The Kennel Club is excited to announce that Helen Kerfoot has accepted the new position of Interim Chief Operations Officer (Canine Activities) and will join us in April 2023.

This new position at The Kennel Club will oversee canine activities, part of the role being left by Kathryn Mansfield on her retirement at the end of year. The role will also incorporate other canine events such as Crufts, the International Agility Festival and Field Trials following Events and Education Executive, Vanessa McAlpine’s retirement in June.

Today (Monday 28 November), representatives from The Kennel Club, Dogs Trust, RSPCA, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, the British Veterinary Association and Blue Cross will join MPs at an event in Westminster to call on the Government to ban the use of Electric Shock Collars (ESC) in England as has been promised since 2018.

Evidence presented to governments across the UK has led to collars administering electric shocks being banned in Wales and condemned in Scottish guidance. In 2018, the Westminster Government committed to introducing a ban when parliamentary time allowed, but despite this, it is still legal to use them in England.

ESCs are used to train dogs by punishing unwanted behaviours through the application of a shock to the dog’s neck. However, studies have shown that these devices have a serious impact on the welfare of dogs, including behavioural and physiological signs of distress. Robust research evidence shows that such techniques are not needed, with positive reinforcement being more effective at changing behaviour.

• Crufts is returning, bringing thousands of wagging tails to the NEC Birmingham from 9 – 12 March 2023
• Running from Thursday and through the weekend with a packed and diverse schedule, the event will see every dog have its day, but just one will take home the coveted Best in Show trophy in the final on Sunday
• Elsewhere, a new special Kennel Club 150^th Anniversary Celebration Stakes class will see all 2022 Best in Show dogs from the all breed Championship Shows compete
• And The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award will crown one of five special canine finalists and their owner the 2023 winner
• The show will be broadcast on Channel 4, More4 and on demand on All4, with all the action live streamed on the official Crufts YouTube channel

Tickets for Crufts 2023, the world’s greatest dog show, have today (14 November) been released. Run by The Kennel Club, Crufts is inviting thousands of visitors to join in a celebration of everything dog, from the 9 – 12 March 2023 at the NEC Birmingham.

Statistics released today (1 November) by dog welfare organisation The Kennel Club show an increase in dogs going missing during fireworks season.

Missing pet data from Petlog, one of the UK’s largest lost and found pet databases run by The Kennel Club, shows 34% more dogs were marked as missing by their owners during the two weeks of November 2021 which saw Bonfire Night and Diwali (28 October – 11 November), compared to the following two weeks.

The Kennel Club has welcomed a consultation, launched by Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, to introduce a specific criminal offence for dog theft, and is urging the public to respond to ensure their views are heard.

The proposed Dog Abduction (Scotland) Bill aims to create a new statutory offence to tackle the problem of dog theft, and other situations where a dog is taken or kept without lawful authority. It would take account of considerations such as the feelings of dogs and dog welfare, as well as improving data recording to better inform detection and prevention efforts.

The Kennel Club is calling on dog owners who live in Hastings to respond to a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) consultation that could severely impact their access to popular locations with their dogs, including parks and beaches.

The proposed PSPO would see dog owners unable to walk their dog off lead across a significant number of outdoor spaces, including all parks and gardens with a children’s playground or open play area, between 9am-5pm. Furthermore, the proposals also look to restrict dog walkers from allowing their dogs off-lead on local beaches during the weekends, over the winter period.