THE GSD PARTNERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE - Page 3

‘lets just answer the bloody questions the KC have asked’

No. These questions are irrelevant and the KC should be told so. To answer these questions is to deal with the KC on their terms. Who really thinks that is sensible?

>>so that we can quickly move onto the REAL ISSUES that we find important to our breed.<<

Agreed. And that requires is a RESPONSE to the KC, not slavishly answering some silly questions about matters which everyone is agreed are irrelevant to the main issue.

And, yes, be positive about this and pull together. The organisers of this meeting deserve credit. But for goodness sake make your views known upon what is important.

Sue is this what is going in this week's dog papers?

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/2791/23/5/3

German Shepherd Dogs - The Kennel Club's Position

17-Nov-09

The German Shepherd Dog is one of the UK’s most popular breeds and the Kennel Club is committed to ensuring its health and welfare and continuing popularity.

With these ends in mind, the Kennel Club has worked with the GSD community over many, many years, and together have achieved considerable benefits for the breed and its owners, including:

• Relaxation of Show Regulations to allow for verbal critiques at breed club shows

• Relaxation of Show Regulations so that breed club shows need not provide wet weather accommodation

• Approval for the British Sieger special event

• Alteration of Regulations to allow for the registration of Working Dog Branches

• Provision of an escalation procedure, at the request of the breed clubs, to help show organisers deal with double handling at their shows

• Development of enhanced pedigrees to include working test results, DNA profiles, and health test results

• Agreement to facilitate the research required to formulate a DNA test for haemophilia A to identify carriers

On the 18th August 2009 a meeting was held between the Kennel Club and the GSD Partnership (which includes representatives from the Breed Council, BAGSD, GSD League of GB); but unfortunately no representatives of the BAGSD attended. At that meeting the GSD Partnership agreed a number of actions which included:

• Obtaining samples from haemophilia A affected dogs to assist in setting up a DNA scheme

• Facilitating a Judging seminar in October to ensure that Judges understand the breed standard changes and issues surrounding a lack of soundness that it was accepted occurred in the breed

• Preparing a 4 point plan to address a number of issues concerning the health and welfare of the breed.

However, the minutes of that meeting are now being disputed by some of the GSD Representatives and it is regretted that they have yet to acknowledge or act upon these issues. This is particularly inappropriate given the reported comments made by Herr Reinhardt Meyer, SV National Breed Warden, following the Sieger Show in Germany this year. On that occasion he made it clear publicly that the soundness of the breed is now of great importance. This point was also made at this year’s British Sieger competition.

There has, in addition, been comment in specialist magazines that the German style of showing the breed is inappropriate within the context of the UK show structure and the style and size of rings and venues. The Kennel Club has long supported this view by opposing double handling on health and safety grounds, and on simple fairness as not everyone has access to professional and/or additional handlers. Comments have also been made that it is difficult to assess properly a dog’s temperament and movement whilst its attention is being attracted from outside the ring. Again, it is disappointing that this issue is simply not being dealt with more robustly.

There has been a great deal of talk about the way forward, but the Kennel Club has yet to see any real action from the GSD community since raising its concerns. Many side issues have been introduced and special pleading that the breed needs to be treated differently to over 200 other registered breeds. The Kennel Club simply cannot and will not allow itself to be diverted from addressing the fundamental issue of soundness in the breed.

It was with considerable regret, therefore, that the Kennel Club fo

Continued from previous post
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It was with considerable regret, therefore, that the Kennel Club found it necessary to defer allocation of its highest award, the Challenge Certificate, to GSDs for 2012.

When the GSD clubs embrace the need to address these concerns, and commit to an effective and realistic plan of action, the Kennel Club will support their actions and will ensure that Challenge Certificates are allocated appropriately.

You got it in one Nixtev!!
Regards
Sue

My thanks to Nixtev.    Well Susie if that statement leaves anything to our imagination regarding how theKC perceive us then i'm an Astronaut.  
  I would be more than happy to relinquish our tickets, rather than be treated like some naughty school child, perhaps if we did,  the KC would then realize that they need our considerable  income in order to fund some of their other Hare brained schemes.  
  I  fear this meeting , however well intentioned is now doomed to failure, as it appears that the KC have already  " set out their stall ".  I am also under no illusion that whoever made the decision to release that statement to the Dog Press, did so knowing it was on the eve of our meeting, therefore creating more animosity, and antipithy.

   Regards .

   Paul.

And my response to it as already given to the Dog Press is as follows:-
 

Though pleased, I am somewhat surprised of the Kennel Clubs public admission of how the many advancements towards Breed Health and Welfare which are already in operation were ONLY achieved by the initiative and insistance of the GSD Fraternity. Of course we are rightfully proud to take all the Kudos and full credit for these innovative idea's and initiatives!

Even more surprising was the tone of the statement as the KC appear to be suggesting the GSD community should be grateful to them for having granted these consessions? Considering they all emcompass the improvement of Breed Health and Welfare, with many offering benefits accross the board to many other breeds, it strikes me as unmitigated self degregation on the KC's part to be suggesting any breed should be thankful for the few crumbs they have deemed to grant us over the years from the dozens we have asked for Mandatory Health Screening is one amoung others. There is perhaps more light at the end of the tunnel for progressive breed enthusiasts like those within the GSD Community when reading the results of the APGAW Independant Enquiry with many issues they have highlighted echoeing what the GSD Fraternity have been trying to accomplish for years and more recently via the GSDP.

However, what certainly did not surprise me is the timing of this latest KC Statement. In the knowledge that the GSDP has called an Open Forum on Saturday 21st Nov due to take place at 2pm immediately after the Clubs have concluded the morning Breed Council Meeting at the same venue. With blinding simularity as in the KC letter of 23rd July just 24hrs before the Clubs last Breed Council Meeting (25th July), a pre-emptive strike seems to be the KC's order of the day. Hardly a effective way to run a business and certainly no way to try to make friends and influence people.

Regards
Sue Belfield

This thread is starting to heat up as it gets nearer to 21st, the issues for debate have fragmented in many directions. There is an air of confusion, and panic, about what was said, Who said, The K.C. statement going to press and released here by Nixtev, stated on the 18th August the meeting with the K.C and Partnership, agreed there was a lack of soundness that it was accepted occurred in the breed. plus the comments made by Reinhardt Meyer at the Sieger show, so why is this issue up for voting on if it's been accepted at a meeting. Did the Partnership agree we have a soundness problem! The minutes of the meeting are being disputed by some of the GSD reps. Who is telling the Truth!! Sue talks about democracy, and it must prevail, but will the amount of people who vote be a fair representation of the GSD nation. Sue is already strongly advocating which way you should vote. Paul says, the K.C.are reluctant to stick to agreements made with the GSDP. This thread is leading to a great swell of confusion. One thing is standing out! there is no trust between the K.C. and our breed. The K.C. statement due out this week is clear where they stand, and where they are going. The K.C. are ready to put on the boxing gloves but only see one winner. Bill Owen.

On the contrary Paulie, I reckon this latest KC attempt at rapping our knuckles will have the opposite effect and
should make the meeting far more interesting and productive than it otherwise might have been. At least those who may have been in doubt about the KC's hidden agenda's, might now have more idea of just how unrealisticly draconion their behaviour still is - i.e We want you to work together with us just as long as you are prepared to do exactly as we say!! 

However, once again I will reiterate, the necessity of the Questionaire and of getting everyone involved to give their views on the issues the KC brought up previously. Afterall if we are going to stick two fingers up to their CC;s, lets at least do it unanimously and deliver it to them in triplicate!!

See you Saturday, I hope!!

Sue

Hi Bill, the only person I see panicking is you. I am not confused , nor am I panicking, nor was I advocating which way anyone should vote !!  As for your question re will the people who vote be a fair representation of the GSD Nation, well all I can say is anyone who is interested enough in GSD's should have heard about the questionaire by now and if they havent will do before the end of November and anyone who hasnt heard by the end of November cant be active enough in our breed to be classed as Interested Parties and I am sure you cant be advocating that some have more rights to complete the questionaire than others? 

As for the GSDP agreeing with the KC about an Unsoundness problem in our breed, for a start off did you not read the bit in the KC statement which said the Minutes of that August 19th meeting are being disputed by the GSDP, so who or what precisely are the KC expecting us to believe now?  However Bill, are you seriously suggesting there is not unsoundness problem developing in our breed? Even I ticked the YES box to that one. (See just how much I wasnt seriously advocating how people must vote before otherwise surely I would have told them to tick YES to that too!!),
 FACT - The German Main Breed Warden Herr Reinhardt Meyer gave a speech on this very issue to those assembled at the Sieger Show meeting on the Saturday evening and I for one have to agree with him. Furthermore I agree that we need to start addressing the problem in both our breeding and our judging before it becomes even more common place than it already is.
Now whether you agree with me or Herr Meyer on this issue is up to you and how you or anyone else completes their questionaire is their perogative, people can suggest what they like but no-one is holding a gun to your head or using their hand to steer yours whilst you complete your form. Personally I do not adhere to any confusion, I am perfectly CLEAR in what I THINK , what I BELIEVE and the STANCE I WILL TAKE.  I dont hide from my beliefs, neither do I run from them and I dont take kindly to threats of any kind, from the KC or otherwise, I have a very stubborn streak, I dont scare easily. !!

Regards
Sue

>>After all if we are going to stick two fingers up to their CC;s, lets at least do it unanimously and deliver it to them in triplicate<<

Indeed, but the questionnaire as drafted is not designed with a view to answering that basic question. Instead it is based round the assumption of how we work with the KC and address their concerns. Our concerns hardly get a footnote in that questionnaire. And the obvious place to start is a much more open question such as ‘How do you want to respond to the KC’s withdrawal of CCs from 2012’?