Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

Slightly off topic but relating to the KC

About three years ago I had a lot of trouble with the kennel club and one of their registered breeders.
Here is a précis of the original letter I sent them.



"We purchased a Scottish Terrier puppy from ( Name and address available through PM if anyone is interested) Friday 26th of Jan 2007. Although we were redirected to a different To collect the puppy. We were informed the Kennel Club pedigree has been applied for.

The puppy was sold to us at exactly 8 weeks of age, she seemed to be in reasonable health apart from having an enlarged belly probably due to worms for which Panacur granuals were prescribed.

In our care other than to and from the car (when she was carried) the puppy was not outside as she has not had her vaccinations. We live on an arable farm which has no animals other than our house pets, two Scottish terriers, currently in good general health and free from infestations of any sort (vet checked)


On Saturday 27th Jan and Sun 28th Jan, the puppy was lethargic but constantly scratching at herself, on examination large amounts of scaly material was noticed close to her skin which seemed to be distressing her, she was also passing loose bloody motions and has a small hernia at the umbilicus point.

On Monday with no resolution of her distress we took her to the vet. The vet took skin scrapings and after microscopy diagnosed skin lice, for which she prescribed Frontline Spray for the puppy ( and Frontline Spot on as a precaution for my other two dogs.) The vet also confirmed the hernia and worms. All of my dogs were present at the consultation and as neither of my other dogs shows lice infestation yet, it was her opinion that the puppy was sold with the problem especially considering the time taken for skin lesions to develop.

We have on three occassions tried to discuss the matter with Mr W, who denies the facts, even though our vet has spoken to him. We feel that we have come to the end of this particular road as our calls are met in an aggressive manner.

I do not believe that the puppy conforms to the expected standard of a reputable dog breeder. Puppies should never be sold in this condition as it denotes low welfare standards and demeans the breed. "

Despite numerous phone calls to the KC they totally ignored my letters The upshot being , after two years of getting nowhere, I employed a solicitor. The result was immediate. The KC then sought to resolve the matter by negotiation which led nowhere until my lawyer took both them and the breeder to court and I won damages.

I breed Scotties and it really gets me down how others let the rest of us down. Mr W is still registered with the KC and advertises puppies on a regular basis.

I take a hit of about £200 per puppy by refusing to KC register them. Never again will I have anything to do with that money grabbing and unethical organisation.


I feel better now LOL

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

FF, this is the very type of breeder that I am talking about. When I see that someone is breeding several litters a year and seems to have puppies all the time it sends up a red flag to me and If I were a prospective buyer I would definately be cautious of those puppies. There is no reason for a puppy to be delivered with the infections that your puppy had. Usually when this happens its becuase the breeder has not spent a dime to make sure his puppies are healthy. When I have the occassional litter my vet sets up a time frame for visits from the time they are born so they can be monitored for any type of infection and when they are delivered they are guaranteed to be free of any infections. In my contract I expect the client to take the puppy to thier personal vet within a week of taking posession and a letter sent back to me to verify this. You can read the guarantee on my web site if you like. http://cassiopeiabouviers.com A responsible breeder will do everything in thier power to ensure their puppies are healthy. I know I do.
As for the Kennel Club wheather its the AKC or the KC people seem to forget they are mainly registries for your purebred dog. Granted if enough complaints are recieved they should refuse to register dogs from people known to be unethical but that does not always happen. I am sorry you had such a problem.
Now to those who are against inbreeding and it sounds like line breeding I would suggest that you get your facts right. Some breeds do not have enough dogs to chose from and the need to do this to ensure the breed is not really an option. However if care and research is done its still possible to have healthy puppies even with a limited number of dogs to breed to. That is where the BBC documentary went astray as far as I am concerned. You can get bad puppies by outbreeding if your not careful in what your doing. With my breed its very important becuase there was so much inbreeding in the mid 1900's becuase during WW1 the Germans tried to exterminate the breed then again during WW2. It was responsible breeders who saved the breed that gives us the dog we have today. Just my two cents

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

Hi Nero, that is the problem with most judges. The ones they use in All Breed shows only have basic knowledge of what the breed standard is. Its not the same as going to a Breed Specialty Show where the judges are experts in your Breed. My female has never done well at All Breed shows because she cannot compete with the larger more flamboyant males but take her to a specialty and she takes best of breed becuase those judges look for the complete dog and not just the exterior. Its one of the main gripes I have about showing. But as a breeder I will continue to breed a good all around dog, capable of doing whats expected of it, sound of body and temperment and if in the process I have a few that can compete in the show ring then I figure I am doing the correct things. Just my opinion. Steve

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

Good post from you FF.

You are spot on about the KC Funky, . . it's all about cash with them, . . the thing is, where does all the cash go ?
Oh, they do have open audits for the public to see etc, . . but IMO it's all BS.

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

Good point Nero .... Perhaps their HQ? Their address is something like 1-3 Clarges St, Piccadilly, London.Only about the most expensive real estate in the country! Then they have a massive place in Aylesbury. That isn't exactly a poverty ridden area either.

Of course they might have a building full of lawyers as well. They will need those, with all the complaints they are getting.

Grrrrrrrrrr! Happy Christmas

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

A thought has come to me FF, . . how much is spent wining and dining all the judges and putting them up in posh hotels ?

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

I just got off a site called Classified Alaska. I was totally shocked at what I saw under dogs for sale. People are taking dogs of different breeds such as retiievers and poodles, calling them GoldenPoos and selling them for as much as I do a pure bred Bouvier. Now I do not fault someone trying to make a living but to say that mixed breed dogs are healthier then purebreds is totally insane. If the dogs that breeds have a defect such as bad hips or elbows and mates to another dog with other faults the genetics are passed on no matter how you cut the cake. The movement I see that is so against breeders is purely a money making scheme by those who profit the most and that is not the Kennel Clubs or the small breeders. Its the SPCA and HSUS. The shelters are not being filled by purbred dogs but by the mixed breeds that people get and do not take care of. The dogs that are allowed to run wild with little or no training. So instead of going after the real problem the SPCA and HSUS have made it a priority to promote mixed breed dogs to empty shelters which in turn as turned into a cottage industry for unscrupulous breeders and designer dogs. And to be perfectly frank, designer dogs are nothing more then mongrels with a name attached. Sorry for the rant but it really torks me when I see so much negativity towards the people that really try to do the right things with thier breeds and get torn apart by the ones who are only in it for the dollar.

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

That really is bad, what the heck is stopping them issuing an 'interim' guide, just to give people some idea, it could and should then be updated when they have been able to write a more detailed standard.

I have a little experience of writing and issuing standards in industry, it's common practice to issue one as soon as possible, it goes out as guess what .......Issue 1 and is dated, then when the writer has been able to gather more information it goes out as guess what.......Issue 2 and dated, it's not bleedin rocket science is it????????????

Re: BBC on Purebred dogs

Greed is a terrible thing but unfortunately we see it in all walks of life.

A story today is an example which really horrified me, a failed (male) pop musician who beat up his partner (Also male as it happens ) was jailed for the crime but is now out on probation and wants to be in a TV reality show for which he was to paid £200,000 (Yes, you can't believe it can you)

His probation service objected (quite rightly) and thank God the judge agreed.

It's just greed pure and simple, yet the media portray this criminal like he was some kind of hero.