KENNEL CLUB STATEMENT ON THE CKCSC SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
On 5th October 2008 the CKCSC held a Special General Meeting and Margaret Carter was removed from its committee. Following the SGM, the Kennel Club press office issued a statement concerning the SGM, only on request, and the CKCSC has been asked to comment.
The SGM was called on the written requisition of 234 members who were concerned by Margaret Carter’s breach of confidentiality and her conduct as a committee member, not for her attitude to health matters.
The Club is in accord with Margaret Carter’s aims and efforts on health issues. The committee and club members have supported her work during the time that she served on the Health sub-committee and acknowledge her contributions to the various health projects with which she was involved. The Club also acknowledges the considerable practical support and assistance given by other committee and Club members for such projects, without which little progress could have been made. This was part of the overall effort by committee members who manage the Club in each sphere of its many activities. The list of Club health initiatives during the past 20 years stands as a record of our endeavours and indicates that we always have enjoyed the support of the Kennel Club whose aims on health matters are identical to our own.
Margaret Carter’s aims were not in dispute. The SGM was called because of her perceived indiscretion during the interview that she gave for the BBC film ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’. Members disagreed with her course of action. As a member of the Club’s Health sub-committee, Margaret Carter was privy to information that had been given to the Club for health research on the basis of an undertaking that it would remain confidential. Margaret Carter has stated that she did not divulge any information on a dog that was not already in the public domain and that information given to her on that dog was not given in confidence. During the interview for the BBC programme she said:
Most of the top breeders – the people who show, will know - do know. I believe that if something is not done it will be too late to do anything and if going public is the way to make people stop and think what they are doing, then that is what I will do.
Whether or not, information on the dog was known by some breeders, it was not in the public domain. Members at the SGM took the view that Margaret Carter contravened the CKCSC Code of Ethics, requiring its members not to:
furnish information including pedigrees and photographs of dogs not owned by them without prior written consent of the owner.
She had an obligation of confidentiality by virtue of her position on the Health Sub-committee and the express undertaking given by the Club. This obligation is familiar to lawyers, accountants, doctors, vets and the like, none of whom would consider making public comment on matters concerning their clients affairs without their prior consent, even when information may already be in the public domain. Members at the SGM took the view that there had been a breach of confidence and for which she was removed from the committee.
Of separate concern was Margaret Carter’s failure to comply with normal committee practice. She told fellow committee members that she would be giving an interview for the film but declined to indicate what she intended to say. In the absence of this information she was asked not to participate. She declined this request but did, however, give assurance that she would speak as a private individual, not as a committee member or health representative of the Club. In the event, this was not the case. At a meeting of regional clubs, held to discuss the previous CAWC meeting on health issues, she again declined to withdraw from the interview, having been requested to do so by all those present.
Two simple, but important aspects appear to have been overlooked in the many views and opinions expressed about the SGM. Firstly, there is the expectation that all committee members will act as one unit. If they do not, the collective authority and effectiveness of the committee is undermined. If a committee member, on a matter of principle, intends to depart from the collective wishes or decisions of the committee, they should consider their position. Secondly, with a position of responsibility there is an obligation of confidentiality.
The Kennel Club statement on the Club SGM is as follows:
‘The Kennel Club is concerned about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club’s decision to remove breeder, Margaret carter, from its committee.
Mrs Carter appeared to speak for those very aims that the Kennel Club and the Cavalier King Charles Club itself supports, which is reflected in the vast amount of effort that the breed club has put into ensuring that the health of the breed is progressed. Mrs Carter’s intentions appeared to be honourable and her will to ensure that the health of the breed is maintained, through responsible breeding practices, is one that the Kennel Club fully supports’
The Kennel Club statement then reiterated as follows:
‘These aims are also ones that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club endorses and this is reflected in the vast amount of effort that the breed club has put into ensuring that health of the breed is progressed’
(This part of the statement was omitted by K9 Magazine)
The CKCSC committee and members were likewise concerned about the circumstances that had led to the position where an SGM was considered necessary and for a committee member to be removed. This was the first occasion in Club history when such events had taken place. There is no doubt that Margaret Carter did indeed speak for the aims of the Kennel Club and CKCSC and her intentions were honourable. However, these were not the issues considered at the SGM.
During preparations for the SGM, the Club constantly consulted the Kennel Club, which gave extensive advice and support. There is much correspondence between the KC and the Club on procedural issues. An SGM could not be avoided and the Club was determined that it would be conducted in a fair and orderly manner, and in accordance with Club and Kennel Club rules and regulations. For the extensive assistance provided by the Kennel Club, the Club is extremely grateful. Following the KC statement, Caroline Kisko has given assurances that the Cavalier Club continues to have the full support of the Kennel Club.
CKCSC
13th October 2008
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and in loving memory of 13 years of Toby joy - waiting at the rainbow bridge.
Leo 
Originally Posted by frecklesmom
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