Will the Kennel Club Go the Way of the AKC?

Wanted for crimes against nature. Last seen at the Tring Museum.

An article in The Independent notes that in the issue of Dogs Today that is due to come out today, Jemima Harrison has an open letter to the Kennel Club calling into question their "go slow" approach to changing breeds standards and reducing Coefficients of Inbreeding.

"Despite a few press releases promising to tackle genetic diversity, you are not doing enough to truly deal with this key issue," she wrote.

"Yes, you responded to public outrage and last year said you would no longer register the progeny of mother/son, father/daughter and brother/sister matings - a repellent practice that had gone on for far too long."

But she said the organisation had refused to introduce any further breeding restrictions.

"Indeed, you've stated recently that you still think it is all right to mate a grandfather to his own granddaughter as long as they are both 'suited'," she wrote.

Referring to the "devastating genetic erosion" of certain breeds, she called for "strong leadership" from the Kennel Club, writing: "It is time now to properly tackle this bigger issue - because, until you do, the dogs will continue to be inbred into oblivion."

The Kennel Club, of course, says it is going as fast as possible.

Right. And where are they going?

Mostly they are going to change the subject!

Their latest flutter is to make a big production about "puppy farms" -- an entirely different issue than that raised by Pedigree Dogs Exposed, and one which has nothing to do with Kennel Club breed standards which embrace physical deformity which leads to predictable disease and dysfunction.

And here's the delicious part: the British Kennel Club is only too happy to register puppy mill dogs! In fact, Kennel Club registration papers are a core part of the puppy farm business plan in the U.K., same as it is here in the U.S.

As for inbreeding, as Ms. Harrison notes, they have done the bare minimum and no more.

Bottom line: So long as the Kennel Club continues to employ Caroline Kisko as it spokesperson, you can be sure nothing has changed but the location of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

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