Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by The Dog Union

1.1 The Kennel Club have Petlog, a registration system, Mate Select, Health Testing and an Assured Breeders Scheme and more recently Health Testing of High Profile Breeds. They are the body most able to encourage the health and welfare of pedigree dogs.

1.2 The Kennel Club have for years invested in the health and welfare of pedigree dogs and have direct control and influence over approx 17,000 pedigree dog owners who participate in Kennel Club associated sports.

1.3 Since the Bateson Report the Kennel Club has made great strides to encourage responsible breeders to rectify many of the misgivings raised in the report. Their efforts have been constantly available to the public through their press releases, website, literature and events.

1.4 The dog breeders/kennels, excluding puppy farmers, are a very small group of people and in the main are responsible individuals as are the small breeders who produce only one or even less than one litter a year to provide their own show/working stock.

1.5 Most of these breeders big and small sell their puppies vet checked, vaccinated and with a contract to secure the future of the puppy through its lifetime. The majority also do the required health tests for their bitches or dogs prior to breeding.

1.6 In Prof Bateson’s report he refers to a high priority being given to the creation of a computer based system for the collection of anonymised diagnoses from veterinary surgeries in order to provide statistically significant prevalence data of each breed.

The establishment of this database and the integration of the microchip and registration bases would go a long way to controlling the health and welfare of all pedigree dogs.

1.7 Research on the websites of the RCVS, BVA, BSAVA and the Royal Veterinary College give no indication to the public or it appears vets that there is any progress in establishing this database. It would be advantageous to all if practising vets and breeders were updated regularly with its progress.

1.8 The Kennel Club recently wrote to vets repeating a request for Caesarean sections to be reported to them—another recommendation in the report. It is widely known that vets are reluctant to conform to this request. Assurance must be given to the public that the veterinary profession support this recommendation of Prof Bateson.

2.1 The Kennel Club and its ABS members can, together with the co-operation of the veterinary profession, regulate themselves and pilot the way for the inclusion of all dogs without government intervention.

2.2 The government must consider legislation and a method of funding for the mandatory registration of all pedigree dogs with the Kennel Club to provide an inclusive control over all breeders with the proviso of 3.1.

3.1 The Bateson report does provide the blue print for the control of all pedigree and cross breed dogs and the breeding of dogs. The establishment of the veterinary database and the integration of the microchip, registration and Mate Select bases would go a long way to controlling the health and welfare of all pedigree dogs.

3.2 Although this inquiry is only concerned about pedigree dogs it must be aware that there are designer dogs such as the Labradoodle which have inherited diseases such as Hip Dysplasia, PRA, Epilepsy and others. Therefore there is a need to control recognised crossbreeds some of which sell for up to £1,600, a price that is far above that of most pedigree breeds and have a list of inheritable diseases greater than that of some purebreds.

3.3 There is an immediate need to control puppy farming of the worst type and this can be done within existing legislation and the introduction of compulsory microchipping.

3.4 Although it is easy to control the large and small breeders who are members of the ABS there are a very large number of pedigree dog “breeders” who have an occasional litter and are not controlled who do or don’t register with the Kennel Club. One small survey from an advertising magazine indicated that out of 31 purebred litters only 14 were sold as KC registered.

Another survey indicated that from the people asked more people procured their dogs from friends than from breeders.

3.5 The health and welfare of all dogs is paramount in an effort to control the pedigree dog breeders, the costs to the responsible breeders could become prohibitive and therefore drive potential puppy buyers to the back street breeders who will have a completely different package to sell.

October 2012