This Pack Does Not Have a True Leader

The Kennel Club pack does not have a true leader at the helm says veterinarian Peter Wedderburn, writing in The Telegraph.

Crufts, the world’s largest dog show, opens this morning with a strapline that some may regard as wishful thinking: “Celebrating happy, healthy dogs”. The show is still highly popular, with nearly 28,000 dogs attending, along with an anticipated audience of over 150,000 human visitors over the next four days. But the mood at the event will be very different to its glory days.

As recently as two years ago, Crufts was widely applauded as a manifestation of the traditional British “love of animals”. Then, in the autumn of 2008, the BBC documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed” changed everything. A different pall was cast on the notion of breeding dogs for the showring, with claims that dogs had been deliberately bred to look a certain way, despite the fact that their show-winning appearance was accompanied by poor health. The Kennel Club was accused of inaction in the face of evidence that pedigree dogs were suffering. The BBC and major sponsors withdrew support from Crufts. An event that had been central to British culture was sidelined.....

....But it’s not easy for casual onlookers to get an accurate sense of what’s really happening on the ground. When the Kennel Club takes actions and promises to take more actions, are changes really happening, or is the organisation just making sounds that are pleasing to the ear?

Jemima Harrison, the producer of the original BBC documentary, has continued to be a vocal and well-informed critic of the Kennel Club. In an open letter to the organisation, published today in the April edition of the Dogs Today magazine, she lists nine actions that she’d like the Kennel Club to take ...

....To a veterinary surgeon who’s been watching the debate carefully, these seem like reasonable requests. I know that the Kennel Club is an organisation run by dog lovers who want the best for the animals whose lives are affected by their decisions. I know that it can be difficult to take some unpopular but necessary actions when there’s a fear that members of the organisation may rebel or even leave to set up their own breed organisations. But if there ever was a time for leadership, it’s now.

Here’s a reminder of a simple definition: “to lead” means “to guide by going in front”. The Kennel Club; it’s over to you.

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