Apologies for the inconvenience, but yesterday I took the decision to give the board some down time for 24 hours or so.
I needed time to consider a serious problem: I was disturbed and disappointed to find, for the second time, that there was a discussion in a chat stream, about whether someone would breed their own cavalier. :?
One board thread had been closed after a related topic was introduced recently by the same individual and it was stated very clearly that this was not an allowable discussion.
The reason I do not allow people to discuss whether they are considering breeding, or asking about breeding their own dogs or raising their personal breeding issues (unless one of the very few experienced, professional, health-focused breeder members), is made very clear in the Getting Started section and underlies the central ethos of the board: breed welfare and health. It is utterly exasperating to then find someone toying with the idea of breeding, especially a dog that has had several potentially serious health problems highlighted on the board over recent months (these were not even raised as a consideration ).
I am really disappointed it was apparently assumed a chat stream was more hidden than a forum post -- as if a separate ethos exists in the chat section.
With reluctance, I've at least for now, shut down the chat feature as a result. I am sorry about that but it was the second time I had seen this same general discussion, which implies there may well have been others, or private chats. This goes absolutely against everything the board exists for, and the reasons I provide and run this space. So do the actions and attitudes of the individual involved. If people are retaining secret plans for potentially breeding their pet cavaliers despite all they read and learn here, they could at least keep those plans private and not discuss them on the board if they wish to remain members of this community. :sl*p:
I am sorry for a situation that always ends up upsetting some people, but am unapologetic about the board's ethos and respecting it.
I needed time to consider a serious problem: I was disturbed and disappointed to find, for the second time, that there was a discussion in a chat stream, about whether someone would breed their own cavalier. :?
One board thread had been closed after a related topic was introduced recently by the same individual and it was stated very clearly that this was not an allowable discussion.
The reason I do not allow people to discuss whether they are considering breeding, or asking about breeding their own dogs or raising their personal breeding issues (unless one of the very few experienced, professional, health-focused breeder members), is made very clear in the Getting Started section and underlies the central ethos of the board: breed welfare and health. It is utterly exasperating to then find someone toying with the idea of breeding, especially a dog that has had several potentially serious health problems highlighted on the board over recent months (these were not even raised as a consideration ).
I am really disappointed it was apparently assumed a chat stream was more hidden than a forum post -- as if a separate ethos exists in the chat section.
With reluctance, I've at least for now, shut down the chat feature as a result. I am sorry about that but it was the second time I had seen this same general discussion, which implies there may well have been others, or private chats. This goes absolutely against everything the board exists for, and the reasons I provide and run this space. So do the actions and attitudes of the individual involved. If people are retaining secret plans for potentially breeding their pet cavaliers despite all they read and learn here, they could at least keep those plans private and not discuss them on the board if they wish to remain members of this community. :sl*p:
I am sorry for a situation that always ends up upsetting some people, but am unapologetic about the board's ethos and respecting it.