 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
The Kennel Club ("KC") is a kennel club based in London and Aylesbury, England.
Founded on 4 April 1873, the club is the oldest of the world’s all-breed kennel clubscitation needed. It is the governing body for dogs in the UK and its primary objective is 'to promote in every way, the general improvement of dogs'. It was the first official registry of purebred dogs in the world, and its annual registrations in the early 2000s average 280,000citation needed. The KC is not part of the World Canine Organisation, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, as are most other countries' kennel clubs.
The Kennel Club’s best known event is the Crufts dog conformation show, held since 1928, which attracts competitors from all over the world. Crufts is held every March at the NEC, Birmingham. The Kennel Club also holds the fun dog event Discover Dogs, in London every November. This event features the Scruffts grand final for crossbreed dogs.
The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups: Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility and Toy. The Kennel Club currently recognises 210 breeds of dog.
The Kennel Club has a Charitable Trust (registered charity no. 327802) which was established in 1987 with the objective of 'Making a difference for dogs'. It has donated over £3 million to a range of organisations and charities to fund a wide variety of work ranging from Scientific and Research grants to welfare initiatives.citation needed
Contents |
Criticism
The organisation was criticised on the BBC programme Pedigree Dogs Exposed for allowing breed standards, judging standards and breeding practices which are said to be compromise the health of purebred dogs. The programme demonstrated that the Kennel Club did not monitor the health rules for its member breed organizations, and in fact even allowed one breed to promote the euthanization of cosmetically imperfect dogs until the BBC investigated.1 After the programme aired, BBC announced that it was considering its association with the Crufts show and various sponsors including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Dogs Trust decided to pull out of the show.2
The Kennel Club issued a statement defending their practices before the program aired3 It later criticised the program as "highly biased"4 and lodged a complaint to regulatory authority Ofcom claiming "unfair treatment and editing". The Club too was considering their association with BBC.5
It is now rolling out new health plans due to the strong public response. Breed standards for every breed are under review and show judges would be required to choose only healthy dogs. It has also requested regulatory powers from the Government, which would allow the club to take actions against breeders who do not comply with health standards.6
The Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme - meant to help potential dog owners identify responsible breeders - has been describe by Dogs Trust as "full of pitfalls, the main one being that it's self-certificating".7neutrality disputed
References
- ^ "Pedigree dogs plagued by disease" (html). BBC News (2008-08-19).
- ^ Kennel Club to review every pedigree dog breed in BritainTelegraph
- ^ Irving, Ronnie (2008-08-08). "Statement about the forthcoming BBC programme ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ – BBC1, Tuesday 19th August, 9pm" (html). The Kennel Club.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Kennel Club changes breeding rules to end cruelty Times Online
- ^ RSPCA quits Crufts over controversy surrounding 'deformed' pedigree dogsTimes Online, September 16, 2008
External links
- The Kennel Club
- Discover Dogs
- Crufts
- Scruffts
- The Kennel Club Charitable Trust
- Fit for Function: Fit for Life website
- Questions about Pedigree dogs raised by the BBC Programme 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed'
- Accredited Breeder Scheme
Video clips
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 19 December 2008, at 00:13.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by PediaView.com. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with PediaView.com.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "The Kennel Club".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.