Margaret C
Well-known member
I need to update my puppy buying advice website: www.cavalierpuppy.co.uk and so have been doing a bit of checking and I see, to my great surprise, that the Cavalier Club has removed their puppy register from the breeder that was running it so well, despite the fact she returns to their committee on Sunday after taking the mandatory one year break.
On my website I was happy to suggest that buyers should contact the Cavalier Club, knowing that their puppy register was run by someone who had been MRI scanning her cavaliers for years.
She had put the names of scanned dogs on the voluntary MRI list and also had cavaliers on the Club over 5 heart list and there are eye results on the Kennel Club Health Test Results Finder.
I felt confident that buyers would be given information about the inherited health problems in the breed from someone representing the organisation that should be taking that responsibility.
I am no longer confident that will continue to happen.
Looking at the latest Breed Record Supplement I see the two well known breeders that have taken over as coordinators have both registered three litters. There is no evidence that they are breeding to the health protocols of their own Club. In fact there is evidence of a complete disregard of health guidelines.
With one breeder only one out of the six parents ( an outside stud dog ) have eye tests shown. Two of the stud dogs used were well under two years old. Despite years of breeding she does not appear to have any of her own cavaliers on the over 5 heart list or on the voluntary MRI scanning list.
The other breeder presumably will not be giving any advice on inbreeding/line breeding as two of her latest litters have COIs of 32.2% and 26.6% ( For comparison the score is 25% if you mating parent to offspring )
The parents of her three litters are over 2.5 years but the four of the six ( those of her own breeding ) have no eye results shown on the KC website. This long term breeder has no cavaliers she owns on the over five heart list or the voluntary MRI list.
I wonder why it is thought these two breeders are qualified to advise people seeking help in buying a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder? They are not supporting health testing schemes so how are they expected to explain about health certificates they do not possess themselves?
If I continue to point puppy buyers in the direction of the Cavalier Club I will most certainly be asking them for detailed feedback.
On my website I was happy to suggest that buyers should contact the Cavalier Club, knowing that their puppy register was run by someone who had been MRI scanning her cavaliers for years.
She had put the names of scanned dogs on the voluntary MRI list and also had cavaliers on the Club over 5 heart list and there are eye results on the Kennel Club Health Test Results Finder.
I felt confident that buyers would be given information about the inherited health problems in the breed from someone representing the organisation that should be taking that responsibility.
I am no longer confident that will continue to happen.
Looking at the latest Breed Record Supplement I see the two well known breeders that have taken over as coordinators have both registered three litters. There is no evidence that they are breeding to the health protocols of their own Club. In fact there is evidence of a complete disregard of health guidelines.
With one breeder only one out of the six parents ( an outside stud dog ) have eye tests shown. Two of the stud dogs used were well under two years old. Despite years of breeding she does not appear to have any of her own cavaliers on the over 5 heart list or on the voluntary MRI scanning list.
The other breeder presumably will not be giving any advice on inbreeding/line breeding as two of her latest litters have COIs of 32.2% and 26.6% ( For comparison the score is 25% if you mating parent to offspring )
The parents of her three litters are over 2.5 years but the four of the six ( those of her own breeding ) have no eye results shown on the KC website. This long term breeder has no cavaliers she owns on the over five heart list or the voluntary MRI list.
I wonder why it is thought these two breeders are qualified to advise people seeking help in buying a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder? They are not supporting health testing schemes so how are they expected to explain about health certificates they do not possess themselves?
If I continue to point puppy buyers in the direction of the Cavalier Club I will most certainly be asking them for detailed feedback.