AT said:
Hear hear -- a great comment and I couldn't agree more.
Vet and neurologists say again and again they see NO DIFFERENCE IN FREQUENCY of either MVD or SM between show breeder and puppy farm dogs. I certainly have seen little when running Irish Cavalier Rescue for many years or in the dogs here on the board that end up with either condition. So this is a total red herring and breeders should know it -- after all their own official club cardiologist has made exactly this point about SHOW dogs -- NO change in incidence of MVD in nearly two decades *because so few adequately test or follow the MVD protocol*.
I know Jemima is extremely committed to fighting puppy farms as well -- but in a one hour programme, editing choices have to be made and the topic is too vast to be have been more than touched upon in PDE2 had it been included. Perhaps that will be another programme that will be commissioned. Breeders have rightly noted that the KC has not really done much to address puppy farms and many club, health focused breeders can cite well known puppy farmers who register all their pups with the KC. The KC 'kite mark' is unfortunately virtually meaningless -- signifying only the barest minimum of 'perhaps' a breeder having care, health and welfare priorities. The current registration process, and the nearly toothless and meaningless Assured Breeders Scheme (which practically no club breeders ever sign up for, but known puppy farms in the past, have -- great for duping buyers!) MUST be changed if the KC is to be anything more than an outmoded private club.
The KC may have limited LEGAL power to enforce certain possible approaches to require better breeding practice, but they could do any range of things immediately to make a vast difference and they simply do not bother.
I agree with Rod: they could make registration *meaningful*. They could require meaningful testing and results on dogs before they can be given championships so it isn't just outward health (that can be medicated for) that is (sometimes... ) considered. They could require Assured Breeders Scheme CKCS breeders to MRI, cardiologist test and do dry eye/curly coat DNA testing on all breeding stock -- and list these tests for the breed, NOT just the very easy/cheap eye test which is all they care about right now. :sl*p: They could actually inform ALL breeders of health issues in each breed by mail when returning registration documents. They could try to get health schemes in place in less than the years and years it seems to take them right now. Any end of things they COULD but DO NOT do...
The only difference between breeders is those that health test and those that dont , If the dogs are not health tested the only difference between show bred dogs and puppyfarm dogs is cosmetic appearence.
All those breeders who do test their dogs and breed the healthiest dogs they can have my admiration ,You are in a completely different league to those who dont be they show or pet breeders.
Hear hear -- a great comment and I couldn't agree more.
Vet and neurologists say again and again they see NO DIFFERENCE IN FREQUENCY of either MVD or SM between show breeder and puppy farm dogs. I certainly have seen little when running Irish Cavalier Rescue for many years or in the dogs here on the board that end up with either condition. So this is a total red herring and breeders should know it -- after all their own official club cardiologist has made exactly this point about SHOW dogs -- NO change in incidence of MVD in nearly two decades *because so few adequately test or follow the MVD protocol*.
I know Jemima is extremely committed to fighting puppy farms as well -- but in a one hour programme, editing choices have to be made and the topic is too vast to be have been more than touched upon in PDE2 had it been included. Perhaps that will be another programme that will be commissioned. Breeders have rightly noted that the KC has not really done much to address puppy farms and many club, health focused breeders can cite well known puppy farmers who register all their pups with the KC. The KC 'kite mark' is unfortunately virtually meaningless -- signifying only the barest minimum of 'perhaps' a breeder having care, health and welfare priorities. The current registration process, and the nearly toothless and meaningless Assured Breeders Scheme (which practically no club breeders ever sign up for, but known puppy farms in the past, have -- great for duping buyers!) MUST be changed if the KC is to be anything more than an outmoded private club.
The KC may have limited LEGAL power to enforce certain possible approaches to require better breeding practice, but they could do any range of things immediately to make a vast difference and they simply do not bother.
I agree with Rod: they could make registration *meaningful*. They could require meaningful testing and results on dogs before they can be given championships so it isn't just outward health (that can be medicated for) that is (sometimes... ) considered. They could require Assured Breeders Scheme CKCS breeders to MRI, cardiologist test and do dry eye/curly coat DNA testing on all breeding stock -- and list these tests for the breed, NOT just the very easy/cheap eye test which is all they care about right now. :sl*p: They could actually inform ALL breeders of health issues in each breed by mail when returning registration documents. They could try to get health schemes in place in less than the years and years it seems to take them right now. Any end of things they COULD but DO NOT do...