BBC’s Continued Coverage of Crufts In Doubt in Wake of Pedigree Dogs Exposed Program
The BBC has today sensationally threatened to review its coverage of Crufts dog show in light of what it perceives to be heel dragging by the Kennel Club in not being active enough in attending to some of the serious problems affecting pedigree dogs.
The amazing claim during an exchange between the Kennel Club’s Bill Lambert and RSPCA chief vet Mark Evans on BBC Breakfast. The BBC’s press office confirmed it was in negotiation with the Kennel Club to discuss the serious issues raised by tonight’s program ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’.
It comes as a further blow to the Kennel Club who have been ravaged by the RSPCA this morning as well.
The RSPCA’s chief vet Mark Evans described it as a ‘parade of mutants’ in the documentary, which has already drawn hostility from the Kennel Club even before it has aired, who fear the program is likely to attack them and the world of pedigree dog breeding.
Ronnie Irving, chairman of the KC is heard in the program, saying his 40-years experience with breeding dogs carries more weight than the scientific community, “I don’t want a bunch of scientists telling me that they know more than I do about all the dogs I’ve known over 40 years” he barks when questioned about some of the serious health concerns running through many pedigree breeds.
The show, which has been two years in production, has already drawn a stinging rebuke from the Kennel Club who have accused it (without yet seeing it) of bias.
But the RSPCA chief vet is adamant the Kennel Club must bear the weight of responsibility for many of the problems affecting today’s pedigree dog breeds. He said:
RSPCA chief vet Mark Evans was interviewed for the programme.
“The welfare and quality of life of many pedigree dogs is seriously compromised by established breeding practices for appearance, driven primarily by the rules and requirements of competitive dog showing and pedigree dog registration.”
The Kennel Club, for their part have issued a preemptive statement hitting out at what they said was preconceived bias. Speaking about the program the Kennel Club say:
“We soon discovered that the members of the production company seemed to have pre-conceived and extremely biased views on the subject. Alarm bells rang when we found out the biased nature of many of the questions being posed both to ourselves and to others.”
For regular readers of K9 Magazine, they will know that the Kennel Club is highly sensitive to criticism and has a habit of trying to deflect rather than address the issues they are being criticised for, a preemptive attack on a program they have not yet even seen would appear to be in keeping with this trend.
But the RSPCA is not on the same page as the UK’s governing body of all things pedigree dog. Mark Evans speaking on BBC Breakfast explained that the RSPCA is “very concerned about the unacceptably high levels of disability in pedigree dogs”.
Bill Lambert disagrees, saying: the vast majority of dogs are “perfectly healthy”. He goes on. “The vast majority of breeders do not do close breeding.” He goes further on the issue of sibling matings and parent to offspring matings saying “We can’t ban it in practice (sibling matings).” This, despite the fact that other countries have done just that (ban incestuous matings).
Mark Evans added: “There is overwhelming scientific evidence to support the fact that there is a major problem. This is a time bomb waiting to happen. The odds are heavily stacked against pedigree dogs.”
K9 Magazine, as many regular readers will be aware, has been calling for urgent reform of dog breeding practices in the UK for several years. Judging by initial reactions, the KC has tucked tail and gone on the defensive – including a preemptive press release and promoting a website www.doggenetichealth.org which is actually registered to a public relations company – rather than take on board the serious concerns that many, many dog lovers have been expressing over time.
The RSPCA is to be commended for sticking their head above the parapet on this issue, however they are still a very prominent presence at Crufts of dog show with a large trade stand. Surely they have to make a decision on where their priorities lie, with the health and welfare of dogs or with their profile raising activities at the largest dog show, which surely has to be seen as endorsement of the flagship event of the industry they are now so aggressively condemning.
The BBC’s claim that they are to review the ongoing televised coverage of Crufts, whilst sensational, needs to be monitored. They (the BBC) have obviously got enough concerns about what Pedigree Dogs Exposed has raised and it will be important that reform happens and happens now. No action is unacceptable. No action is what has lead us to where we are today.
For their part, the Kennel Club needs to accept that the world of pedigree dogs needs strong leadership. They have singularly failed to provide it, leading dogs to where they are today – with many breeds a pitiful, disease riddled shadow of what they should be. It is wholly unacceptable to appoint itself as the leader in the world of pedigree dogs and to issue the public objective that: “The primary objective of the Kennel Club is ‘to promote in every way, the general improvement of dogs’ whilst going on national television to state they are powerless to prevent sibling matings. This is absolute bunkum. If the Kennel Club is unable to effect a rule that allows them to refuse to register the offspring of father to daughter matings, brother to sister matings and other inbreeding that would, frankly, be illegal in our own species, when other countries have done just that, then it really is time for them to pack it up, step aside and accept that their tacit endorsement of horrendous breeding practices is causing far more harm than good.
The Kennel Club should be left in no doubt, it must reform or die.
Highly Recommended: What dog owner wouldn’t want a piece of THIS action? – Get FREE dog food!
Related posts:
- SSPCA Demand BBC Give Crufts the Axe after Pedigree Dogs Exposed
- A Message to the BBC on Behalf of True Dog Lovers (Pedigree Dogs Exposed)
- BBC Issues Crufts TV Coverage Position re Pedigree Dogs Exposed
- RSPCA Chief Vet Condemns ‘Parade of Mutants’ – Pedigree Dogs Exposed
- BBC Cuts Crufts Coverage: Decision Reflects Serious Concern For Pedigree Dog Health
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Nice article.
‘Real leadership in the dog world’, well they walked away from the American Pit Bull Terrier and left it to it’s fate.
I really am not a fan of the PBT, but if it is a recognised breed in the USA and other countries, why does the KC and the British government (probably on the advice of the KC) not recognise it?
Compare them and their ‘type’ brethren in the UK, with other larger, similar type dogs, the list is endless and I am not talking about Rottweiler’s. There are lots of big breeds that have an ancestral connection to fighting, either animals or humans, take the English Mastiff as the ultimate ‘war dog’ from the days of Knights going in to battle with these dogs. One of the oldest Mastiff lines is supposed to be descended from such a dog that went off to some battle in the 1300’s (might have been the battle of Crecy?) and stood over its dead masters body whilst the battle raged guarding it.
Wonder what the TV prog will say about pedigree dogs, also completely shocked that the BBC may be considering their coverage of Crufts…wow!
The KC response makes you even more determined to watch the programme, if they have not seen it themselves, why are they ‘going off on one’ about it?
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Even though I agree that the Kennel Club must face facts, they are not alone in their stance—almost all registries worldwide with laudable exceptions react like this—and genetic diseases in dogs are not the fault of the Kennel Club. They are caused by the ignorance of breeders who know nothing about genetics and whose only aim is to win rosettes. The judges who give prizes to extreme examples must also be blamed. What the Kennel Club must do, IMHO, is to impart as much information as possible. In order to do this, scientists, much maligned by Mr. Ronnie Irving, must be part of the information process so that every breeder will know the deleterious effects of inbreeding.
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Its not so much the kennel club, but the show world that is ruining our breeds. I used to show Belgian Shepherds. At one show I was put second behind a dog which clearly had faults not saying my dog had none, but he was a better specimen of the breed, than the one, placed best of breed. Knowing the judge personally, I later asked her why? To be told the owner of the other dog, was also a judge, and would be judging the next championship show, and if she had knocked her dog, then the other judge would do likewise. How fare is that? I paid good money to enter my dog, and a dog with more faults, was placed above my dog, because of his owner. The judge also said to me, “its show life! get used to it, its not your dog but who owns it.” So all these “so called champions” are becoming champions of their breed, not because they are the best, there is to breed from, but because they have an influential owner. I have since given up showing and I have also moved away from Belgian Shepherds, as I think the show world has ruined the breed, from what they used to be, no longer do you see the rich mahogany red with black overlay they are all a washed out beige. A lot of them don’t even seem to have a decent stop they have taken the continental lines too far as they are starting to look more like, rough collies. I know the Belgian was never as heavy boned as a German but now they look like their legs would snap. Its also hard to tell the dogs from the bitches, as the dogs don’t seem to have the coat they once did with their gorgeous rough. I now keep and breed German Shepherds but I would never entertain purchasing one from show stock as the show world has also ruined this breed. When did you ever see a German from the past, with a banana back? never! that is the way the show world have bred them because they are too lasy to teach a proper stack. Even the police seem to be moving away from using Germans in favour of the Belgian because of the problems with the Germans back & hips. This is where the kennel club should do more! They could help eradicate certain health problems such as hip & elbow displacia, by only allowing puppies from health tested parents with good results, to be registered. I test my dogs for both of these but it isn’t complusery I could register puppies from dogs that haven’t been tested, which I think is so wrong. It should be conplusery, to test all parents for any fault within there breed!
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It is not only the show breeder that has caused inherent problems within pedigree dog breeds. Much blame must be a the door of the commercial breeder/puppy farmer who breeds from dogs to produce the puppies that they can then sell onto dealers and pet shops. They follow fashion trends and breed what ever fashion dictates, is the latest must have, in respect of puppies.
The commercial breeder/puppy farmer will not partake in any health screening for known hereditary diseases that affect so many pedigree dogs today. Nor will they be concerned about son/daughter or sibling matings within their own kennel or with using breeding bitches and stud dogs owned by closely interconnected breeders. They will be used time and time again until the bitch becomes exhausted and can produce no more.
The dealers buying these poorly bred puppies will check for an under/overshot jaw, a noticable defect but little more. It is only later after the puppies are sold by the dealer to the pet shop and purchased by an indivual who wishes, in good faith, to buy a pedigree puppy only to be found to be suffering from a common hereditary disease such as hip dysplasia, various eye conditions etc. Most are preventable if the dam and sire are screened.
Some puppies sold from the pet shop outlets will be Kennel Club Registered (against KC code of ethics to sell to a wholesaler or dealer, but it so rare for the KC to take any action against those that do) but many breeders will use alternative registraion companies or sell with a pedigree only. So the consumer often has no idea where the pupy was bred as pet shops deny all knowledge of buying from puppy farms. But a responsible breeder would never sell to a pet shop so they have no choice but to buy from undesirable sources. Some pet shops say puppies,vet checked before sale but that still does not prevent puppies being sold unhealthy.
The fault lies with the breeders who have their eyes more focused on the money that can be exchanged for selling litters of sickly, badly bred, mass produced puppies to dealers and pet shops. They should not be allowed to breed and sell sell puppies that are inherently faulty. The public must learn to not buy a puppy from a third party pet shop, they are getting duped by the high price charged and the quality of the puppy sold.
The government should make it illegal to sell puppies from pet shops, because the puppies and breeding bitches suffer in the process of producing litter after litter for the pet trade. If breeders cannot ensure that the puppy they produce for a commercial sale is healthy then the trade in commercailly bred puppies should be banned.
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The programme the BBC made was a good one – though the linking of the KC with the Nazis was way over the top.
I think that the problem is the the breeders have no veterinary training so they are doing their breeding purely based on looks – the vets the BBC had on the programme took the breeders apart and it was obvious that the breedrs were largely ignorant of the medical issues their practices were causing.
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Gee – no one’s even mentioned the fact that there ARE no stats on genetic problems of mixed-breeds – BECAUSE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!!! There is absolutely NO WAY genetics can be traced on a mixed-breed – for several reasons:
1. frequently the sire is unknown
2. there’s no “breed” to track and lump problems together.
Shame you can’t see logic!!! The link is really TO the Animal Rights with the Nazis – check it – that’s where they have their groundings!
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Being a person who’s whole life has revolved around dogs and dog shows, I felt I needed to comment!
I am a dog show handler, so basically I am the person at the end of the leash of those pedigreed dogs that you are seeing at shows! I just want you all to note that any dog, no matter what breed or lineage can be effected by genetic disorders. When a breeder breeds father to daughter it is not to make money, and not to win at shows. They are trying to breed two really good specimens together. If both are healthy, good tempered animals then really there is nothing wrong with this, I woulden’t do it unless the two dogs were nearly perfect. If for some reason a genetic disorder were to crop up then it would actually benifit the breeder as then he/she would know that that line carried that and then would be able to eradicate it completely. If one were to do an out cross breeding there is NO guarantee that these offspring wouldn’t be as or even more affected by genetic illness as both may bring in a disorder and the pups would carry it anyway and it would be passed around from generation to generation, not completely eradicated over time like it would be from inbreeding as the faults are brought to the surface and bred out.
Like the KC said, most breeders don’t breed that close anyway, to be honest. The guy writing this article…I would like to know his credentials int he dog world as he is quite off. I don’t agree with consistent inbreeding or unknowledgeable inbreeding, but it is a very valuable tool for knowledgeable breeders to use in order to improve the temperament, health of breeds of dogs. I hope that folks who read this article do their own research before listening to the opinion of one man.
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i very much agree lauren. Please read up on the facts people before you condemn the whole show world!
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Hmmm very interesting, but belive that most are you are blinded by KC and dont realy, lets be honest understand it.
It is true that most people spend hundred of money on a pedigree dog, especialy due to new puppie being KC Registered. THINK this is safe! Well its not! and its not 100% safe. You and every one else must be truly aware that because you think your puppy is KC reg, that it cant possible be at all related in any way. Check again! Due to lets say UNTRAINED breeders that have brought a KC reg dog or bitch for breeding without looking at the full history of there breeding pair or people who think that its time to breed there pet dog or bitch and have there first lot of puppies. Think its great to start breeding and registering dogs under the kennel club registry, knowing people will pay because its KC REG! Because these untrained breeders dont know what to look for they start to breed to close to its own family line, where you can see the grandparents/fathers/mothers/sisters/brothers etc.. being breed with its own family causing poor breeding lines and gentic faults that you would see in any human being. Jaws, facial, bones, gentic illness and the list goes on.
When some one says that most breeders dont breed that closes to be honest! HA… What about the ones that DO!!!
WHY IS KC STILL REGISTERING THESE’S PUPPIES THAT ARE???
Then its takes someone who dont know what there doing to breed and to continue to breed not knowing what damage is being caused. The pedigree lines and proper breeders that dont do this close breeding are being ruined!
The registration of each puppy should show its true family tree and each puppie’s quality of breeding.
Before you spend hundreds purchaseing your PUPPY you should know were its come from and check its full back ground with all the correct paperwork. If you have brought a puppy and you recently found out that it was breed to close to its family background. It dont mean you wont love it all the same, however if you brought the puppy on the grounds to breeding, then you should request your money back from the breeder and make sure that the KC Reg are informed not to recommend this breeder who continues to breed to close. People like this are killing off its correct breed.
With out the KC Reg you wouldnt beable to find the puppies true oringin.
p.s Always go to a recommended breeder, ask to see the parents and check the puppies suroundings as this will show the true Temperament and health of any puppy. Remember once you bring your puppy home its all up to yourself in how your puppy turns out!
Hope you found this useful.
AND A DOUBLE P.S. FOR:-
Lauren and Chris thinking you should very much read up about breeding dogs and the showing world. Closing your eyes to a close breeding (Interbreeding) is not a bright thing to do.
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the bbc should concentrate on getting their house in order rather than spending public money incensing the people who pay their bills. stars who involve themselves in public displays of animosity and who don't have the self respect to resign when all around them do shouldn't be paid obscene amounts of public money.
when you consider that it took two years of public money to find a very limited number of breeds who could seriously be considered at risk. the program did not offer a balanced outlook and like many of the bbc's programs bordered on sensationalism.
they are falling to the level of a well known sunday tabloid. that's not how i want my license fee spent.
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I pay my licence fee, I was incensed too! Not at the Beeb though.
The programme, as has been explained many times, did not set out to be 'balanced' it set out to do one simple thing. To show the results of bad and outdated breeding practices.
I agree on one thing, the paying of obscene amounts to so called celebrities. Lets have this money spent on more programmes like this.
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or perhaps it's just a cunning plan on the part of the bbc to divert interest away from their own ineptitude..
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