. We get the get the pedigree papers handed in with lots of these dogs, so we know exactly where they are coming from. Never once has a breeder took a dog back that has been handed to us and yes we have asked. So in the 4 years I have been involved and the 300plus boxer that have been rehomed not a single breeder has ever taking a dog back or offered to help in any way.
ReplyDeleteThe dogs we see with the most health problems are from a show kennel who are on the breed council committee. Then we have other "reputable" breeders letting their dogs out to stud but when the entire litter end up with Demodectic Mange and the breeder with the bitch claim they can't afford to take the pups back or help with treatment, its the rescue that end up with 3 of the dogs, one in a horrific state after being locked in a shed by the breeder for weeks without treatment. The person with the stud dog was told, they did nothing to help, they were a vet and on the breed council. So their responsibility ends with the taking of the stud fee? So the rescue needs to foot the bill for thousands as a result.
It's an absolute disgrace. People don't have a clue what goes on at half these so called "reputable" breeders kennels. So we should completely ignore this type of behaviour? No one is saying puppy farms aren't a major problem, there has been lots of TV shows about them, lots of campaigns run against them, lots of newspaper articles. We need someone to address the other side of the problem too, we need to make breeders stop burying their heads in the sand.
Absolutely Ewan
DeleteResponsible breeders always take dogs back. I have taken a five year old and even a ten year old back. Kennel Club Accredited breeders have to take their dogs back.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your definition of "Reputable"? Just famous maybe?
Buy from a responsible breeder not a reputatble one!
Carol
Not a scientific sample I know, but I have known of two dogs taken back by their breeders: despised 'hobby breeders' in both cases. One mongrel terrier, one pure bred. Mongrel terrier was found a nice new home, and the pure bred is, years on, still with her breeders.
ReplyDeleteSo, as far as I can see, hobby breeder does not necessarily equate to someone pumping out puppies to fill up Battersea Dogs Home.
And I am so pleased that the KC has finally decided that it does have teeth after all, and that it is capable of using them to the benefit of the dogs.
Bex
PS Posting under anonymous as my posts seem to go AWOL otherwise
Is the only defence that the breeders/owners etc can come up with 'well byb and puppy farmers are worse than us!'
ReplyDeleteTrying to shift the spotlight and blame so it seems...
I say let these breeders and judges and whoever else break away from the KC and *try* and set up their own alternative system. It's been tried before, it's failed dismally. They will sink into oblivion and that is the very best place for them if they don't wholeheartedly support reform in dog health.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the health checks but it should be for every breed as Jermina you programmed exposed the King Charles with a hereditary brain condition who was allowed to keep breeding plus a boxer who sired 800 pups with a heart condition, firstly neither of these breeds are on the high profile list, and secondly these condition would not or will not be picked up at the vets checks at shows. the vets checks are looking for eye conditions which can be uncomfortable for dogs but these conditions can be illiminated with an operation and even though the show days will be over the dog will not be uncomfortable anylonger
ReplyDeleteThis conversation has gone away from the current topic, which is how Crufts and others can influence breeding away from the most obviously cruel dog breed designs. It's a start, but as we can all see, some people remain in denial about even the worst cases. For example, the cavalier now has a genepool too far infiltrated by bad genes to justify its continued existence and yet some people may disagree despite all the indisputable evidence.
ReplyDeleteKeeping to the main topic, we can only hope that the kennel club initiative gathers pace and starts to include all obviously cruel designs not just those more easily picked off numerically small breeds. For example surely the body of evidence is sufficient to justify non recognition of the cavalier king charles breed by the kennel club. Visibly freakish designs may never be all that popular but the cavalier seems to get under the radar because it is perceived as such a pleasant pet breed for the family - until, that is, those rather unpleasant (and expensive) diseases manifest themselves in such a high percentage of the breed.
ReplyDelete