Dog Wardens Latest to Pull Out of Crufts Dog Show
By NDWA Reporter
The National Dog Warden Association has joined the growing number of organisations to pull out of Crufts 2009.
The decision to take a step back was not taken lightly as Crufts Dog Show is considered to be one of the most prestigious events attended by the NDWA team.
NDWA President Sue Bell said that ‘the NDWA is committed to the continual promotion of responsible dog ownership through a combination of education and enforcement.’ We feel that the Kennel Club should take stronger measures to promote responsible breeding practices’ she continued.
The NDWA stand at Crufts is an award winning one that won recognition from K9 Magazines Alternative Crufts Awards.
Highly Recommended: What dog owner wouldn’t want a piece of THIS action? – Get FREE dog food!
Related posts:
Loading ...
Surely all these organisations pulling out of Crufts need to take a step back and think about who they are there for.
It’s the dogs, right?
Is Crufts not the best attended show by the general public those people who have “ordinary” dogs, those who will look to the likes of the NDWA forinformation and education?
Seems to me, the most exquisite form of cutting ones own nose off to spite ones face.
Why not go and educate about what would be good for dogs?
Reply
Who is going to suffer with the withdrawal of the RSPCA, Dogs Trust & the Dog Wardens ? Not the exhibitors, not the public & certainly not the dogs exhibited at Crufts, no it will be the dogs that are in the care of the RSPCA & the Dogs Trust. The Dog Wardens will lose the opportunity to show that they are not just a 9 to 4 Mon to Friday service & that they really do have Animal Welfare at the top of their priotities(that also goes for the RSPCA & DT)
My pedigree dogs are all health tested & I only breed from dogs that are”fit for purpose”
I wonder how many pet breeder bother to have their dogs DNA tested, clinically tested ??? how many of the puppies born in the kennels of the RSPCA & DT have health tests done on them & their parents the answer is none. The Public is being brain washed into believing that only KC registered dogs have life threatening genetic conditions. The puppy adverts on the Internet sites are quite revealing-”my dogs are not KC registered & not inbred so do not have Syringomyelia”this one appears the day after the TV program-how do they know their dogs do not have SM ? because on KC registered dogs have it Hm that’s not what my vet has seen of 22 Cavaliers that have been into his surgery in the last 7 years 2 were KC registered the others were bred by either puppy farmers or pet breeders QED really
Reply
The really sad (if not stupid) outcome of all this, is that these ill-informed societies are going to drive the future pet owning public into buying “designer dogs” bred by people who’se only interest is in duping the uneducated into thinking they are buying something rare and wonderful, whilst not doing ANY health screening, putting dogs together that should never be bred together without a care in the world, and creating a new generation on unhealthy dogs.
If these societies genuinely care about the health and welfare of dogs they should look closely at their own stance, as well as examining how caring breeders take care to match the right dogs together and spend years and vast quantities of money and effort on getting their dogs health screened/DNA tested and in fact FUNDING the science into DNA screening !
I fear that certain societies have become too influenced by the anial right activist right wingers.
For the sake of all dogs, these organisation should be working WITH the Kennel Club and caring breeders, not against them !
Reply
The general public needs to be educated about animals. Unless responsible people take part in the discussion at shows such as Crufts, the general public has little or no chance of understanding the problems and joys of animal ownership. It is wrong to keep away from the problem and seems more like burying your heads and shirking the situation.
More responsible would be to keep pressurising the irresponsible breeders and checking that dogs in breed shows are not suffering from those freadful results of inbreeding. They can surely be seen clearly at the breed shows and the owners notified of the cruelty.
That siad – most breeders are very careful about thier dogs and crossbreeds cannot be considered to be free from the same sort of problems.
Reply
Good god. How stupid are you folks in the UK? If I made a TV show about how the moon was made of cheese would you believe that too? Look around you. Do you really see that many unhealthy dogs? How dumb are you?
Reply
Not sure which Dog Wardens work 9-4?
I usually work way beyond ‘knocking off’ time.
Instead of ‘cutting off their nose to spite their face’, NDWA is making a stand?
Reply
Well some will follow like sheep. Go to any specific breed club site. There you will find information about health and welfare of the breeds. You will find that breed clubs are already doing the job of looking after health and welfare. The health issues will be listed and even some initiatives into finding ways to combat disease. The majority of purebred dogs used for breeding by responsible breeders are tested for far more genetic disorders than a human. Clubs, the KC and individuals donate time and money to help the research.
Now I must run because I heard the sky is falling.
Reply
Laughing my butt off wrote: “Look around you. Do you really see that many unhealthy dogs?”
A) Yes.
Next question?
Reply
As a supporter of DogsTrust AND breeder of Pedigree dogs I am appalled that welfare organisations like Dogstrust, RSPCA and Dogwardens have decided to pull out of Crufts.
Crufts is the biggest dog event in the UK and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Many of them people looking for a dog and wanting information on the breeds available and how to get them, as well as training, health etc.
By pulling out of Crufts these organisations lose out on a great opportunity to educate the public about the work they do, about how to find a healthy puppy and about possibly buying a rescue dog. By being visible on and event like Crufts and getting directly in touch with members of the public, support can be created and money raised. By not being there, the ones losing out are the animals they say they care for. Also, by condemning pedigree dogs they drive the public straight into the hands of the puppy farms and commercial breeders who do not care about health screening and only want to make some quick money.
Animal Welfare organisations should work together with the KC and breeders to show the public there are thousands of breeders out there who do all they can to breed healthy, happy puppies.
Reply
Well done to the dog wardens for their principled decision.
Far from following in a sheeplike fashion, they are standing up and being counted.
The only sheeplike behaviour here is by the dog breeders rushing to criticise the dog wardens.
End of the day you have to stand up against bullies.
Reply
Ryan and Arthur (or are you one and the same?) need to read the majority of the comments in this thread. There are some intelligent and sensible comments being written.
As I have said in my response to Ryan, elsewhere, most caring breeders will think like this….as stated above:
My pedigree dogs are all health tested & I only breed from dogs that are”fit for purpose”
I am beginning to think that Ryan seems to like writing a lot about things, perhaps to stir a response for his many web sites, as clearly most other people can see the writing on the wall here.
Reply
No Vince, we are not one and the same but that, along with other remarks reveal a fatal flaw in your mind set.
If people share views which happen to be polarised to yours, they are possible the same person? Really? Oh dear.
‘Ryan likes writing to stir a response’ – that may be how you think Mr Hogan, but have you stopped to consider some important issues
1) I have been saying the same things for YEARS – way before Pedigree Dogs Exposed brought the world crashing down around the ears of apologists who can’t face the facts that they are viewed by most right minded dog lovers as cruel dinosaurs, more suited to an era when freakshows were considered good family entertainment
2) Do you have a response for me on the following which I wrote earlier. You asked, I provided – your response is welcome….
VH: “Can you please quantify how many of these breeders (you say SOME) have bred these hundreds of thousands (your words)dogs that are suffering. We think you need to keep a sense of perspective in all this, and your words are just as inflammatory as Mr Evans.”
RO: From the most recent KC/BVA health study “Health information was reported for 36,006 live dogs, of which 22,540 (62.6%) were healthy, and 13,466 (37.4%) had at least one reported health condition.” 37 percent of the 36,000 dogs surveyed by The Kennel Club have “at least one” health condition. Now, let us factor in that according to the PFMA:
In 2008, the UK dog population is 7.3 million. This is broken down into 75% pedigree
75% of 7.3m dogs is 5.4m pedigrees in the UK. If 37.4% have a reported health condition (according to the KC’s own stats) that would make over 2m dogs.
But for balance, let’s ignore these stats shall we (that seems the fashionable thing to do) and quote the line that has been trotted out from Clarges St since Pedigree Dogs were Exposed. They say ‘90 % of pedigree dogs are healthy’ which leads us to conclude that 10% are not. 10% of 5.4m pedigree dogs is 540,000 dogs.
Now I know that all of these dogs have not been bred this year alone. We are talking about a flow of dogs bred from (probably) the past 16 years (or in the case of the poor Bulldog, the past 6 years probably). But what we are not talking about, is dogs born in ‘Victorian times’. If you see what I’m hinting at. So the modern generation of pedigree dog breeders have produced – according to the stats that the KC will accept – at least 540,000 unhealthy dogs.
So maybe, just maybe it is the fact that the Kennel Club even by its own admission is accepting over half a million dogs are unhealthy that motivates me to write what I write.
I’m afraid times are a changing. Dog lovers are no longer going to put up with cruelty and apologists for cruelty. That is a fact.
Reply
The figure of 540,000 unhealthy dogs includes dogs suffering from old age illnesses. Because modern breeding methods and vet treatments has resulted in dogs living for much longer, they are now suffering from illnesses such as cancer that were not seen in former years.
No so long ago a large proportion of dogs died from distemper or Parvo.
If you look at the Kennel Club Health Survey you will see this to be the case.
This is not a result of bad breeding practises, quite the opposite.
The T V programme made much of the role of dog showing in the equation, but the vast majority of pedigree dogs are not shown,of those that are shown, the majority are not bred from. Therefore statistically the majority of those unhealthy dogs must come from the dogs that are not shown.In which case surely the argument should be made that only those dogs good enough to be shown and win at Championship show level should be bred from?
Reply
Cancer is not an old age illness. I would agree that modern breeding practices are a factor though. The ‘popular’ stud dog theory. How many breeders will flock to a single dog because it is champion (closest example to breed standard) only to discover within a generation that said dog passed on cancer to hundreds of puppies who will in turn pass it on to the next generation.
Reply
Mr Hogan
I can hardly see people who “know” what state their breed is in coming on and commenting, Bulldog breeders are hardly going to be coming on in force saying “yes” we breed our dogs to a healthy standard with no health problems, those with serious health problems in the breed I’m sure are keeping very quiet now. Yes good breeders should be given their voice and not be tarred with same brush, and they should be supported, but those good breeders out there should be taking a stand against the KC allowing dogs who breed standard leave’s them struggling to breath, unable to walk and with a short bloody uncomfortable life. That’s the people that the KC need to take a stand against. The GSD as a breed has been totally destroyed, GSD breeders can jump up and down in protest about this ( they do very often)but what was once a noble,steady great working dog, is now a deformed, neurotic nervous wreck. Most of the breeds out there now could not do the job they were meant to do. I have an 11 year old GSD from non ped lines, he’s as fit as a fiddle, steady as a rock on his back legs, I doubt the same would be said if he had come from ped lines
So in all honesty Mr Hogan could you look at say a Bulldog and say that they have been bred to be fit and healty?
Reply
I am ashamed to be a member of the National Dog Wardens Association and will be seriously considering my future membership.
Reply
Kim, nice post!
Mr Vince Hogan, poor post. How or why did you conclude that I and Ryan O’Meara were possibly the same person?
Just because a person or persons have a similar viewpoint, this is evidence of what?
As a publication for people who show and breed dogs, Our Dogs is never going to be critical of those who buy it.
At least K9 Magazine has the foresight and integrity to aee with an organisation when necessary but will not hesitate to be critical if it belives there is a need to.
Wonder why that is, oh yes, it’s called journalism!
Reply
Oh dear oh dear oh dear
Can the reporter explain how the NADW can pull out from Crufts when they never booked a stand there ?????
How can they be withdrawing ? They were never going to be there in the first place !!!!
I think you should correct this article ASAP
The NADW have not withdrawn from Crufts they were NEVER going to be there months before the programwas aired !!
You have well & truly shot yourself in the foot !
Reply
Hello Ms Jones
Please be assured that the NDWA and not the NADW has attended Crufts for many years to promote responsible dog ownership and to inform the general public, both dog owners and non dog owners of the work of Local Authority Dog Wardens.
Two years ago NDWA was awarded an award by K9 Magazine for having the most innovative stand at Crufts 2007 due to the use of the D4 Dog puppet created by Cuthbert Jackson of Bolton Metro Council.
I would be grateful if you would enlighten myself, members of the NDWA and all who read this site on how the NDWA was not going to be at Crufts three months before the programme PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED was aired?
I and my colleagues were preparing like we do every year for the forthcoming Crufts until NDWA pulled out in a show of solidarity with other organisations?
Far from ’shooting ourselves in the foot’ as you allege, we have taken a decision to not attend Crufts which without any shadow of a doubt is the biggest and most prestigious event that we as an association attend.
I Look forward to hearing from Ms Jones regarding why NDWA were preparing the layout of our stand, our resources and organising people to work on the NDWA Cruft’s stand something that we were not going to attend according to Ms Jones?
Regards
Neil Burton
Chairman
NDWA
nburton@ndwa.co.uk
NDWA……Taking the Lead
Reply
I can confirm, I attended Crufts for 3 years in a row and the NDWA were in attendance each time. If they are not there in 2009, that would constitute a withdrawal by anyone’s definition of the word!
Reply
Dyane Jones is a CKCS judge amongst other canine roles she has, just google her name and see what comes up!
Naturally Ms Jones being associated with the Kennel Club is going to defend them and good for her for doing so, however he allegation that NDWA was not attending was of school sneak magnitude.
What I find strange, is that when the mighty RSPCA and others announce they are to pull out of Crufts there is a small murmur and newsworthy headlines around the media.
When the dog wardens announce they are not attending there are 20 posts on this article alone!
Is it easier to have a go at dog wardens than these well off animal charities, are the dog wardens an easier target?
Reply
Arthur
Usually yes! I personally believe we have done the right thing. It’s a shame and I wish it hadn’t come to this but I believe it is the right thing to do.
Reply
In true X Files conspiracy fashion and to take the heat off, has the Kennel Club activated a top secret Kennel Club black ops unit whose mission is to discredit all those who dare to be critical of them!
Reply
This could all become really bad, what happens if people don’t buy so many ped dogs, this will reduce the Gene pool a bit, meaning that there will be less dogs to improve the lines, and then when this all blows over and people want pedigree dogs again they could again be over bred causing all these problems to resurface, the organisations should help the KC to improve, not to turn their back on them.
Reply