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Signs of the times at Crufts

16K views 78 replies 20 participants last post by  papoodles 
#1 ·
Largely in response to the huge public outcry that followed the broadcasting of Pedigree Dogs Exposed three years ago, the UK Kennel Club has, amongst other measures, instituted veterinary checks for dogs in the 15 "High Profile" awarded Best of Breed before they go forward to the Group awards. These are the breeds that have shown the greatest degree of health issues due to breeding for extreme conformation. The checks were scheduled to start at Crufts this year - and everyone was rather expecting this to be a non-story, with dogs passed automatically. But so far three Breed winners have failed the tests - the Bulldog, Pekingese and Clumber Spaniel. It looks as if one vet at least has the courage to take on the Breed clubs! These are not dogs new to showing - at this level they usually already have multiple show wins and championships. Nor are they the most extreme examples of their breeds - judges have already been briefed on the revised conformation standards, which move away from extreme characteristics. If the pressure is maintained, it is going to force major changes in how dogs are bred for the conformation ring, in the UK at least.
 
#75 ·
I have had 3 wirehaired dachshunds- two lived to a ripe old age without a single health problem, and my present dachshund is 14 years old, also perfectly healthy all its life just now failing due to old age, so obviously not every dachshund is doomed to live a crippled life. My mother's dachshunds too lived to a crotchety old age :)...Sure it is anecdotal evidence, but it is what I know about the health of dachshunds.
My sister in law only adopts dogs from shelters, and all of her 'mutts' have had major, expensive health issues, so I don't see any hybrid vigor there.Also just anecdotal, but still- that's what I know.

As for the majority determining public policy, that rikkia, is also not such a panacea as you might think; I am reminded of Prohibition, Jim Crow laws, etc.- all strongly supported by public opinion, but were those views and opinions correct? But it was a majority view..

The problem is that if/when you get zealots taking over a movement,there are no guaranties that all opinions will be heard equally or allowed. I am not saying that we are there , but it is a possibility, right?
I am thinking of PETA..if it were up to PETA, there’d be no purebreed animals; nobody would be buying pets from shops or breeders- the only pets allowed would be pets that came from rescue..Sooner or later you’d have no pets left at all, and that would make PETA very happy. And then, there’s be no need for a Poodle Forum :-(

I just believe that it is up to the AKC to dermine breed standards, and the public can vote with their pocket books if they agree.
Just my two cents worth.

Animal Rights Uncompromised: 'Pets' | PETA.org
 
#78 ·
The problem is that if/when you get zealots taking over a movement,there are no guaranties that all opinions will be heard equally or allowed. I am not saying that we are there , but it is a possibility, right?
I am thinking of PETA..if it were up to PETA, there’d be no purebreed animals; nobody would be buying pets from shops or breeders- the only pets allowed would be pets that came from rescue..Sooner or later you’d have no pets left at all, and that would make PETA very happy. And then, there’s be no need for a Poodle Forum :-(

I just believe that it is up to the AKC to dermine breed standards, and the public can vote with their pocket books if they agree.
Just my two cents worth.

Animal Rights Uncompromised: 'Pets' | PETA.org
It's a pity that anyone interested or vocal in advocating for animals ends up being lumped in with the PETA whackos. The breed clubs' false argument that any action to enhance the quality of life of animals leads inevitably to a world where there are no pets is a straw man, a favoured tactic of those who would choose to argue from a position of illogic.

We have a duty to animals in our care to ensure they live long, healthy, contented lives. We have a duty not to impose upon them, through poor or extreme breeding practices, lives of discomfort or disability.

In the UK, the breed standard is set by the breed clubs, not by the KC. The KC has an oversight role, but doesn't define the breed standard.
 
#76 ·
You have to remember that this is the UK, not the US - PETA and the animal rights extremists do have a toe hold here, but their efforts are aimed far more at animal experimentation than pedigree dogs. The KC in the UK has a rather different role than the AKC, I think - on the one hand it is a consortium of dog breed societies and manages all the conformation championship shows, on the other it is positioned as a body that speaks for the welfare of all dogs and for all dog owners. How it deals with the issue of health in pedigree dogs is extremely important for its continuing reputation as the benchmark of quality in pedigree dogs (whether it deserves that reputation is a matter for another debate), and for its position as an authority on health testing and research. There are other registries in the UK - the kind where you pay the fee, and anything goes - but they get their business because for the vast majority of puppy buyers "registered" means "KC registered", and they do not know the difference.

As others have said, if the KC does not act - and act publicly and openly - the winners will be the designer dog breeders. There is a growing perception that cross breds are always healthier (a misinterpretation of the research, but few people bother to read and understand the data behind the headlines), "designer" pups can't be KC registered, so the breeders can side step even the rather imperfect systems the KC has put in place to certify breeders while at the same time labelling their pups with a fancy name and claiming them as pedigreed because the parents have pedigrees, and they appeal to buyers who are easily impressed by the "rare" and "unusual". Without a strong pet market for pure bred puppies the numbers bred will decrease, the gene pool will shrink even further, health issues will proliferate, and breeds will die out. And unless the KC can reverse the growing perception in the UK that pure bred = exaggerated, inbred and potentially sickly, people looking for a pet will increasingly choose not to buy a pure bred puppy.
 
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