Will the Kennel Club Outlaw Father to Daughter Matings?

Following a quote in the Times newspaper last week:

Incestuous inbreeding of dogs – sons with their mothers and half siblings with each other – is also to be tackled.

Heartened by this apparent turnaround by the Kennel Club, who have publicly claimed that it would be ‘against the law’ for them to outlaw father to daughter and brother to sister matings, we asked the Kennel Club to clarify what was meant by incestuous breeding to be ‘tackled’.

The KC secretary Caroline Kisko told us:

First generation mating is now very uncommon. However, the breed health plans that we announced a couple of days ago will include three elements: appearance and conformation, disease and finally, genetic diversity.

The final part will enable us to take advantage of the research that was conducted by the Imperial College, into breeding - so that we can measure and record levels of genetic diversity within the breeds and ensure breeders take appropriate action where problems do exist as a result of a limited gene pool. More information about the specifics of how this will work will be announced in due course. “

The Kennel Club is set to announce the results of its ‘breed health plans’ in February of 2009, just in time for the run up to Crufts.

K9 Magazine has spoken to a number of pet health care professionals who are privately concerned that it will be exceptionally difficult to conduct a comprehensive investigaton in to the health of 209 dog breeds in such a short time frame and they are worried at why such an ambitious target date has been set, seemingly to coincide with Crufts 2009.

The concern has been expressed to us on the basis of the immediate change the KC made to the breed standard for the Pekingese (advising that the breed must have a defined muzzle) but no instruction has been offered as to how breeders may achieve this cosmetic change in a breed which has been purpose bred (to breed standard) to have a notably flat face. The chairman of the Pekingese club, Barry Offiler has publicly hit out at the change in standard, suggesting a lack of awareness as to whether or not outcrosses would be allowed (according to KC rules, they are not) in order to achieve the development of defined muzzle.

“If it’s got a muzzle it won’t be a pekingese, and if we have to breed dogs with a muzzle which breed do we cross with them?”

Many people are fearful that the KC is over reaching in an attempt to hit a self imposed target date rather than comprehensively dealing with the breeds in most urgent need of attention.

Author Details
Ryan O'Meara is editor-in-chief of K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers. He lives in the East Midlands with his own two dogs, Mia and Chloe. - See this author's webpage

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