Wanted for crimes against nature. Last seen at the Tring Museum.
An article in The Independent notes that in the issue of Dogs Today that is due to come out today, Jemima Harrison has an open letter to the Kennel Club calling into question their "go slow" approach to changing breeds standards and reducing Coefficients of Inbreeding.
"Despite a few press releases promising to tackle genetic diversity, you are not doing enough to truly deal with this key issue," she wrote.
"Yes, you responded to public outrage and last year said you would no longer register the progeny of mother/son, father/daughter and brother/sister matings - a repellent practice that had gone on for far too long."
But she said the organisation had refused to introduce any further breeding restrictions.
"Indeed, you've stated recently that you still think it is all right to mate a grandfather to his own granddaughter as long as they are both 'suited'," she wrote.
Referring to the "devastating genetic erosion" of certain breeds, she called for "strong leadership" from the Kennel Club, writing: "It is time now to properly tackle this bigger issue - because, until you do, the dogs will continue to be inbred into oblivion."
The Kennel Club, of course, says it is going as fast as possible.
Right. And where are they going?
Mostly they are going to change the subject!
Their latest flutter is to make a big production about "puppy farms" -- an entirely different issue than that raised by Pedigree Dogs Exposed, and one which has nothing to do with Kennel Club breed standards which embrace physical deformity which leads to predictable disease and dysfunction.
And here's the delicious part: the British Kennel Club is only too happy to register puppy mill dogs! In fact, Kennel Club registration papers are a core part of the puppy farm business plan in the U.K., same as it is here in the U.S.
As for inbreeding, as Ms. Harrison notes, they have done the bare minimum and no more.
Bottom line: So long as the Kennel Club continues to employ Caroline Kisko as it spokesperson, you can be sure nothing has changed but the location of the deck chairs on the Titanic.
- Related Links:
** AKC To Go Out of Business By 2025
** Hunte Corporation: Pushing AKC Puppy Mill Pets
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2 comments:
Let me cut to the chase on this one:
There are so many breeds that have very high levels of inbreeding because the dogs have too few founders and only a few studs have sired each generation in the breed since the registry was closed. In many breeds, the dogs themselves are so closely related that it is almost impossible to breed without doing either line breeding or something in the gray area between line breeding and inbreeding.
The only practical solution to reducing inbreeding issues is to open the registries.
That's politically impossible with any Kennel Club (except that one that I would found!)
I placed the following comment on the Independent page refered to in the above article. I thought it may be appropriate to offer it here as well - potentially more people are likely to read it!
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Sadly we cannot expect the Kennel Club to be too pro-active in such matters.
They are a members club, and as such have to abide by the general will of their membership.
This membership comprises principally of people who exploit dogs to one degree or another and in one way or another.
In whatever field of canine endeavour their individual members practice, the Kennel Club provides opportunities for advancemant in reputation, by competition, along with subesquent financial reward as winning members can then promote and market the skills or product for which they have achieved their reputation at a greater market value.
Many of these members are breeders.
If the KC were to take the moral stance and run against the traditional methods of breeding they and their members advocate and follow, they risk losing members wholesale and subsequently losing their grip on the dog world on which they rely for their subsidence and very reason for existence.
It is not reasonable to expect an organisation with such vested interests to promote changes to practices that will work against their interests and those of their members.
The KC cannot be trusted to self regulate. They cannot be judge and jury in situations where they are also defendant.
If we recognise this simple fact of life we would not have such high expectations of them.
Unfortunaltely it seems that the only way we are likely to see improvements in the lot of pedigree dogs would be by regulation under exisiting legislation, perhaps as a part of the Animal Welfare Act or via Breeding and Sale of dogs legisalation. Law that would be imposed on the KC and ALL breeders of dogs (pedigree or otherwise - KC or not) thoughout the UK.
It is difficult to understand why, in view of the revelations in the BBC documentary and the KC's obvious relcutance to address those problems, the real dog loving public in the UK are not crying out for such external regulation.
Perhaps we are all being fooled by the KC's spin doctors and publicity machine.
Well, perhaps not all of us!
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