Cavalier Attitude

The political drama continues in the world of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It seems that at yesterday's club AGM a motion was raised to amend the Club's code of ethics to include a recommendation that all dogs used at stud be tested by MRI for syringomelia. Logical? You would have thought so. Dog World newspaper reported on the meeting:

"At first the motion was passed by 25 votes to 15, with nine abstentions. But a little while later discussion became heated when members demanded that this vote should be taken again. Some said they had not heard what was said and thus not known what they were voting for.
"Under some pressure, Mrs Jupp agreed that a vote could be taken on an amendment to remove the SM recommendations from the code. This was carried by 37 votes.
"It is understood that the treasurer’s report showed that the special general meeting held to oust Mrs Carter from the committee had cost the club £2,082. There was an additional expenditure of £1,147 which paid for the committee to be trained on how to deal with questions from the media following the SGM."

Club Chairman Lesley Jupp released this statement following the event:

A BENCH MARK WEEKEND Before the AGM last Sunday, Simon Swift, Cardiologist, gave a talk to members to inform us of the present situation, current research and to update us on the new BVA/KC heart testing scheme that involves a number of breeds including cavaliers. His talk was attended by about 25 members, including the committee, out of a current total UK membership of 1050. At the end of his talk Simon had difficulty in leaving the room for the throng of other members waiting outside for the AGM, chatting and drinking coffee, whiling away the time until his talk was over. So much for breeders’ interest in, and concern for heart problems within the breed. The AGM then followed, attended by 63 members. The agenda contained a proposal from the committee that the Code of Ethics should include the recommended breeding guidelines for SM. These are not mandatory rules, merely recommendations, and would have been in line with Hearts and Eyes breeding guidelines, which have been in place for some years. These proposals seemed to me to be innocuous and reasonable. However, the proposal was substantially defeated by the meeting. This was a triumph by the members present over neurologists and geneticists, and of course, over the committee. It would seem that cavalier club members continue to progress, like lemmings, towards mandatory breeding regulations that will surely come, as surely as night follows day. There are many members who are still not prepared to health check their breeding stock, and of those who do, it would appear that many would not hesitate to breed from affected animals. I have tried my utmost to defend and support the breed and the club. This weekend was proof, if proof is needed, that there is no point in deluding myself, or others, that self-regulation is possible. Mrs Lesley Jupp

If there is a rational explanation for all of this chaos I would love to hear it. It was only a recommendation for goodness' sake. These people need to wise up and realize that if they don't get their house (and beloved breed) in order, they will harm themselves, their breed, and the interests of the sensible, caring breeders and exhibitors in the UK.

Missing Weimaraner!

A Weimaraner bitch called ''Deli'' (Show CH Gunalt Delicious) has gone missing.

Owner Jane Elders' car was stolen outside her home near Keighley, W Yorkshire, with Deli and kennelmate Jimmy inside! Jimmy somehow managed to find his way home with only cuts and scrapes. Later the car was found nearby, with no Deli in sight.

She is microchipped, but likely without a collar. Her owners are asking everyone to pass this information along to their local vets, groomers and friends.

ABC's Nightline

Sorry for the oversight...nearly forgot to include this link to the recently-aired feature on ABC's primetime news show. Its a bit of a follow up/reaction to the PDE program with American counterparts. I've only read the script so far, but the video can be viewed at this link.

Hello Kitty

It was only a matter of time before the purebred dog debate spilled over into the much less-familiar world of cat breeding. In this piece from the Mail, the ''inbreeding'' of pedigree cats is blamed for a variety of health concerns related to felines including cancer, sensitive skin and monorchidism.

It really bothers me how the word ''inbred'' is being used as the catchphrase for any illness or negative trait connected to these animals. Of course I'm not suggesting that the potential outcome of a father-daughter or brother-sister mating could be anything less than disastrous if the genetic slot-machine lands on 3 unlucky stars (the chances of which obviously increasing in such a mating if those predispositions exist.) But journalists are using inbreeding as an easy and over-simplified explanation to draw readers in. Its a highly charged word that strikes an emotional chord with people, but realistically cannot be the one-size-fits-all answer for everything. Consider how outcrossed the human race is and the growing number of genetic problems we face.

A similar story ran in the Telegraph, seen here. It finished with a quote from the owner of a pet website who said on the subject of purebreds ''It is man imposing his idea of what a cat should look like. It is the tyranny of breeding." I hope that the readers of those comments consider the many great things that the tradition of breeding animals for purpose,function and even appearance has afforded us . To describe it as tyranny is absurd, but then again the absurd makes for great headlines.

Pointers in hawking

We spent an interesting evening at the picturesque Norfolk home of Ted and Donna Macdougall, owners of the once very successful Adstock Pointer line. Donna is a retired veterinarian, and both she and husband Ted still retain an active interest in field work with their dogs. Situated amongst 25 acres of countryside and woodland their farm provides a fantastic natural habitat for a variety of gamebirds and wildlife.

Before he met Donna and began his lifelong association with the Pointer breed, Ted was an avid falconer. He sought a breed suited to work with his Peregrine falcons, and the Pointer's steady and focused outlook ticked all the right boxes. Today the Macdougall's keep 3 Peregrines, each one hand-raised from the time of hatching so as to ''imprint'' to its keeper. This type of early socialization makes for a much more reliable partner in the open field. Ted explained how hand-reared birds were also easier keepers as they felt a sense of calm in their surroundings in the aviary.

Ted described the incredible excitement of being in the field alongside his faithful Pointers, and the moment a bird is discovered. While the dog remains frozen on point, the falcon is released skyward to climb for its final descent.

It was a reminder of the many ways in which dogs have been bred to aid their human counterparts, and a real credit to the breeders of bench show champions who still insist that their dogs retain the talent and working drives that they were bred for generations ago.

A falconry blog can be found here.

CSI Crufts: Jemima Undercover

Not sure why the show dog world's BFF, Jemima Harrison, felt she had to go ''incognito'' to Crufts this year, other than it sounds sooo much more fabulous! Sorry to crush any delusions of grandeur, but I seriously doubt anyone would recognize her. I also cannot comprehend why she feels the need to attack Britain's most famous show, show dogs, and show breeders at every opportunity. In her recent piece in the Times, she describes the event in typical upbeat fashion:

''It’s not the gamey whiff of the Irish terrier strung up on a table, groomed to millimetre perfection. It’s not the acrid aroma from the splashes of urine pooling by the rows of benches where hundreds of bored-looking dogs doze, waiting their turn in the ring. It’s the stench of continuing denial in the face of overwhelming evidence that there is something terribly wrong with our pedigree dogs. ''

I wonder if that description is in line with what the scores of excited children and families experienced while exploring the halls of the NEC? Judging by the smiles, laughter and curiosity I saw in their faces I suspect it was a much more pleasant and enjoyable day out for them. Jemima's scene sounds utterly depressing. Talk about the glass being half empty.

She suggests that a class-winning Peke is unable to walk more than a few paces outside the crowded ring because it is physically unable, instead of the more logical assumption that it is a typically stubborn Peke...but just as was the case in PDE, why let the truth stand in the way of a good story. I think Jemima longs for a world where a flock of Pekes scampers ''20 miles a day on Salisbury Plain,'' and while that scenario sounds super cute, it is unlikely and quite frankly unnecessary.

The ''more moderate Bulldog'' that Jemima refers to as the breed winner, suggesting that his win was a nod to the newly revised standard, is actually the top winning Bulldog of the previous year. Even before PDE, this particular dog was winning in a big way.

I am perplexed at WHY Ms Harrison continues to attack and alienate all of us who show dogs. If comparing us to Nazis is her way of getting us on board she needs to rethink her approach. She still fails to acknowledge that the majority of show breeders...not pet shop suppliers, puppy dealers, and pet breeders... are actively using health testing methods of different varieties and constantly trying to improve our dogs by importing stock from around the world. If she was simply championing for the KC to make changes, and not trying to discredit the hard work and progress made by the breeders of show dogs, then maybe she could come to Crufts without the mask on.

B- Cud goes post-al

To paraphrase the lyrically-gifted but sadly defunct British girlband Mis-teeq, canine spin doctor Beverly Cuddy gets ''so so so slanderous'' in her warm.fuzzy blog Cold Wet Nose in an entry regarding her predictions for the winner of Crufts best in show this past Sunday. Raps B Cud,

''The Standard Poodle is my tip for the top.
True, it is Britain's top dog - so not exactly an out of field prediction.
But it is also a dog handled and owned by people who seem to be writing the very slimy book - How to win friends and influence people at the KC.
In the run up to Crufts they started a very, very sucky-upy KC-friendly blog.
Odd time to do this as it's my experience they don't reflect the current mood of the show world.
I have been hearing from more and more really excellent show breeders who say they agree with everything we reformists are saying. People steeped in the show world who want to know what they have to do to start putting everything right. That it's time the KC reflected the good people, started doing meaningful reform on inbreeding before it's too late for their beloved breeds.
On every radio phone-in I've been half expecting someone stereotypical spouting the KC line to pop up with the sort of stuff that the KC-creepy blog is pumping - but instead I've even had breeders with 50 years experience agreeing with me that things have to change at the KC. Some are even KC members themselves. They are cheering us on.
Let me make another prediction, the writers of the pro-KC blog may also be soon rewarded with KC membership - if it hasn't already come their way.''


I'm not sure why Ms Cuddy chose to single us out and drop libelous, conspiracy-esque bombs about our character and motives. More fool her, as we probably agree on quite a bit more than she realizes. I guess that when you offer an opposing view it infuriates those who wish to suppress what might actually make people think ''Hey, wait a sec....maybe what that angry chick keeps saying ain't entirely right!''

To clarify a point: This is NOT a pro- Kennel Club blog....it is a PRO responsible breeder, exhibitor and purebred dog fancier blog, and one that aims to counter much of the negative and biased info that is spewed out by the media on what seems like a daily basis. In fact, this blog was started out of frustration at the KC's inefficiency in challenging the accusations leveled at the show dog community following the BBC program and the months that followed, short of saying ''But we changed the breed standards.''

I am not getting paid to do this, I have no aspirations for Kennel Club membership, and the only thing I can probably hope to achieve in spending my time pounding away at the keyboard is spreading the positive message that the show world is (and has been for years!) heavily committed to seeing improvements into the health and genetic awareness-side of breeding dogs, and resolute in that there is always more work to be done, despite what is being depicted in the press. Full stop.