Weimaraners

2011

Ryanstock

Weimaraners

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Straight Talk 3

The final part of three of the ‘Straight talk’s’ about the Kennel Club

and if you miss any then please go to the Library where you can catch up.

Page 2

The next ill thought out change is the Accredited Breeder Scheme. I have been active in my breed for nearly 40 years, one of perhaps less than twenty people of similar experience who is still breeding, showing and working my breed of gundogs ( Weimaraners ). Have the KC ever spoken to me about my breed or matters affecting my breed ? No, I suspect there are many other breeders in all the other breeds who have served their breed for even longer than I who have had no communication with the KC. Who do they consult before trying to implement their ideas that have an impact on breeders ?

The KC at one of their ‘question time’ evenings that I attended stated that  ‘Accredited Breeder’ did not mean that breeders were any better or their stock was any better. The people signing up had agreed to undergo the appropriate monitoring of their procedures and would undertake breed specific health tests. So why not call it the ‘Monitored Breeder Scheme’, not quite the same ring has it ! The Oxford English Dictionary 2008 definition of ‘accredit’ is “give credit to someone for something”,  ‘accredited’ meanwhile is described as “give official authorization or recognition to”, that sort of sums it up, the KC have given official recognition to someone or some people to do something/s.  Everything clear now ? Having worked for many years in various plc companies I am familiar with monitoring processes, batch and raw material traceability, quality assured manufacturing procedures, we called it BS5750 parts 1 & 2 and that did not mean that the chemicals or adhesives we produced were any better than our competitors. Should the ABS be about the quality of stock or the benefits offered to the individual breeds ?

Take this example, I tend to breed when I would like to keep a puppy, I have had just a couple of litters where I was unable to do this and that was because I had promised friends a puppy and there were insufficient for us all, so I stood back and let friends take the priority. I do take care in selection when I decide to breed, I rear the puppies on the basis of the ‘good practice’ and knowledge I have acquired over the years. I have  stock hip scored as is my choice, there are no mandatory tests in force for our breed but hip scoring has been undertaken by some breeders for many years as a standard practice. I worm and inoculate the stock and puppies, again as good practice, I also microchip the puppies as they are legally docked. I always have prospective owners over and ‘Vet’ them prior to accepting their credentials. Upon acceptance the new owners not only get the discussion on all that is necessary for their new puppy but I advise them to obtain a veterinary check within 5 days of arriving home, I have already had my vet carry out the same prior to the puppies leaving home. With them they take my own puppy pack plus bedding, toys, food, the customary 6 weeks insurance , pedigree and registration documents. I am their first point of contact for all things related to their new puppy, beyond that I make sure that all new owners come back at 5 months of age for basic training, they return each month irrespective of where they live in the country until 11 months of age when they should be fully competent at walking on and off the lead, able to carry out stays, recalls and to be responsive to both whistle and hand signals. So why am I not an accredited with the KC ?, the answer is, why should I register ? Would it benefit the breed ?  Not really as I do not breed enough to impact greatly on our breed development, would it benefit me, again no because I have people who have owned one or two of our stock that are usually waiting for a replacement, I retain a puppy or sometimes two and have working homes waiting for dogs from our line so it would not even help me to sell the puppies by being nearer the top of the line when prospective new owners ring the KC for their breeders list.

The call went out recently to join the ABS to show support for the KC in their bid to prove their claims of representation when negotiating with those who make the legislation. Why should I register to support the KC when they do nothing for my breed ? They provide no help with rescue and re-homing nor do they offer research into any health issues. There will be many breeders in most of our breeds that will share an affinity with both my breeding methods and the lack of support given to their breed by the KC. So in order to resonate with this community why do the kennel club not give their ABS some teeth by appealing to genuine breeders who put their breed welfare before their ego and their puppy sales. Up to 2005 Weimaraners were registering 2800 dogs per year, this has tailed off significantly now and no bad thing I say. The KC take registrations fees from their ABS members, they take mine and they take the same amount from those who put their dog to the bitch up the road, they show no favour even when people register so many litters that they would be infringing breed club ‘code of ethics’, if they could be bothered to join a breed club. Why do the KC not add a £1 levy to each registration and give it back to any breed club rescue societies , splitting it if there are more than one. If they have none then any surplus should go into a fund so that breed clubs could apply for funding into any research for problems associated with their breed. I would gladly pay my six or eight pounds every few years and those who over produce can pay their thirty to sixty pounds a year which can then at least help Weimaraners and other breeds who are suffering through no fault of their own. I have always helped any of our breed rescue societies and that would not change but those who cannot be bothered would by force majeure be helping the breed from which they are deriving an income. I’m sure many people in other breeds may have similar or better ideas about how best to spread the load, as rescue is overworked in many breeds and being mainly dependent on volunteers and donations.

To continue in that theme of helping the welfare and well being of the breed the KC could create an ongoing monitor of their ABS members, set the standard within the ranks of your ABS membership, why not take details of every puppy owner supplied by their membership and undertake random phone calling to check on their experience with your ABS members and ascertain the welfare of the puppy and the satisfaction of the customer. That is truly a corporate approach and by the way you may see your ABS membership fall if you were to decide to take this action, but I for one would support it. At the same time allow all your ABS members to notify you of any defects that emerge without penalty so that careful monitoring might ensue and the member can demonstrate any amendments to their breeding programme that could facilitate improvements. Only after three notifications of faults from their breeding should they attend a review of their breeding programme and come under regular KC monitoring until the problems are overcome. Breeding takes time, planning, effort and just a little luck, problems do arise from time to time and it is how you deal with them that is important. Members who fail to notify but who’s faults are uncovered later should be fined £1000 for the first offence ( around the price of one puppy in some breeds), be suspended for a year from their ABS accreditation for a second offence and removed from your ABS list for a third notifiable offence. Then you can truly say to Defra, RSPCA and the Veterinary Colleges that you are serious about making improvements in breeds and that you have the full support of serious breeders by following this open, transparent and enforceable system. Then to those breeders who still refuse to join the scheme you can legitimately ask why they are breeding at all if it is not to secure a better future for their breed. But to make it happen you must then begin to discourage those who would breed solely for profit and not for improvements. It is not about pointing fingers but by agreeing ongoing improvements within the ranks of the ABS members, those who are serious should welcome the opportunity to improve their own standards and the quality of the breed they serve.

With all the areas mentioned so far the KC are demonstrating their lack of corporate understanding. In the corporate world where the accountants are king, every little detail must be scrutinized and every possibility must be covered. In that environment we would usually commence with the traditional ‘brain storming’ session, followed by a firm proposal, in which there would have been risk assessments taken, viability studies, cost / benefit analysis and then would come the formal plan. This would have details of implementation, time scale, monitoring, evaluations and reviews, followed by performance and deliverance problem solving. The KC seem to keep getting stuck at the ‘brain storming’ bit. With the ABS, if this is to succeed then the “fast approaching 6000’ members mentioned in the dog press recently should be taken as abject failure. There is no way that anyone at Defra, RSPCA or the Veterinary Bodies will accept the KC figure as being representative of the breeding masses. Here is a thought for the KC,  get the breed club secretaries down to Stoneleigh at your new building and sell the scheme to them, but make it worthwhile, cover breed welfare issues. Why not include things in the scheme that actually benefit each of the breeds registered at the KC, reduced costs for health screening, half price micro chipping, low cost seminars covering health issues within those breeds, perhaps reduced rates for using your new show building at Stoneleigh, incentivise each club by giving them a percentage for each new member who joins the ABS. Then they can provide the facilities of an ABS stand at all their events and put full page adverts in their newsletters. You have a nationwide network of breed clubs and they have direct contact with their membership which covers many more people than you seem willing to communicate with on a regular basis.

Why not at the same time Mr.KC make the effort to speak to your grass roots with whom you have lost touch and they who have lost faith. Open the doors of the KC to unlimited membership, have no fear that you will be invaded by men in cloth caps and women in clogs ( not a description I would ever agree with but it makes the point), no, fear not, your grass roots are made up of a broad section of life and industry, professional and practical people and they could help you convince Defra, RSPCA & the Veterinary Colleges that you are not a puppet for them to play with but a powerful organization with a mandate for change, supported by the majority of the people you serve. Perhaps it’s time to take the emphasis off the revenue streams and place it back on the core business. These ideas are not to be taken as definitive but neither are they just brainstorming. There are many people out there with good ideas for becoming involved with their breed and would love to connect with the Kennel Club. Why not open your mind and give them a chance to add flesh to the bones of your ideas instead of trying to railroad people to join you under your corporate umbrella ? To this organisation with corporate aspirations I have to say this, in an environment where there is no competition you may pat yourself on the back but in the ‘real world’ of corporate activities your business would be found sadly lacking. Embrace the people who are active in the world of dogs and join with them to make that ‘critical mass’ that would give you the credibility that you so desperately desire. For now my verdict is ...........................................................Could do Better.................Could do very much Better !