Another Club does not sign. - Page 3

 Jim: A copy of the letter would be appreciated

Is this dog http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/645464.html  representative of what is winning?  Is this considered a correct topline?  This is a "straight back with sloping croup"?    The male who won is a handsome dog.

The German Shepherd Dog Club of Devon
Chairman : Mr J. T. Apps. President : Mrs E Markus.

Secretary : Miss S. Tucker
Lower Town Farm
Hennock
Bovey Tracey
Devon
TQ13 9QB

Tel. 01626 833260
Email; info@gsdclubofdevon.co.uk

11 April 2010



Dear Mrs Harries,


With regard to your letter dated 8th April 2010, after consulting our members, the Officers and Committee of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Devon have decided NOT to sign the “Undertaking” and will not be applying for Challenge Certificates for 2012.

There are a number of reasons for this but the main reasons are as follows;

 We believe that the German Shepherd Dog has been singled out for criticism by the Kennel Club in a manner disproportionate to the alleged problems in the breed. We have not noticed any action of a similar type being taken against other breeds mentioned in the programme “Pedigree Dogs Exposed”

 We do not think that unsoundness is a significant problem in the vast majority of German Shepherds. The member Clubs of the GSD Breed Council are committed to any improvement in the health of our breed by means of identification, health tests and breed surveys for breeding stock, in fact the hip scoring scheme was developed by a national GSD club before being taken over by the Kennel Club for all breeds.

 Item 9 regarding other organisations is unreasonable considering the close links clubs and breeders have with German organisations such as the SV and the WUSV. Germany is, after all, the home of the breed.

 Our final reason and the one that upset our members the most was the disgusting treatment of Mr Robert Kinsey, the GSD judge at Crufts and our Club member Mrs Carol Keen and her “Best of Breed” Clokellys Lagos. The Kennel Club picked Mr Kinsey to be the judge for his knowledge and record as a championship show judge then broadcast to the world that his “Best of Breed” was “unsound”. Clokellys Lagos had just returned form Germany having completed his AD (20km endurance test) and a breed survey earning him a pass at the highest level. We all saw the slow motion film and made our own decision as to his soundness. We all noted the Kennel Club’s statement distancing themselves from the broadcast but if Mrs Kisko does not speak for the Kennel Club who does?

We still intend to hold our Championship Show this year, our 50th Anniversary. This and any other Kennel Club event we hold will adhere strictly to Kennel Club rules.

We will continue to support the German Shepherd Dog Breed Council and the Kennel Club in finding a meaningful way forward for the improved health of our breed as a whole.


Yours sincerely,


Sandra Tucker               James Apps
Secretary                         Chairman

This is our letter, mailed last night. If you mean the KC letter I will have to get it back from Sandra

Thanks Blackrat: This letter is on the GSD Club of Devon website, It is the recent letter you referred to in your earlier post from the KC asking if your Club had forgotten to sign the "undertaking" and offering more time.

I seem to remember the GSD Breed Council Chairman John Cullen wrote to the KC on behalf of the Breed Council asking for more time, and they refused.

The statement on the GSD Club of Devon website is for the information of our members and any other interested parties. We were never asked by the KC for a negative reply, only to send the signed "Undertaking" by 31st March so nothing was sent to them. On Friday we received the letter from the KC, shown below, and replied with the letter, two posts above. The statement and the letter are different.

You are correct regarding the Breed Council letters, I have seen John Cullen's letter and the KC reply.

I'm sorry if there has been some misunderstanding regarding our statement and our letter. I hope that this has cleared things up.

Jim
Chairman, GSD Club of Devon

(Sorry, I have been trying to upload the scan for an hour, it will be quicker for me to type a copy)

"8 April 2010

Dear Miss Tucker

Undertaking for the allocation of German Shepherd Dog Challenge Certificates - 2012

On checking our records it would appear that we have not yet received a response to the Undertaking for the allocation of German Shepherd Dogs; sent on 7th January 2010 with the return deadline of 31st March 2010.

Please note that in order to be considered for an allocation of Kennel Club Challenge Certificates for 2012, the club must affirm the conditions set out by returning one signed copy of the Undertaking. Alternatively, if it is your Club's intention not to sign and return this document please confirm its decision in writing by the 16th April 2010.

Should you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on Ext 295.

Yours sincerely,

Rhea Harries
Licensing Specialist
Canine Activities Department"