Pedigree Dogs Exposed

[Cornish]

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I can not believe that the likes of crufts and the KC are aware of this but are not doing anything.

 

[cyfrin]

:rant: Appalling, but glad the programme was made & shown.

Everything I saw disturbed me to my core, but the KC along with Crufts are encouraging these mutants by giving them licence to breed, and crowning them 'best of breed' That poor GSD - words fail me. I had a GSD when I was a kid and he was PTS at 16 because his back legs gave out - but as I say, that was at 16! I too would be ashamed to walk that GSD, along with that poor Peke.

That campaigner for the disease in CKC's should get a medal

 

[affieluver]

truly disgusting it was heartbreaking to see :rant: all i can say im glad ive got a whippet and know that there are genuine breeders out there that really do care about what they breed :thumbsup:

 

[AnnSa]

It was certainly an eye-opener wasn't it

 

[affieluver]

truly disgusting :rant: its terrible to see dogs treated this way just to win in the ring its beyond me it really is and as for the kennel club they are even more disgusting its all about making money, money out of innocent people just awful :angry:

 

[phill]

We watched it and i thought some of the breeders were absolutely DISGUSTING! :rant: :rant: The Ridgeback breeder and cavelier breeder especially! To put down healthy pups because it does.nt have a ridge!! :rant:

It typyfied what the K.C is all about.... The nazi's did this too!!

I know why quite a few breeders breed now going off that and what i have seen £££££££

Some people need to take a long hard look at themselves :rant:

 

[quintessence]

"If you took a stick and beat a dog to create that pain, you'd be prosecuted. But there's nothing to stop you breeding a dog with it."

How chilling a comment was that from last nights' programme.

I would like to think that every member of The Kennel Club asks themselves today

"what can I do to make a difference", because if they don't, then what on earth is their reason for being a member in the first place.

Jenny

 

[whippetsrus]

i have owned various breeds of dog since i was a child....two of them were kc registered....and both suffered with all sorts of ailments....all the others have been non kc registered and [touch wood]...none of them have suffered with any problems!!sooo

i will definately never own a kc registered dog again...especially after watching the pompus twats on the programme, try and lightly dismiss their actions....WRONG!!!!

i am deeply distressed and upset after watching this!!!

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I have 2 pedigree Whippets, 2 Italian Greyhounds and a Lurcher.

Apart from accidents requiring veterinary attention, the only one to have had a health problem is my lurcher, who has been to the vets several times with both skin and anal gland problems My first dog, a crossbreed (Tib Terrier x Cairn) also suffered all her life with skin problems which were controlled by medication

I applaud this programme for highlighting health problems in many breeds, including the freakish Bulldogs which have been mutated beyond recognition, and was shocked and disgusted that the breeders and KC are not doing enough to improve dogs' health.

However, I think it did make it seem as if the VAST MAJORITY of pedigree dogs are sick or deformed, which is most certainly not the case.

I am glad, however, to own dogs of a 'normal' shape, without any exaggerations! :- "

Liz and the Monellis

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Well, I have three pedigree whippets and had one lurcher in the recent past. So far the only one I have had major problems with is one of the whippets.

He has major problems with internal bleeds and was on the critical list this year. He is still very poorly and we are just taking each day at a time He suffers from colitis and pancreatitis. So far this year is has cost us £3000.00 in vets bills. Nobody knows the cause yet of the internal bleeds. It is not the first time this has happened. We had a spate of them two years ago. All we have be assured by the vet is that it is nothing we are doing that is causing the problem, as all the obvious thing have been ruled out.

He has had a great deal of treatment since June this year After spending four days in the vets in intensive care, not far from death he had a short respite at home and was then transferred to Liverpool Veterinary Hospital. He went through a batch of tests, including an abdominal and CT scan.

I would say, at the moment, the hardiest of the lot was the lurcher, which was a saluki/greyhound cross. In his time with us we had no health problems whatsoever. The only time he was at the vets was for his yearly checkup and booster.

 

[saraquele]

Unfortunately, no surprises in this programme Other than the exposure of the myriad of breeders who are in denial about what they are doing :angry:
When watching the GSD that won Best of Breed at Crufts this year, I remember saying to OH how deformed he looked and said that I was under the impression that the Breed Standard for GSD didn't cultivate this crippling, sloping rear end that is apparent in the show ring.  Obviously I was wrong

My GSDs have always had solid square frames with no slope to their back (even the white one!!).  They are from working lines and are all strong and healthy with no hip problems

How, by any stretch of the imagination, could these poor "breed standard" GSDs do what they were bred to do - work stock (w00t)   It is criminal the way that breeders are allowed to mutilate a species in the name of cosmetic fashion :rant:   :rant:

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totally agree , the gsd of the show ring now are a disgrace , no muscle tone on the back end because its so weak it dosent use it enough to build muscle

i found the program quite good to be honest , i thought it showed the KC in its true light :thumbsup: hopefully this may make them do something about the breeds that are affected by certain problems but maybe not

in an ideal world ALL ped dogs should be dna tested and have the relevant tests according to there breed , regardless if they are KC reg or not .

all the KC are interested in is the money they get off people registering there dogs , they even admitted it by saying they would not make breeders do the tests as they would lose them , lose the revenue more like

its a shame as the KC was founded by dog people , now its mainly business people

 

[stormydog]

Unfortunately, no surprises in this programme Other than the exposure of the myriad of breeders who are in denial about what they are doing :angry:
When watching the GSD that won Best of Breed at Crufts this year, I remember saying to OH how deformed he looked and said that I was under the impression that the Breed Standard for GSD didn't cultivate this crippling, sloping rear end that is apparent in the show ring.  Obviously I was wrong

My GSDs have always had solid square frames with no slope to their back (even the white one!!).  They are from working lines and are all strong and healthy with no hip problems

How, by any stretch of the imagination, could these poor "breed standard" GSDs do what they were bred to do - work stock (w00t)   It is criminal the way that breeders are allowed to mutilate a species in the name of cosmetic fashion :rant:   :rant:

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totally agree , the gsd of the show ring now are a disgrace , no muscle tone on the back end because its so weak it dosent use it enough to build muscle

i found the program quite good to be honest , i thought it showed the KC in its true light :thumbsup: hopefully this may make them do something about the breeds that are affected by certain problems but maybe not

in an ideal world ALL ped dogs should be dna tested and have the relevant tests according to there breed , regardless if they are KC reg or not .

all the KC are interested in is the money they get off people registering there dogs , they even admitted it by saying they would not make breeders do the tests as they would lose them , lose the revenue more like

its a shame as the KC was founded by dog people , now its mainly business people

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excellant post sharon. have a look at the KC website :thumbsup: business more than pleasure me thinks

 

[rach125]

I watched it last night and i can honestly say, the image of that poor CKCS screaming and rolling around on the floor made my physically sick and i will be haunted by it forever. It was awful, i think i must have lead a sheltered life because I never for one second thought that the kennel club would condone such obscene breeding.

 

[wild whippies]

its a shame as the KC  was founded by dog people , now its mainly business people 

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It was founded by a bunch of upper class individuals (lords and ladies and such) who probably condone inbreeding as they're partial to it themselves. :- "

If the founders of the KC had been a lurcherman, a terrier man, gamekeepers etc then I'm convinced that pedigree dogs wouldn't be in the mess they are today.

I actually think it's meerly a matter of time before the KC turn their attention to lurchers and I think it'll happen sooner now that prospective pet owners can see the attraction of these dogs.

 

[masta]

lots of post saying "i carnt believe the KC are allowing this to happen" etc what you forget is the the KC are "those" people it is made up of show breeders the KC guy responsible for medical issues whe pushed for an answer for why they are not putting in rules to stop these practices said " if we do it will drive them out and they will still be breeding in this manner" HOW?? its not possible everything hinges on the KC that is why they have the power to stop these practices and put controls in to stop the rot now, 10 years down the line god knows what will of happened to some of our national breeds

 

[saraquele]

its a shame as the KC  was founded by dog people , now its mainly business people 

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It was founded by a bunch of upper class individuals (lords and ladies and such) who probably condone inbreeding as they're partial to it themselves. :- "

If the founders of the KC had been a lurcherman, a terrier man, gamekeepers etc then I'm convinced that pedigree dogs wouldn't be in the mess they are today.

I actually think it's meerly a matter of time before the KC turn their attention to lurchers and I think it'll happen sooner now that prospective pet owners can see the attraction of these dogs.

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little did they know then though what a huge thing the KC would turn into , of course when they set it up money was thought of but it was set up by people also interested in dogs / showing . regardless of there social standing 8)

i think there is a difference in inbreeding , you have the people who ALWAYS stay close , sometimes too close BUT you also have the people who like a certain type and with the best will in the world at some point there has to be a LITTLE in breeding to gain that type . :unsure:

also as a purely innocent question , why do you think the KC will turn its attention to lurchers ? after all it cant deal with its own pedigree breeds without worrying about the dogs that are not KC reg , after all it wont gain any money off the lurcher / non ped dogs so why bother with them ? :huggles:

just to add i am NOT being horrible or stuck up about non peds or lurchers its a genuine question :huggles:

 

[doggy182]

I think the thing that made me most cross about the programme was the Cavalier breeders who should supposedly be proud of their breed and want it to be the best they can and should be caring animal loving people, but will not take responsibility for trying to sort out a major problem. That woman who said she would not have her dogs MRI scanned :rant: Just seems so wrong that dogs with the condition can breed and win shows. The KC club should not register dogs with the condition.

And those poor GSD, strong big dogs reduced to that, disgusting. How can people think that is good. They make the whole showing world look bad, which I am sure is not so.

I think the lady with the spaniel who did all the campaigning was amazing, if more people were like her maybe something would be done.

Oh and pugs, they should be banned. It simply is not fair to keep breeding if what they said about the tiny gene pool was true. And poor George with all those health problems was considered 'the perfect pug'.

The dogs in the paintings from the 1800s looked so much better than the dogs now.

 

[~JO~]

Press release from the KC

Kennel Club hits back at BBC Dog Documentary

20-Aug-08

 

The Kennel Club feels that the programme, Pedigree Dogs Exposed (BBC1 19 August) missed a real opportunity to progress the cause of dog health. It appeared to have a very specific agenda repeating prejudices, providing no context for the debate, and failing to put forward any constructive proposals. It left viewers with the mistaken impression that all pedigree dogs are riddled with a wide range of health problems and that the dog community is doing little or nothing to improve the situation. This is patently not true.

 

Whilst the Kennel Club was shocked by the dramatic imagery used in the programme, and accepts some of the important issues raised. What it does not accept is that these problems apply widely across the 200 plus breeds in the UK. Pedigree Dogs Exposed also failed to show the real progress being made by both the Kennel Club and responsible breeders in improving dog health or to recognise that 90 percent of dogs will not suffer from health problems that have a detrimental impact on the quality of life.

 

More than that, the programme drew upon a new study on dog genetics by Imperial College to underline its criticisms of dog breeding, without acknowledging the fact this study was entirely enabled by the Kennel Club as part of its commitment to health research. This research will now provide the Kennel Club with a valuable scientific platform to enlist the support of breeders in tackling key health problems where they occur.

 

Commenting, Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said: “in reality the gap between some of the views expressed on the programme and those held by both the Kennel Club and most responsible breeders is very small. Over the last 20 years we have been working to develop tests and health screening schemes to identify and eradicate problems, many of which are historic. One example of this is the elimination of canine leucocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD) in Irish Setters, that caused early death in puppies which was eradicated through the concerted efforts of both the Kennel Club and Irish Setter breeders.

 

“However, it is important to put this into context. The Kennel Club has no legal standing, unlike some similar bodies in other countries. We have to work on these issues through partnership and persuasion – not coercion. The danger of introducing draconian measures is that some breeders could choose to operate outside the Kennel Club’s jurisdiction; with absolutely no controls. That cannot be the best way forward.

 

“The programme also made some sweeping, and far from accurate assertions. The Kennel Club refutes that it would put ‘looks’ above the health of pedigree dogs, in fact we actively discourage the exaggeration of features in any breed. The standards have been, and will continue to be amended when necessary to ensure the breeding of healthy, well conformed dogs. Dog show judges are also educated to judge to those standards ensuring that dogs with obvious problems that could affect their quality of life do not win, and that the rewards go to fit, healthy dogs. All of this of course is dependent on the responsibility of breeders and owners – and this is where our efforts must be concentrated.”

 

“We can state categorically that the majority of pedigree dogs in the UK are healthy. We increasingly have in place checks to monitor health issues going forward. In those few breeds where there are problems, including those highlighted in the programme, we have been and will continue to work with breeders to improve long term health through the development of tests and screening programmes.”

 

Kennel Club health initiatives include: funding research to identify problems and develop efficient screening for health, such as eye testing and hip scoring; the introduction of the Accredited Breeder Scheme, to act as a ‘kite mark’ for responsible breeders; and most recently the launch of a major campaign which seeks further to promote health improvements across breeds - ‘Fit for function – fit for life’. This, in conjunction with breed clubs, focuses on tackling unnecessary exaggeration in some breeds, whether that is of coat, weight, skin, angulation, eye formation or shortness of muzzle. All dogs should be fit for function, even if that function is to be a pet - all dogs should be able to see, breath and walk freely.

 

“By their lack of context, programmes such as Pedigree Dogs Exposed, far from helping the situation run the risk of damaging the work already being done. This work will not be carried out by TV production companies – but by the hard work of the Kennel Club and the country’s responsible breeders.” said Caroline Kisko.

 

In summary, health issues are of primary concern to the Kennel Club but changes cannot be made overnight. We are working proactively with breeders to make these changes – but we are dealing with the legacy of 100 years. What we need is the support of experts such as those featured in the programme, not their condemnation – support which we have indeed received from a number of respected bodies such as The Animal Health Trust, The Blue Cross and the British Veterinary Association.

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

The Kennel Club’s efforts concentrate primarily on heritable diseases because these are the ones that pass from generation to generation and have the potential to impact on a breed’s disease burden, generally. Non-heritable conditions affect the individual dog, but have little, if any, impact on the breed moving forward.

 

The KC has deliberately chosen to work with dog breeders and encourages and educates them on their responsibilities to screen their potential breeding stock with all available health screening programmes for heritable conditions that affect their breed, rather than to mandate that such tests should be undertaken. The KC is also very involved in sponsoring new research that will increase the number of screening programmes for heritable conditions.

 

The reason that this approach has been adopted is because registration of dogs with the Kennel Club is a voluntary activity, but, at the moment, we actually register the vast majority of the pure bred dogs in the UK. This means that we know how to contact most people that are breeding pure bred dogs and inform them of their responsibilities. We are cautious of becoming overly prescriptive in what we expect so we do not drive people away from the KC registration system. It would be naïve to expect that this would stop breeders from breeding, but it could significantly reduce the impact of the KC’s message, by drastically reducing the numbers of breeders with which we have contact, which would be of little benefit to breeds generally.

 

This is only a small part of the work the Kennel Club does in improving the health and welfare of pedigree dogs. It is a sad fact that there will always be dogs in need of further care and attention and we hope that through continued work and research, and contributions from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, we can continue to make a real difference to the health of these dogs.

 

For more information on Canine Health, please visit www.doggenetichealth.org

 

[em21]

DAMN!!! I missed it! Anyone know if it's other channels or sky at a later date?

Emma xxx

 

[Hebridean]

I think it's more complicated than money - I think its also ego, kennel-blindness, warped glory hunting at any cost and a pathetic sense of power

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Yes, you've it.

 

[Joanna]

Extremely uncomfortable to watch. For me, there were two issues. Firstly, if a breed is known to have a geneticly inherited disorder which is prevalent, as in the King Charles, should the KC insist that breeding dogs are tested for the gene and refuse to register litters should the gene be identified in either parent. I would imagine that you could eliminate the problem within a generation!

Secondly, I think that steps should be taken to identify breeds which have construction problems that inhibit a normal, happy, healthy life and radically change the breed standard. Those GSDs couldn't walk or move, the bassets were lumbering, the pug was just a shocking mess. I find it incredibly difficult to understand what is attractive about any of those traits...........beauty pagent or freak show? Frankly, Mr Irving did not really impress me, yes, I can see there was some suspicious editing to make the KC look irresponsible. Perhaps animal welfare should play a much bigger role in this organisation.

 

[Vicky]

For anyone that didn't catch it it's now been uploaded to BBC Iplayer Here