Zaradi zdravja sprememba standardov

Angleška kinološka zveza je danes napovedala radikalno vojno standardom, ki so usmerjeni v zunanje lastnosti psov, ne glede na zdravje psov. Odločili so se, da bodo razširili genski bazen vsem pasmam registriranim v Angliji, ter dali zdravju prednost pred 'ustreznostjo' standardom in estetskim kriterijem. Mislim, da je tudi vzrediteljem, ki parijo v sorodu, odklenkalo.

Za začetek so že spremenili standard za pekinezerje, ki bodo od slej morali imeti izražen gobec, ne pa ploščat, kot dosedaj. Napovedujejo pa tudi spremembo vseh ostalih standardov v Anglji registriranih pasem.

Tukaj je objava:

UK KENNEL CLUB TO CLAMP DOWN ON BREEDERS TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH OF PEDIGREE
DOGS
The Kennel Club is launching a complete review of every pedigree dog
breed in the UK in a move that will have far-reaching benefits for the health
of many breeds. It has also called on the government to give it the
statutory powers to clamp down on breeders who fail to make a dog's health their
top priority.

A breed health plan will be coordinated for each of the UK's 209
pedigree breeds and will benefit from the extensive research that has been
funded by the Kennel Club in conjunction with renowned veterinary research centres
over the past 40+ years. This will include updated breed standards to
ensure that no dog is bred for features that might prevent it from seeing,
walking and breathing freely. Judges will be fully briefed on the new
breed standards so that only the healthiest dogs are rewarded in the show
ring.

The Kennel Club is releasing the first of these new breed standards
today, for the Pekingese, and has taken a tough line with the breed following
extensive and abortive consultations. This is set to radically improve
the health of the Pekingese which for nearly a hundred years was bred to
have a flat face; a feature which can lead to breathing problems; under the new
health plan the breed will be required to have a defined muzzle.

The breed health plans , which are scheduled to be completed by early
next year, will also incorporate the results of a thorough, ongoing analysis
of the health status and genetic diversity of each breed, drawing on
results from the world's largest dog health survey, conducted by the Animal
Health Trust and funded by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in 2004. This will
ensure that breeders and buyers are aware of the health tests that
should be carried out for each breed. The final part of the plans will look at
ways breeders can expand the gene pool of the breed.

In order to ensure that the plans are effective and reach all dogs, the
Kennel Club has called on the government to give it statutory powers to
make its established Accredited Breeder Scheme compulsory throughout the
country.

If successful, this would mean that all breeders who are not part of the
scheme and who have not officially confirmed their willingness to
follow the health standards set by the Kennel Club would be unable to produce or
sell uppies within the law.

Additionally, breed clubs are n ow required to adopt the Kennel Club's
Code f Ethics, to ensure that their practices fall in line with Kennel Club
policy for putting the health and welfare of puppies first. This
includes a clause that explicitly forbids the compulsory culling of healthy
puppies.

To complement these steps the Kennel Club is developing plans for a new
Canine Genetics Centre. This will be run in conjunction with the Animal
Health Trust, confirming the Kennel Club's commitment to research into
inherited diseases and the provision of DNA testing programmes which
identify the genes underlying inherited health problems.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "The groundswell of public
attention on the very important matters surrounding dog breeding is a
welcomed momentum that will enable us to drive through, with added
urgency, now, and extended initiatives that will help to safeguard the health of
our pedigree dogs. We have been listening and agree with the general
public's view that more needs to be done.

Steps such as our breed health plans will enable us to ensure that the
health of every dog is the number one priority and we are taking a
tougher line with breed clubs by adjusting those breed standards that fail to
promote good health. By asking the government for statutory powers we will
be able to take a tougher line with all breeders and breed clubs that fail
to abide by our high standards. This in turn will enable us to extend the
reach of our Accredited Breeder Scheme, which is the quality control
mechanism within our registration process, so that all dogs will be bred
by people who abide by our stringent rules and regulations for the breeding of
healthy, happy dogs.

We have been working hard in recent years to identify and address health
problems that exist in dogs, and we are taking advantage of the
opportunities that advances in science have given us to improve dog
health.
We look forward to continuing our work with various institutions and
organisations that share the same objective: to protect the health and
welfare of all dogs."

07th October 2008
For further information, images and interview requests please contact:
The Kennel Club press office
020 7518 1008