Just over two weeks ago I wrote an article about the Kennel Clubs plans to hold a breed identification course for vets and behaviourists consisting of just four hours training on the subject. Questions raised went unanswered and prompted a second article a week later; after the course had taken place. Despite posing 11 questions in an easy to read format that simply required a straightforward “Yes” or “No” and requesting a comment from the Kennel club, no answers have been given.

The Kennel Club did however supply a comment  (failing to answer a single question) from Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary that said,

“The KC is extremely saddened that despite all the lobbying it leads against BSL across the UK, the funding it provided for leading canine defence solicitor Trevor Cooper to defend the dogs taken in the Liverpool amnesty and all the support it has given to BSL groups such as Deed Not Breed, it is being accused of ’signing dogs death warrants’”.

This sounds like a valid point doesn’t it? However when you actually take it apart and look at the bare bones, it doesn’t seem quite so valid to me.

The Kennel Club is a pretty powerful group. Somehow they managed to convince those in parliament that the voice of the un-elected Kennel Club is the voice of the dog owning public.  As such they do get listened to unlike us mere dog-owning mortals. So lets take a look at

“all the lobbying it leads against BSL across the UK”

Recently we saw the Kennel Club’s press release on the Scottish Control of Dogs proposal, which states:

“the Kennel Club understands that it would not be practical in the current political climate to remove the list of banned breeds from Section 1 of the current Act”

They do? I don’t! It’s unworkable, unenforceable, costly and does not protect the public. The Kennel Club claim to agree with those points yet they refuse to say, “It’s wrong, it doesn’t work, we need it repealed and we need to concentrate on truly protecting the public”.  Refusing for any reason to demand BSL is removed is certainly not “lobbying against BSL”

Then there’s the Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) who have been around a few years now for whom the Kennel club is secretariat. They have drawn up a Control of Dogs act of which the Scottish proposal appears to be a direct copy of.

The objective of that proposal is:

To better protect the public without compromising dogs’ welfare by the

introduction of a ‘Control of Dogs Act’ to incorporate the better aspects

of the Dogs Act 1871 and the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 as amended but

ultimately repeal them, as they are widely criticised for their

deficiencies.

So like me, you think this means BSL is removed right? Thats what Repeal means after all. WRONG! The proposal goes on to state that it will:

Retain the offence to possess or advertise a restricted type of dog (e.g.

currently the pit bull terrier type dog) unless the dog in question is registered

on the Index of Exempted Dogs, and re-open the Index to owner led

applications provided it can be shown on the balance of probability the dog is

not a danger to public safety.

In other words, BSL is the same but if you can prove your dogs nice tempered you can keep it as per the restrictions, which include always on lead and muzzled in public and to be neutered.  However that doesn’t help the probably thousands of owners with crossbreed dogs who may grow up to be a little to tall or muscular. Will they then be seized? Really for this article, that doesn’t actually matter or the fine point problems of the proposal. Do you class this as “lobbying against BSL”? I don’t.

I have seen many a press release each time a story appears in the paper with the Kennel club requesting for no more breeds to be added to the already banned breeds. I also see them asking for the register to be reopened to allow owners to force their dogs to a life on a lead. What I cannot see in ANY of their press releases containing the words “dangerous dogs” currently on their website,  is the Kennel Club demanding BSL is removed. So the lobbying doesn’t seem that brilliant to me!

Then you have the “Experts” being trained up to identify dogs and its no wonder no one has much faith left in the Kennel Clubs “Lobbying against BSL”

Moving on to

“the funding it provided for leading canine defence solicitor Trevor Cooper to defend the dogs taken in the Liverpool amnesty”

In the last year they did pay for Trevor Cooper to help a few of the owners caught up in the Merseyside amnesty. My understanding is they paid for three days in total.  However as the court cases continued, the Kennel Club didn’t. Groups like Deed Not Breed have fought consistently for over a year to ensure that those who needed help got it. Their legal fund is reliant on donations from the public and not a penny has been received to my knowledge from the Kennel Club. So yes, they helped with three days of cases out of goodness knows how many. At a guess I’d say that there’s been in the region of 70 or more cases they haven’t helped.  So to be very correct maybe Ms Kisko should have said:

“the funding it provided for leading canine defence solicitor Trevor Cooper to defend a few of the dogs taken in the Liverpool amnesty”

And Finally we have all the support it has given to BSL groups such as Deed Not Breed,

Maybe the Kennel Club has supported Deed Not Breed but the work done by that group has been down to the hard work of those in Deed Not Breed and them alone. Apart from a spot or two at Crufts and the fact that the Kennel Club is mentioned on the paperwork for Deed not Breed I see little other evidence of the Kennel Clubs support.

If the Kennel Club truly want to be seen as doing “all the lobbying” it claims it does and to be beleived when it claims to be anti BSL maybe now would be a good time to stand up and demand the removal of all BSL.

For the record, I haven’t bothered sending a copy of this to the Kennel Club for two reasons. First, this is my opinion based on what I see. Second, as we saw last time, they don’t answer your questions! The Kennel Club are more than welcome to comment using the reply function at the bottom of the page, just like everyone else.

Highly Recommended: What dog owner wouldn’t want a piece of THIS action? – Get FREE dog food!

Related posts:

1. Questions Unanswered in Kennel Club BSL Controversy
2. An Open Letter to the Kennel Club: You Haven’t Earned the Right to Statutory Powers
3. Breed Club to Take Legal Action Against the Kennel Club
4. Kennel Club Issues Response to Healthy Puppy ‘Culling’ Advice from Breed Club
5. Breed Club STILL Recommending Healthy Puppies Be Killed – Kennel Club ‘Extremely Concerned’