The Kennel Club
Encyclopedia
The Kennel Club is a kennel club
Kennel club
A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...

 based in London and Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...

, United Kingdom.

The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups
Kennel Club Groups
The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom has a 7 Group System. This is a system shared with many other non-Fédération Cynologique Internationale kennel clubs. All of these groups have breeds with a common original purpose in.-7 Group System:...

 are: Hound
Hound Group
Hound Group is the name of a breed group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds, and does not necessarily include all hound-type dogs...

, Working
Working Group (dogs)
Working Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Most major English-language kennel clubs include a Working Group, although different kennel clubs may not include the same breeds in their Working Group. Working Group does not...

, Terrier
Terrier Group
Terrier Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. In general, a Terrier Group includes one particular type of dog, the Terrier, although other types may be included in a kennel club's Terrier Group...

, Gundog
Gundog Group
thumb|Right|alt=A mostly white medium size dog with a brown spot on its back and brown ears. It stands in a field next to a woman wearing pastal green clothing.| A show champion Pointer competing for Best Gundog in a conformation show...

, Pastoral
Pastoral Group
Pastoral Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds and does not refer to one particular type of dog...

, Utility
Utility Group
Utility Group is the name of a breed group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. How Utility Group is defined varies among kennel clubs, and different kennel clubs may not include the same breeds in their Utility Group. Some kennel clubs do not use the...

 and Toy
Toy Group
Toy Group is the name of a breed Group of the smallest kinds of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Toy Group does not necessarily refer to one particular type of dog. Most major English-language kennel clubs include a Toy Group although different kennel clubs...

. The Kennel Club currently recognises 210 breeds of dog.

The Kennel Club’s best known event is the Crufts
Crufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...

 dog conformation show
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...

, held since 1928, which attracts competitors from all over the world. Crufts is held every March at the NEC, Birmingham. The Kennel Club also holds the fun dog event Discover Dogs, in London every November, features the Scruffts
Scruffts
Scruffts is an informal dog show competition, similar to that of a conformation show for purebred dogs, where crossbreed dogs of any parentage are allowed to compete...

 grand final for crossbreed
Crossbreed
A crossbreed or crossbred usually refers to an animal with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding refers to the process of breeding such an animal, often with the intention to create offspring that share the traits of both parent lineages, or producing...

 and mixed breed
Mixed breed
A mixed breed is a domesticated animal descended from multiple breeds of the same species, often breeding without any human intervention, recordkeeping, or selective breeding...

 dogs.

Kennel Club Art Gallery

The Kennel Club Art Gallery is located at the Club's headquarters at 1 Clarges Street, near Green Park tube station
Green Park tube station
Green Park tube station is a London Underground station located on the north side of Green Park, close to the intersection of Piccadilly and the pedestrian Queen's Walk...

 in London. The gallery is devoted to fine art about dogs and features themed exhibitions, as well as a permanent collection. Artists in the collection include Maud Earl
Maud Earl
Maud Alice Earl was an eminent British-American canine painter. Her works are much enjoyed by dog enthusiasts and also accurately record many breeds....

, George Earl
George Earl
George Earl was a painter, primarily of sporting dogs and other animals. He was also the father of Maud Earl and Percy Earl, and the brother of Thomas Earl, all three of whom were also animal artists....

, Richard Ansdell
Richard Ansdell
Richard Ansdell was an English oil painter of animals and genre scenes. He was also an engraver.-Life:Ansdell was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of Thomas Griffiths Ansdell, a freeman who worked at the port, and Anne Jackson. His father died young and Richard was educated at the Bluecoat...

, Arthur Wardle
Arthur Wardle
Arthur Wardle was an English painter.Born in London, aged just sixteen Wardle had a piece displayed at the Royal Academy. His first exhibit was a study of cattle by the River Thames, leading to a lifelong interest in painting animals...

 and Cecil Aldin
Cecil Aldin
Cecil Charles Windsor Aldin was a British artist and illustrator best known for his paintings and sketches of animals, sports, and rural life.-Life and work:...

. The gallery is open by appointment.

Accredited Breeder Scheme

The Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme - meant to help potential dog owners identify responsible breeders - has been described by Dogs Trust
Dogs Trust
Dogs Trust, formerly known as the National Canine Defence League, is an animal welfare charity and humane society in the United Kingdom which specialises in the wellbeing of dogs. The charity rehabilitates and finds new homes for dogs which have been abandoned or given up by their owners...

 as "full of pitfalls, the main one being that it's self-certificating". The Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare report indicates that the low breeding standards practised by some in the ABS may allow the public to be "falsely led into thinking a puppy they buy from an accredited breeder registered with the KC will have no health or welfare problems associated with its breeding history." It called for more random checks and robust enforcement of the scheme and states that "the use of the word ‘pedigree’ should be tied to a high standard of breeding (for health and welfare) across the board with the KC not just with the few that decide to join the Accredited Breeder Scheme (ABS)."

The report warned that if the health measures implemented by the KC fails, government regulations might be necessary. The Kennel Club has issued a response to the report. Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed was a BBC One investigative documentary, produced by Jemima Harrison, which looked into health and welfare issues facing pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom....

producer Jemima Harrison condemned the KC's response, stating that they are downplaying the criticism of the KC in the report and misrepresenting the findings.

Criticism

The organisation was criticised on the BBC programme Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed was a BBC One investigative documentary, produced by Jemima Harrison, which looked into health and welfare issues facing pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom....

for allowing breed standards, judging standards and breeding practices which are said to compromise the health of purebred dogs. The programme led various sponsors to withdraw their participation in Crufts and the BBC eventually dropped Crufts 2009 from its coverage. The Kennel Club initially defended their practices, and criticised the programme as "highly biased". It also lodged a complaint to regulatory authority Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...

 claiming "unfair treatment and editing".

Due to the strong public response, the Kennel Club started rolling out new health plans. Breed standards for every breed went under review and show judges would be required to choose only healthy dogs. New breed standards for 209 breeds were announced in January 2009, and close inbreeding was to be banned.

In February, the results of an independent scientific report commissioned by the RSPCA concluded that "exaggerated physical features and inherited diseases cause serious welfare problems in pedigree dogs." It states that "Breeding practices and efforts by breed societies and kennel clubs, to date, have been ineffective at protecting the welfare of many breeds of domestic dog" and that "changes in breeding and selection practices are urgently required." The Kennel Club states that the report "fails totally to recognise the real steady progress and advance of scientific knowledge that has already been made in the area of pedigree dog health."

As a direct result of the BBC programme, the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) started an inquiry into the issues surrounding inherited diseases and breeding problems in dogs in November 2008. The results of the inquiry, released in November 2009, was consistent with the RSPCA report, mentioning the "serious problem with the health and welfare of many pedigree dogs" and how they can be caused by current breeding practices. The report made various recommendations: Breed standards should be based less on "visual aesthetics" and more on whether the dogs would be "fit for purpose". Where available for particular breeds, health tests should be strongly recommended and individuals not tested should have their test status reflected in registration certificates and should not be eligible for Champion titles.

The inquiry also stated that "the KC should make the decision about whether registering dogs or dog health and welfare is their primary objective and focus their attentions more precisely on this when taking this issue forward."

More4 was criticised for their decision to broadcast Crufts 2010. "Until the problems of health and welfare are dealt with, the showing of certain dogs with problems associated with inappropriate breed standards is wrong". A More4 spokesperson stated that its "coverage will place a particular emphasis on health and welfare issues, providing a high profile platform to keep these issues in the public eye – something that has been welcomed by the British Veterinary Association."
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