Welcome to Martha and King Ronnie's speech

The Deputy Editor's job at Dogs Today has proved a very fertile position of late. First Julia Owen had baby Megan in the summer and Karen Redpath (Mrs Cornish) stepped up the plate to cover her maternity - soon after announcing her own baby was on the way, too.
With tremendous consideration, baby Martha Cornish, arrived just after we put the February issue to bed at 8pm on December 22th.
Congratulations to the very proud parents! Well done to Karen who was a real trooper working through her pregnancy.

The KC has given Dog World a Christmas speech - Ronnie obviously feels he and HMQueen have a lot in common- well they both preside over dynasties with a high coefficient of inbreeding and neither were elected by those they rule! Here's the start of it...

"ALTHOUGH 2008 may have been its own annus horribilis, the Kennel Club is forging its way into the new year with courage and the conviction that the show dog world is still alive and kicking."

Now I think that's the first time they've come out with it so baldly - that far from being the all embracing guardian of all things doggie they'd like to be seen as - they are really just primarily all about showing dogs.
Our dogs deserve better.

Here's the rest of the speech

Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year for our best friends!

Comments

Anonymous said…
It's so annoying that Ronnie sees it all as an attack on dog showing and it sounds as though he's lining up all the breeders and show people in a desperate rearguard action. But no-one would be against showing if it didn't involve in-breeding or breeding for exaggerated characteristics, resulting in disabled or unhealthy dogs.
There are some excellent comments underneath his speech on the dog world website, particularly two on inbreeding.
It is mad if the breed clubs are to be given these health reform proposals but no mention is made of stopping inbreeding straightaway.
The thing is, the KC needs to prove it has changed its opinion on these things and to convince people now that it has dogs' best interests at heart.
Only a few months ago, after all, its judges were awarding first prizes to deformed and highly inbred dogs, and thinking that was OK.
I wonder if the KC top brass have really grasped what is needed, or the urgency of the situation?

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