KC vows to get tough

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THE KENNEL CLUB has outlined its plans following Passionate Productions’ programme Pedigree Dogs Exposed.
It states: “At its General Committee meeting on September 2 the Kennel Club agreed to take a number of actions following the broadcast of the recent BBC documentary looking at breed health.
“The KC strongly rejects any implication in the programme that it is complacent or has failed to take seriously, or act on, the issues covered by the programme. This is fundamentally not the case.

Positive action

“We acknowledge that many of those watching are unaware of our work and it is therefore incumbent on us to take positive action. We believe that our best response is a simple but clear examination of the facts and effective communication of the robust measures we are putting in place.
“We acknowledge that some breeds do have problems and have been taking action for many years to deal with them. However, our extensive research underlines the fact that the vast majority of breeds and dogs are healthy.
“Thankfully, few of us, or of the general pet owning public, will have seen any of the problems on the TV programme which were portrayed as commonplace.
“Neither the 160,000 visitors to Crufts this year nor the many millions of other dog-loving viewers who watched it on TV will have recognised the programme’s description of Crufts as ‘disabled mutants in a freakish, garish beauty pageant’ from what they saw – which was beautiful, healthy animals interacting with proud and loving owners.
“This is the reality, and while it is, of course, legitimate to investigate dog health we do not feel that it is legitimate to portray the findings of those investigations in such a one-sided way which completely ignores the efforts of all those most closely involved with dog health.
“To repeat, the KC is far from complacent; where health is concerned more can always be done – and it is being done.
“The KC is proud of the many actions which it and the many breeders and breed clubs have been taking for over 20 years to improve canine health and welfare and just how far we have already come.
“For example:
• The development of the KC/BVA health screening programmes
• The funding and support to enable a vast number of DNA tests to be developed
• The many breed club health programmes
• The health initiatives in partnership with the veterinary profession
• The Accredited Breeder Scheme
• The introduction of working stock to widen gene pools in some breeds
• The KC/BSAVA canine health survey of 52,000 dogs
• The health-inspired changes to breed Standards
• The education programmes for judges and breeders
• The canine research projects funded by the KC Charitable Trust
• The recent facilitation of the Imperial College work quoted in the TV programme
• The introduction of the ‘Fit for function: fit for life’ campaign.
“And there are many more initiatives. We are a concerned and conscientious organisation which has as its main objective ‘the general improvement of dogs.’ As such it defends the commendable actions of responsible breeders, and is proud of the role it has played in both developing and promoting them.
“While we already had in place an on-going detailed strategic plan to deal with all the key health issues the programme has catapulted this topic firmly into the public eye and has added urgency to our existing activity.
“Some of this activity has already been announced but we would like to take this opportunity to outline generally what initiatives are currently under consideration.
“We will make full use of the measures we have within our remit and authority to ensure that all breed clubs and councils encourage their members to undertake health screening appropriate to each breed and that individual breeders reach the highest possible standards of husbandry and welfare.
“The Kennel Club Breed Health and Welfare Strategy Group (BHWSG) will continue to play a major role in this. It consists of a number of people as follows: Dr Ruth Barbour (chairman), Dr Mike Herrtage (Dean of Cambridge Veterinary School), Prof Sheila Crispin (past president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), Frank Kane (chairman of the KC’s Breed Standards Committee), Meg Purnell-Carpenter (vice-chairman of the KC’s Breed Standards Committee), Ronnie Irving (KC chairman) Caroline Kisko (KC secretary).
KC Health Department: Dr Jeff Sampson (genetics advisor), Bill Lambert (health and information manager), Diana Brookes-Ward (health co-ordinator)
“Those breed clubs and councils which have been consulting and making progress with the KC can expect to continue to do so – with renewed vigour and determination.
“Some breed organisations, especially any which may have been unwilling to co-operate with KC demands benefiting the health of the breed, can expect us to be tougher on them and to take unilateral action to enforce its demands if necessary.
“There are already plans under way for members of the Breed Health and Welfare Strategy Group, to deal with issues regarding the following breeds over the next few weeks and months: German Shepherd Dogs, Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds, Neapolitan Mastiffs, Dogues De Bordeaux and a joint meeting of representatives of a number of brachicephalic breeds such as the Pug and the French Bulldog.
“A special meeting will be held to deal with issues regarding the Pekingese breed Standard. It will also look at the possibility of other measures, in the event of breeders or judges refusing to accede to KC requests.

Vet Passport

“We are also considering the introduction of a ‘Veterinary Passport’ before allowing certain breeds to compete at KC-licensed shows.
“This would be designed specifically for particular breeds, confirming the status of a dog’s health and conformation in relation to certain prescribed aspects before they could be shown.
“To ensure consistency across all breeds, the KC is reviewing its own Code of Ethics, taking the Animal Welfare Act into consideration and adding such items as ‘culling’ as an unacceptable practice in relation to non breed Standard traits. As stated some 20 years ago and that remains the case. The KC considers culling to be unacceptable and in fact required the Dalmatian breed clubs to remove this requirement from the breed code of ethics some 20 years ago and had instructed the Rhodesian Ridgeback clubs to remove the requirement from their codes of ethics. KC-registered breed clubs will in future be instructed that they must adopt the KC’s Code of Ethics and that any additions or departures from these must be referred to and be approved by the KC. These will form part of breed club annual returns in future.
“Kennel Club Challenge Certificates (CCs), the means of creating champions, are entirely within the gift of the KC and the allocation to each breed will be reviewed. The General Committee has agreed that the allocation to breeds should, in future, take much greater account of the willingness of those clubs and breeders and judges involved in each breed to deal positively with health and welfare issues.
“Reinforcing the many actions already taken to train and emphasise to judges the paramount importance of health and welfare issues, a conference of group and best in show judges is to be held.
“This will ensure that all of these senior people are given the opportunity to lead the way in recognising the responsibilities they have and to stress the actions which will be taken if judges fail to place health and welfare considerations sufficiently high when judging.
“Consideration is also to be given to requiring breed clubs and councils to organise, every few years, conferences at which mainly specialist CC judges would be required to attend to review breed health and welfare and endeavour to avoid detrimental exaggerations. Judges’ ongoing performance will be kept under review to ensure that health remains an important priority for all when judging.
“With regard to line breeding and genetic diversity the KC’s geneticist, Dr Sampson, has been involved with Imperial College on this issue for some three years and is to continue the work started with them. This work will examine the available research findings, specifically considering the evidence relating to close matings and frequently-used sires. To speed the process, Dr Sampson will enlist the help of a quantitative geneticist to develop this work further.
“Individual breeders lie at the heart of the continuing improvement of the health of our pedigree dogs. Therefore, our major health emphasis for the future of pedigree dogs in this country is going to be through the further development of the Accredited Breeder Scheme (ABS).
“Currently the scheme, which is now just over four years old, is being reviewed and the KC will be outlining its proposals shortly. To be effective, the scheme must be supported by all responsible dog breeders if it is to be taken seriously by the Government and by the puppy-buying public. Some breeders have had doubts about joining and indicating their willingness to support this voluntary scheme.

Demonstrating

“While the ABS is not the complete answer, it does give breeders a way of demonstrating their commitment to dog health and welfare. If serious breeders had doubts about joining before the broadcast of the recent TV programme then it is hoped that the importance of having such a scheme was underlined, and the necessity of everyone working together is vital. The KC is also totally committed to promoting the scheme to the wider public and ensuring its success.
Breeders should recognise that the alternative to being guided by the KC is to be legislated by the Government or a Government-supported organisation. If it is shown that the dog world is unable or unwilling to clean up its own act then recent events

should indicate the way in which such external legislation could go.
“The KC’s communications plans include:
“Relationship with the BBC. It is inevitable that this programme has put strains on the relationship between the KC and the BBC. Legal constraints prevent us at this stage from going into details on how that will move forward. Suffice it to say that we believe that the programme did not correctly represent the work, efforts and investment in health by breeders and the KC.
“However, again our best response here is a positive one. The KC will be in discussions with the BBC about all future programming plans and wishes it to highlight the health and welfare work that is and has been going on. The world of pedigree dogs deserves an opportunity to present a balanced perspective on the subject and be allowed to repair some of the damage which has been done to its reputation.

Disappointment

“Despite our disappointment with this particular programme we have no wish to withdraw from open dialogue with programme makers and will assess all opportunities as they occur with a view to ensuring positive TV coverage of responsible dog breeders, owners and pedigree dogs in general. To this end, a number of other detailed ideas are being explored. Local radio stations continue to offer us a good route to reach the pet-owning public and to spread our messages regarding the advantages of pedigree dog ownership.
“Develop www.doggenetichealth.org website and stress throughout the existing Fit for Function: Fit for Life campaign. Further developments on this campaign will be unveiled in due course. Information regarding available health tests per breed will be tailored for and included with registration documents and as part of our Puppy Sales Register information pack – building on the existing generic information.
“Health booklet. A booklet will be developed as a single source to highlight all the work which has been undertaken and which is being undertaken and planned, to improve the health of pedigree dogs - including research projects currently in hand, details of available health surveys, scree shouldning schemes, DNA schemes and the health work funded by our Charitable Trust. This will enable us to ensure that all who are interested can easily see the amount of work being undertaken both by the KC and by breed clubs.
“With regard to the RSPCA a meeting has already been held between the KC and senior representatives of the RSPCA and further meetings will follow. The true position of dog breeders and all of the work currently taking place is being fully communicated to the RSPCA. We are taking a robust and pro-active line in these discussions, pointing out that in fact both organisations have the same agenda – better dog health.
“The KC will continue to build on existing relationships and projects with the veterinary profession. These already include close contact and meetings with the office bearers of the relevant veterinary bodies, senior academics of the veterinary schools, presence of KC documentation in veterinary practices, visits of veterinary students to Crufts and a range of other activities.
“Full information on all the work undertaken by the KC and breed clubs will also be made freely available to veterinary professionals to ensure that they are aware of all that is being undertaken.
“In conclusion the KC is, and always has been, very well aware of the problems faced by some pedigree dog breeds. It has, along with many responsible dog breeders, been tackling these constructively for many years. It has never made a secret of any of these problems and it is well aware of its responsibilities. We can demonstrate the huge number of ways in which it is discharging these responsibilities. We will continue to research new ways of improving the health of dogs but are proud of its record in this area and will continue in the future to carry out and develop its current health and welfare policies. All of these are designed to achieve its overall objective, ‘The general improvement of dogs.’”