Category: General

THE KENNEL CLUB WELCOMES NEW CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO TACKLE DOG THEFT

The Kennel Club, the UK’s biggest organisation dedicated to dog health and welfare, has welcomed Government plans announced today (18 November) to introduce a specific criminal offence for those who steal dogs.  

Set out to be included within the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, the new law will see dog theft criminals face up to five years in prison. This follows a successful campaign from the organisation lobbying for stronger sentencing and better data collection on the devastating crime.

Currently, sentencing places undue weighting on the monetary value of a dog rather than giving sufficient weight to the emotional impact of the crime, meaning it is often treated in the same way as the theft of a laptop or mobile phone.

The Kennel Club has long campaigned on the issue of pet theft, lobbying for sentencing to recognise the emotional value of a dog and for better reporting and recording from officials so that underlying causes of dog theft can be tackled, and provided evidence as such to the Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce, formed in May this year. The Kennel Club’s Paw and Order campaign, launched last summer to urge action from the Taskforce, subsequently illustrated the need for reform and spurred thousands of dog lovers across the UK to write to their MP. Statistics gathered as part of the campaign showed the failure to tackle a crime that is devastating 196 families every month, as just two per cent of dog theft cases in 2020 resulted in a criminal charge.  

Mark Beazley, Chief Executive at The Kennel Club, commented: “We wholeheartedly welcome this next step from the Government, introducing a new and specific offence to tackle pet theft, and highly commend the hard and persistent work of every organisation who has been raising awareness of this issue and calling for action for many years. This is a win that can help to deliver justice to both the poor dogs and families victim to this devastating crime, and we hope that this amendment moves swiftly through parliament, to protect the nation’s much-loved pets.”

Further information about the campaign and current laws around pet theft, and advice on keeping dogs safe, is available on The Kennel Club’s website: thekennelclub.org.uk/dogtheft

ACTIVITY DISCIPLINES: REGULATIONS SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19

In order to allow events in the Activity disciplines to run again during the Covid-19 pandemic, it had previously been agreed that certain regulations would be suspended.

At its recent meeting, the Activities Committee reviewed the list of suspended regulations for each discipline and considered whether they should be reinstated.

It was felt that with most government restrictions eased, a lot of the provisions that the suspended regulations allowed were no longer necessary and as such it was agreed that all regulations would be reinstated with effect from 1 January 2022, with the exception of the following:

Regulations G7 & H5  – all licences to be applied for 6 weeks prior to the show (not 6 months). The Committee was of the view that the revised timeframe of 6 weeks was beneficial to show organisers and as such approved a permanent change to the regulations as follows:

Regulation G7

TO:

7. Application

The application for a licence to hold an Obedience Show must be made to the Secretary of the Kennel Club at least six months weeks before the proposed date of the show together with the appropriate licence fee.

(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold.)

(Effective 1 January 2022)

Regulation H5

TO:

The application for a licence to hold and agility show must be made to the Secretary of the Kennel Club, Clarges Street, London W1J 8AB on the official form which must be properly completed and sent, together with the appropriate licence fee, at least 6 calendar months weeks before the proposed date of the competition (42 days before the proposed date in the case of limited agility shows).

(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)

(Effective 1 January 2022)

Obedience

An announcement relating to the removal of stays from the list of exercises in obedience was previously issued.

Heelwork to Music

The following regulation has been amended to allow for the fact that judges may not have had the opportunity to attend a relevant seminar and undertake the exam.

Regulation L14.b.(iv) 

TO:

All Judges must have attended a Regulations and Judging Procedure seminar every four years since passing the Regulations and Judging Procedure examination. From 1 January 2022 2023 all Judges must have attended a Regulations and Judging Procedure seminar, either classroom based or online, and must have passed the examination, every five years since passing the Regulations and Judging Procedure examination.   

(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)

(Effective 1 January 2022)

Obedience regulation amendments announced: Stays are to be removed as of 1 January 2022

Following discussions by the Obedience Liaison Council and consultation with the obedience community, The Kennel Club Board has approved a number of regulation amendments under the terms of which all stays will be removed from the list of exercises for obedience with effect from 1 January 2022. Stays are currently suspended until 31 December 2021 as part of the Covid-19 regulation amendments.

Consideration of this matter has been ongoing for some time. Recommendations by the Obedience Liaison Council and the Activities Committee were not made lightly and were submitted to the Board only after careful consideration, as the removal of stays represents the most significant change to Obedience regulations in a long time.

Continue reading Obedience regulation amendments announced: Stays are to be removed as of 1 January 2022

NEXT OBEDIENCE LIAISON COUNCIL MEETING 20 JANUARY 2022

The next meeting of The Kennel Club Obedience Liaison Council will be held on Thursday 20 January 2022. Proposals for inclusion on the agenda should reach the Obedience Liaison Council Secretary by October 22 2021.

Each eligible society may submit, through their representative, items for the agenda. Individuals may also submit items for the agenda direct to The Kennel Club but must be accompanied by an agreement from a representative to present the item at the meeting. Proposals must be concise and, if an amendment or an additional regulation is proposed, the regulation number must be given.

All items for inclusion on the agenda should be sent by email to obedience@thekennelclub.org.uk. Please note that postal submissions may not be received in time due to the offices being closed.

A full list of Obedience Liaison Council representatives can be found at https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/…/already-competing…/

Crufts 2022 – South East & East Anglia Inter Regionals Team Try Outs

Crufts 2022 Team Day is
Friday 11th March 2022…

Application forms will be available very soon… and will be downloadable here

Early Try out days this year – been tricky finding dates us selectors can manage…

Try Out 1:- Saturday 23rd October
At Knowl Hill Village Hall,
Near Maidenhead.

Try Out 2:- Saturday 30th October
At Halstead Village Hall,
Pebmarsh, Halstead. Essex.

The Final:- Saturday 4th December
At Flaunden Village Hall,
Flaunden, near Bovingdon, Herts.

FIRST EVER RALLY WARRANT TITLE GOES TO BORDER COLLIE

A four-year-old Border Collie, Littlethorn Leaf RW, belonging to Denise Platts of Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire is the first ever dog to be awarded the new Rally Warrant (RW) title. She qualified for the award at the Ditton Dog Training Club.

This title was introduced by The Kennel Club at the start of 2021 in a move designed to encourage new competitors into the rally discipline, as well as to give confidence to existing competitors to work at every rally level.

Continue reading FIRST EVER RALLY WARRANT TITLE GOES TO BORDER COLLIE

NEW GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CRACK DOWN ON DOG THEFT WELCOMED BY THE KENNEL CLUB

The Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce has today recommended a new ‘pet abduction’ offence and further proposals to combat the crime

The UK’s biggest organisation dedicated to dog health and welfare has welcomed recommendations from the Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce published today (3 September), following a successful campaign lobbying for stronger sentencing and better data collection on the crime.

Currently, sentencing places undue weighting on the monetary value of the pet rather than giving sufficient weight to the emotional impact of the crime, meaning it is often treated in the same way as the theft of a laptop or mobile phone. There is also no central record in order to help decision-makers understand the scale of the problem or the circumstances around it – for example, whether a theft was driven by opportunism or organised crime.  

Continue reading NEW GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CRACK DOWN ON DOG THEFT WELCOMED BY THE KENNEL CLUB

Razor makes obedience history – First Kelpie to win Obedience Champion title

He wins two Obedience Certificates in two days 

Cories Ray of Sunshine, known at home as Razor and listed on The Kennel Club’s activity register as an Australian Kelpie, recently made history when he won his Obedience Champion title. He is owned by Nina Whitnell of Colchester, Essex. 

Razor’s achievements are unique, as no other Kelpie in the UK has ever qualified for the championship obedience class nor won an Obedience Certificate, let alone claimed an Obedience Champion crown. 

Although the Kelpie breed is not currently recognised by The Kennel Club, it has been exhibited in its native Australia since 1908 and received recognition by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in Belgium in 1989. In Australia, Kelpies regularly perform well in various canine activities including obedience and herding tests.

Continue reading Razor makes obedience history – First Kelpie to win Obedience Champion title