A Cavalier film, health related, BBC1........

[amanda L]

I have been to many classes where breeders (again I know they do not represent all breeders) meet and also train Cavaliers and found them incredibly nasty and catty about other people's dogs.

I know all breeders are not like this but there is certainly a large amount of silly women with too much time on their hands, driving around the country with their poor cavaliers caged up in the back of the car panting and uncomfortable, then forced into the indignity of going to shows where all the dogs yelp and bark all day in an agitated state whilst they are brush and preened. Why oh why?????

Expose these people who breed and are focused mainly on showing and their own rather puerile enjoyment. Cavaliers deserve to be given the best chance of a long happy life, not driven to show after show - their parents chosen purely because they will be a good show dog and certainly not judged on the length of their nose!!

Completely agree with you. I have seen this happen here in Ireland.

I think this documentary will probably indicate dog breeding needs more transparency and outside scrutiny to benefit the committed breeders, puppy buyers, and especially, the dogs.

I will be very interested in watching this programme, thanks for a heads-up on the board

[Claire L]

[quote]

For those ordinary folk who simply want to find a healthy Cavalier puppy and so read around the subject, looking into heart problems and SM, my experience last year indicated that it is a real struggle to find breeders who are genuinely focused on what is best for the Cavalier: the longest healthiest life possible.

I had some lengthy private correspondence with Karlin last year when a leading person in the Cavalier world put me in touch with a breeder (also long-established and highly regarded in the Cavalier world) who could not even show me a heart certificate for either of the pups' parents: she suggested that I paid for the bitch to be heart tested at the vets. She laughed off the topic of SM. I went back to the Senior Cavalier lady who had put me in touch with the breeder - she knew exactly what was going on and offered no solution or apology.

I had a similar experience when we lost our Rudee. My questions about SM MVD luxating patella etc were met with stoney silence and I was laughingly dismissed.

I thought this thread would be closed off long ago. Thank you Karlin from the bottom of my heart for keeping it open and for putting into words what many of us have felt and thought.

[Bet]

I will also say thanks for keeping this Thread open

I will repeat again ,the Post I asked previously

Because Margaret C is member of the UK Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Health Committee ,in her recent Post she made mention of her views and that she is appearing in the Film

I will ask again , are those her Personal Views or those of the UK CKCS Club Committee

Hopefully I will get a reply

Bet

[Alison_Leighfield]

It will be very interesting to see the final production on air after all the hours and months it has had in it's making and with such dedication shown from its makers behind it.
I found Passionate Productions to be a very caring group of very hardworking people with integrity and commitment. The type of documentries that they make are just simply outstanding.

Simply all breeders that are club members have access to good health information. They then choose themselves, knowledge permitting, what to do with that information and we cannot force them otherwise. We cannot demand that they scan their dogs. Don't waste time trying. As pet buyers we can only support those that fully adhere to the breeding guidelines that are put into place, and accept health as a very high priority. We applaud them.

Realistly though and it's a sad thought but just how many of these pups actually get into pet homes? simply not enough. We desperately need more and more breeders to scan and to help us find healthy pups, and also to give us continued results of further generations that could and should be scanned. No half jobs, just good honest commitment. May the film encourage more to scan.

I personally hope that this film makes other well informed breeders that have downplayed this condition realise the severity of what is going on in this breed, may they seriously take time to reflect on what they will see. They then have to live with their own conscience at the end of the day as to what they continue to do. Be it on their own heads if they wish to bury them in the sand.

What gives me greater concern still is what happens to the huge area in breeding that doesn't get the much needed information and to those breeders that simply don't care and use breeding for financial gain only. To those like Puppy Farmers that register many, many sick dogs. Also the odd pet dog owners that have a few litters. How do we stop them? How do we get the KC to take more responsibility for these areas? it's a huge area of sales proberbly the largest combined area providing the KC with alot of registration fees, money no doubt they wouldn't want to lose. They need to tighten up on the registrations of dogs that don't follow any breeding protocols. The KC can and should have done alot more and along time ago with regards to Cavaiers, SM and the much needed breeding guidelines. They do alot of "thinking and looking" but a registration agency that makes alot of money is basically all that they are. The Accredited Breeders scheme is simply useless, what a waste of valuable resources. Even a PF can have that status.

I look at this film as an education into dog breeding and with it some of it's more serious breed problems being covered. Our precious Cavalier King Charles Spanial is sadly one of them.

May it educate and draw much needed awareness everywhere.

Alison.

[Margaret C]

I will also say thanks for keeping this Thread open

I will repeat again ,the Post I asked previously

Because Margaret C is member of the UK Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Health Committee ,in her recent Post she made mention of her views and that she is appearing in the Film

I will ask again , are those her Personal Views or those of the UK CKCS Club Committee

Hopefully I will get a reply

Bet

Hello Bet,

These are my own views.

Margaret C

[Bet]

Thank you Margaret for explaining that the views you quoted are your own and not of the UK CKCS Club since the UK CKCS Club Committee are so aware of the Revolutionary Research being carried out by Dr S Blott

That the Cavalier Breed is the First Dog Breed in the World to be being involved in this type of Research

I do hope that you made the Film Producer aware of this exciting Research ,and how the Cavalier Breed now has hopes for the Future

Bet

[Karlin]

Bet, the producers were at the Rugby conference and heard Sarah Blott discuss her research, which is as Sarah noted, based on the work by Penny Knowler and Clare Rusbridge and again, requires a lot more breeder MRIing and cooperation before it will be of much use, and also will depend on the successful completion of the Canadian genome scan project (or the EVBs will be only experimental, and not based on any solid genetic information).

Thus I hope you will be encouraging the breeder community to both MRI and contribute to the genome research as it is so essential for the success of Sarah Blott's research! Incidentally, as Veronica Hull, who is prominent on the Southern Club and their health committee member, also was interviewed a couple of times for the documentary, I wonder if you have confirmed whether the views she expresses are hers alone, or the breed club's? Or other members of the various breed clubs who were interviewed? This too might be of great interest when the film is viewed. Margaret has several times (here and elsewhere) made it clear that she spoke for herself, not for the club, in the film. I wonder if the views expressed by other club committee members will be theirs, or the club's? If you know, or have asked, please let us know!

Unfortunately though, as breeders have not widely embraced the MVD protocol one is left wondering what will encourage widespread and honest use of EVBs. Many of us will hope that a documentary exposing some of the health issues that arise with purebred breeding, and how good breeding practice minimises those risks, might be just the thing to galvanise the breeders who do not breed for health, or who say they do, but actually do not, to be more careful in their breeding practice and use tools like the MVD protocol and the EVBs.

[Karlin]

I am told that in Scotland this is running at a different time so possibly this will be true for Ireland as well. Am told the Radio Times lists the programme as Friday 22nd - at 9 pm.

[Karlin]

OK I checked the BBC site and this is showing on Tuesday, 19th August at 9pm in England and in Northern Ireland so that means we in the Republic should also get it Tuesday. But it is not listed for Tuesday for Scotland, so I would guess Friday the 22nd is correct (I cannot check as the calendar of programmes doesn't go that far ahead on the BBC1 site).

This is a one hour programme:

Pedigree Dogs Exposed
An in-depth investigation into the health of pedigree dogs, revealing the surprising historical reasons that have contributed to problems in some breeds. [S]

[Ashley]

Oh, thanks Karlin.... hadnt even thought about it being shown at different times due to location