Breed Clubs Have a Responsibility, So Why Are They NOT Promoting Health?
Written by Charlie Stapleton
If anyone looks at the Kennel Club website for a puppy they are advised to look at individual breed clubs for help in receiving the right puppy. This is excellent advice. If only it were true.
You see, I have scanned over 20 breed clubs this week after viewing Pedigree Dogs Exposed and
I am very disappointed that the KC are not policing breed clubs more effectively, after all it’s the KC who approve these clubs.
I have found misleading advice from some rare toy breed sites who say “Their coat is non shedding so should not affect low to mid allergy sufferers. Their most redeeming feature is that they have no known health disorders to date.”, having read extensively on this particular breed I know that is incorrect and very misleading. This group of dogs all suffer a range of disease and illness which is compounded by the very small gene pool in the UK, and according to one member of that breed club, the use of one popular sire is becoming worrying. IF breed club members cant get it right what hope is there for others ?
It’s also worth noting that this breed club do not publish health results for prospective new owners which would indeed be helpful in establishing the validity of their statements above!
This isn’t the only breed club giving false or inaccurate information and not making available health test results from all dogs they have , it’s appalling to only recommend testing breeding stock, health doesn’t become irrelevant once the dog isn’t breeding, it should become more apparent as this is how good responsible breeders can record the health of their breed correctly. I have also seen written “puppies are occasionally available from reputable breeders to responsible homes.”
This would infer that unless a breeder belongs to a breed club then they are irresponsible and not reputable which could indeed be highly misleading, after-all the writer would be stating that they know without doubt this to be factual.
Personally I think it’s just arrogance to imply a ‘we know best attitude’ , when factually that has been proven time and time again to be wrong and inaccurate, to expand upon that we only need to survey owners who have bought from breed clubs and in a way the Accredited Breed Club falls within this category, this is the scheme being touted by the Kennel Club as a saviour for all its ills.
The scheme has some redeeming points but in the main it’s is a scheme that fails to put first and foremost health.
Some breeders who are not members are deemed poor even by the KC, legally I feel that will be challenged soon as once again it would falsely imply that only bad breeders wouldn’t wish to join, as we all know that is wrong and inaccurate, having spoken with many breeders, they inform me that, they refuse to join the scheme because it’s simply being used by the showing fraternity as a pat on the back, yes it recommends some testing, but doesn’t go anywhere near far enough in this regard.
It gives accolades for breeding yet none for health promotion, somehow many feel it’s got its priorities wrong and I would have to agree.
Breed clubs in the main act as a social system for much of its membership and there is nothing wrong with that, but with that should also come responsibilities, testing should be mandatory for all dogs in the ownership of the membership and rescues should be better dealt with.
After 10 years two toy breed clubs are only just starting a rescue service, mostly shamed by others outside these breed clubs offering a service before them. One would hope these schemes are not just a doggy dealership as some breed rescues are labelled. One would hope the placing of the animal comes before the charge for the pet.
If there is to be some light at the end of the tunnel for pedigree dogs, then surely we must start with effective policing of breed clubs and its membership, they should not have a stranglehold on judging, that can and does only result in corruption, not by everyone but by a few, sadly those few will destroy a gene pool. They should not have a stranglehold on
The Kennel Club by misleading through its failure to conform to a yearly health survey.
I do hope the KC start to attack breed clubs like they attack those who do not belong to them or their lacklustre ABS cheme. That is when true responsible breeders will come back and support them.
I heard one Havanese Breed Club committee member making the allegation that “All dogs from Hungary hold false pedigrees”, this is one breeder who is making false statements , and I for one would like to inform this fool, it’s factually harder to breed in Hungary than in the UK, its also harder to receive pedigrees than in the UK.
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The Real Truth About Pedigree Dogs. Ok so the BBC expose on pedigree dogs wasn’t balanced, but who in their real minds would have expected it to be, after all it was an expose!. What many people seem annoyed about is that it failed to recognise those breeders that do test, that do care and that act responsibly. Fair comment, but then it would not have had the same effect if it had done. It has shaken the dog world to the core, it has caused financial worries for the likes of Crufts, but more importantly what it has done is make the public aware that not everyone involved with dogs is honest. For that simple point I must congratulate the Producers. Pedigree dogs in the main are a mixed bag of beans, some breeds less problematic than others health-wise, but , what we all must be aware of is that no dog in the UK is free from some form of genetic disease and that does include mixed breeds, it’s a fallacy to believe that cross bred dogs are more healthy than pedigree dogs, there is no data that can conclude these points. Were we do need to raise public awareness is within what is believed to be honest statements mostly located within breed club websites and the publications that are produced via vanity press companies by members of these breed clubs. No matter who you are I can assure you that your breed will have some form of genetic tendency to disease, whether that be through line breeding, inbreeding or back breeding and out-crossing, so why is it shameful to admit this, well because it doesn’t gel well with buyers! If you look at any breed club website they allege they are the breed experts, they are leading the way in health screening and they know they are doing it well because their dogs win at shows like Crufts. That is not true, there is only a small minority of breeders within the UK that test prior to breeding and they do tend to come from the larger breeds, sadly toy breeds are likely to be less well screened, mostly through apathy and ignorance of the breed clubs, many do not perform annual health screening by all of its members and most support only testing breeding stock. This is outrageous and very short sighted, it clearly sends out the message that after breeding all our dogs are fine. How very limiting is that, one can only truly record a breeds health by continual testing until each dog dies. Many health problems do not arise until the dog is between 8 and 12, does that make it any less relevant? No breeder can produce top quality show winning dogs from every litter and for anyone to suggest they can simply shows how corrupt the show world is, its not about quality but affixes, its all about taking ones turn to win and that can only spell danger for dogs. If owners truly care about the dogs they own then surely they should strive for the best and that entails continual testing and the publication of those results. Part of a successful breeding programme is to be able to recognise problems as they arise and do something about it, if you do not test then the problem simply carries along the lines taking with it some very good dogs, in fact , it quickly destroys a gene pool. Today we are reaping the seeds sown some 25 years ago and yes there are some problems that need dealing with as a matter of urgency, but who is best placed to do this, well in short it has to be the registry and that means the Kennel Club. The KC is not an enforcing agency , it registers pedigree dogs , yes they do require some breeds to health screen which is highly commendable, but they need to be more efficient were breed clubs fail to act with the best interests of dogs. I know of several breeds whose membership cant be bothered to complete an annual health survey, stating our breed is healthy when in reality it is not and does have emerging issues. Its not shameful to say “I have a problem”,the shameful act is keeping it quiet and repeating matings with known carriers, then placing on your websites that you are reputable breeders. This isnt being done in isolation its being performed daily with the consent of breed clubs. To police these type of breeders is essential, yes the KC may lose some judges, yes the KC may lose some established affixes, what they gain though is honest gene pool management and an overall improvement in canine health, ask yourself, what would you prefer ? Its long been banded about that puppy farmers are the only people committing harycary in the breeding pools, I can assure you this isnt true. Yes they create havoc with most breeds, yes they cause suffering on an immense scale, but so do the breeders that fail to realise their dogs are carriers of genetic diseases , yet just because they show their dogs off they do not attract the same level of criticism. I know of quite a few show breeders who are no better than puppy farmers, their dogs are skinny, have illnesses that are left untreated, live in absolute squalor , all under the noses of the breed clubs….. Honesty isn’t always the best policy. It should be, but sadly, some breeders who come clean and tell it as it is are vilified by breed clubs, they produce top quality dogs, but they are attacked by the very same people who are repeatedly getting it wrong. It shouldn’t be an issue that someone has been breeding for 20 years plus, yet it is often mentioned , longevity is irrelevant if that breeder has been getting it wrong for the whole time , in fact it is simply an ignorant continuum of a shoddy practice that is tolerated because of the affix. Many breeders are indeed doing everything possible to eradicate genetic disease and they do not belong to the accredited breeders scheme run by the KC, why I ask, well the answer most give is that the scheme doesn’t go far enough and is simply a pat on the back for exhibition whereupon it should be solely used for health. Accolades are given for breeding yet not testing, somehow the priorities have been confused. The KC do an excellent job in the main for dogs, but they can do so much more by removing the dross from breed clubs and policing breed clubs more effectively. Pedigree dogs give so much pleasure to so many people , but they could also give so much more if breeders learned to educate themselves more an not just attend your breed club for a little show and drinkypoos, too often the drinkypoos are given more time than health promotion and that is why pedigree dogs are getting attacked by people like Jemima Harrison. Her programme may not have left us all with a horrid taste, it did the few that saw it as an attack, in reality they should have seen it as a promotion . A kick up the backside and a public awareness meeting for the many poor sods that will buy dogs from show breeders at extortionate prices because they have champions in the lines…. I hope this clarifies the issues on pedigree dogs.
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