GSD IMPROVEMENT PLAN (GSDIP) UK-REPORT - Page 5

Maybe we should consider a name for the scheme: my suggestion would be:
The GSD Breed Council "Accredited GSD Scheme" 
other breeds may follow and this will make the inclusion of their own breeds name embraced within the title most important and valuable. The requirement of Breed Club membership for owners wishing to have their dog(s) Accredited will also give the Breed Clubs a huge boost which will flow through to the Breed Council and also through to ALL aspects of our Show Scene and our Breed Survey Scheme. All of this could and should provide the huge stimulus our breed needs for it to emerge from the doldrums.

Thank You Joyce, donation pledges now reach £160.

REMEMBER EVERYONE - WHAT COULD BE IN STORE FOR OUR BREEDS FUTURE IN YEARS TO COME

IF ALL GOES WELL - IN YEARS TO COME THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BE MORE THAN WELL AWARE THAT A PUPPY WITH A BREED COUNCIL REGISTRATION IS ONE THAT CAME FROM BREED COUNCIL SURVEYED PARENTS THAT HAVE UNDERGONE (and importantly PASSED) MANDATORY HEALTH SCREENING. THEREFORE HOPEFULLY WITH ENOUGH ADVERTISING AND IF ALL GOES TO PLAN  IT WILL BE PUPPIES WITH BREED COUNCIL REGISTRATIONS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS,  EVEN MORE SO THAN THOSE WITH JUST A KENNEL CLUB REGISTRATION !!!!!

IT DIDNT TAKE THAT LONG TO GET THE MAJORITY OF GENERAL PUBLIC KEYED UP TO ENQUIRE IF THE PARENTS ARE HIP SCORED, THEREFORE IN THIS CURRENT CLIMATE POST - PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED - IT SHOULDNT TAKE LONG TO GET THEM USED TO ASKING IF THE PARENTS ARE ON THE BREED COUNCIL SURVEY PASS LIST AND THE ONE WAY OF PROVING THAT IS TO HAVE A BREED COUNCIL REGISTRATION PEDIGREE.

Sue

HI ALL,
THIS IS A VERY GOOD START TO  WHAT COULD BE THE BEST THING TO HAPPEN FOR THE BREED, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THIS MOVE ON AND HOPE THE BREED COUNCIL CAN HAVE A MEETING  TO START THE BREED COUNCIL REGISTRATION

REGARDS
BERNARD

Sue, you said earlier that the K.C. were talking a load of "Tosh" when they stated they couldn't implement mandatory regulations on dogs registered with them, and can only be implemented by a change in the law by an elected government. I have heard that the government department responsible for such law changes and implementation are looking at these changes but as we know, they take forever. When the law does change, and meets our needs it will have to include All Live stock not just dogs, so when a dog or goat, bird or rabit, is sold, it will have to comply with fit for purpose laws and the purchaser has a real legal basis to sort any disputes out. Even back yard breeders who breed from anything will come under such laws. Remember the K.C. is a private members club and does'nt have the legal clout, to get the controls we need, to enforce breeders to comply with a set of minimum standards. If a law is implemented to enforce individuals to ensure there livestock is fit for purpose, I think you will see a K.C. willing to work with our Breed Council and ensure that that all breeds are protected with their relevant health checks. I know you have a great passion for the breed, and feel angry and frustrated about moving forward, and achieving the kind of controls in health and breeding issues we all want to see. So mabe, we are chaseing the wrong people, Mabe we should be banging on our governments door to hasten the law that the K.C. say they need in place, so they will not have any excuse but to comply with the wishes of serious breeders. Regards Bill Owen.

 Bill: The KC can make it a condition of KC Registration that the paremts have passed certain Health Screening Tests and an approved Breed Survey. 
Such LAWS as you refer to and the KC refer to may never happen, and if the do, may take many decades to become a reality. The KC are aware of this and I believe reference to the LAW is a "cop-out" by the KC.
The "Two Tier" KC Registration system, as detailed on my website, caters for a semi-compulsory sysytem, in that it provides for a two grades of KC registration, ONE GRADE for pedigree dogs which meet the Health Screening criteria, and ANOTHER GRADE for dogs which do not. The KC simply want to pursue their discredited "breeders accredited scheme. With this scheme there is very little work for the KC in that they rarely check breeders, and they collect revenue for it. In simply terms, the KC accredited breeders scheme is substantially and very seriously FLAWED.

The GSD Breed Council can and should implement a very credible "accredited GSD scheme" under which the ACTUAL DOGS are accredited, which is exacly what it should be. It is THE DOGS that have to be health screened, it is THE DOGS that have to pass the breed survey. NOT THE BREEDERS.

Hello Sue

Thanks for your comment on my last post, however, you have not responded on my comment regarding "fit for purpose" and I would appreciate your comments.

Kind regards

Mackenzie

 Mackenzie: The constructive suggestions put here by Sue, is for developing the core idea of the GSD Breed Council running its own "accredited GSD scheme". This means that everyone can and should consider contributing suggestions for such a scheme. Sue has come up with several suggestions to kick-start the process, others can and will be added. Then comes the process of actually formulating and agreeing the ACTUAL scheme. Please STOP nit picking over individual suggestions for inclusion in the scheme, you are creating negativity which carries the risk of others being reluctant to put forward suggestions because you may start nit picking over them.
We are at the very initial stages of developing a most exciting and valuable scheme for our breed, please allow it to grow and develop with input from as many as possible. The GSD Breed Council can very easily establish a "filtering process" for all suggestions, and formulate a scheme which will be acceptable and workable, and which offers our breed, breed clubs and our breed council their biggest boost for decades.

I am sorry David but I disagree with you.  The subject of "fit for purpose" is a serious issue.  Are we saying that dogs are fit for purpose once they have been surveyed and had their health checks?  Are we saying that puppies are fit for purpose because their parents have been through the survey system?  Are we saying that fit for purpose only applies to the show stock?  Most importantly, are we saying that fit for purpose is for the overall good of all GSD's bearing in mind that the GSD is a working breed?  To raise this issue is not nit picking and to ask the question what is "fit for purpose" is a valid question.

I acknowledge that Sue has begun something which is in it's embryo stage and she is to be congratulated for that and, I sincerly hope that others contribute to this thread.   However, having put the subject into the public domain then I can see no reason why it should be avoided.   As you are aware, Sue, at times, expresses her views quite forcefully and with vitriolic comments when she is in disagreement with the subject and that attitude may be the main reason why people do not contribute and not the issues involved.  In fact she has said that she is proud to be a Yorkshire lass who is prepared to express her views.  She needs no protection.

Like everyone else I would like to see a scheme that will move the breed forward as a whole and not just in selected areas as put forward by the show side even though it is a positive move.  Many GB  Clubs have members who engage in the working side and show side.  They also breed from their dogs and their view of "fit for purpose" may differ considerably from from other view points but they have to be considered.   We have to remember that we are only one breed and that with the differences as they are we have to behave in such a way that those gaps do not become wider and create an even bigger problem at a later date.   In my view it is better to deal with the bigger problems from  the embryo stage than at a later stage when it may not be possible to achieve our aims.

I am in total agreement regarding the opportunity for the breed and the breed clubs and I wish them well in this matter.   What may be seen as a negative today may well be a positive tomorrow.

Mackenzie