Simon Luxmoore at “ Discover Dogs ” in London in 2016 with The Kennel Club President , HRH Prince Michael of Kent , GCVO , cousin to HRH Queen Elizabeth II . “ Discover Dogs ” had 27,000 visitors last year .
KC CHAIRMAN , CONTINUED FROM PAGE 106 organizations that put on competitions and events to race Siberian Huskies in dry-land competition .
BB : How did you get involved in Kennel Club activities ? When was that ? SL : As you probably know , The Kennel Club in the UK is different from AKC in that we have individual members , all of whom have to be elected to become members . [ AKC is a club of clubs with no individual memberships . — Ed .] Originally , I was invited to become a KC member in 1986 but declined due to other commitments . I accepted a second nomination in 1993 but remained “ dormant ” until I was asked to join the Disciplinary Sub-Committee circa 2006 / 2007 . I was then invited to stand for the Board of Directors in 2008 and was appointed to the Judges Sub-Committee in 2010 , serving a five-year term as Chairman . I was appointed to the Finance and General Purposes Committee in 2011 , in addition to being appointed a Kennel Club Trustee at the same time . I was proposed and elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2015 .
BB : Tell us about KC registrations . When did they peak ? How much have they dropped ? Are there different “ litter ” versus “ individual ” registrations , same as AKC ’ s ? SL : The most dogs registered in a single year was 283,915 in 1989 , which can be attributed to the introduction the previous year of the single-tier registration system , which meant that all dogs were recorded individually rather than as litters . Since then , the number of registrations has only topped 270,000 five times : in 1990 , 1996 , 2006 , 2007 and 2008 . In between times , the number has been as low as 220,000 , and this is the current level of registrations . A variety of factors may be behind these fluctuations , though it is noticeable that the current reduction has coincided with the global financial crisis and subsequent times of austerity .
For the first nine months of 2016 , puppy registrations are
up by 3 percent , so we are hopeful that 2016 will see the first increase in registrations since 2010 .
BB : What is the official attitude of The KC to the “ puppy mill ” problem ? Are there figures concerning what percentage of registrations come from commercial versus hobby breeders ? SL : The Kennel Club does not knowingly register dogs from puppy farms and is committed to doing everything it can to stamp out puppy farming . Our Assured Breeder Scheme is key to this — by registering breeders rather than puppies , unlike what ’ s done under our general registration system , we are able to ensure that these breeders abide by certain conditions , and we can remove those whose standards are found to be wanting .
BB : What ’ s the Assured Breeder Scheme ? Similar to AKC ’ s Breeder of Merit ? SL : You can apply to become an Assured Breeder by filling out a form online , agreeing to breed only from registered stock and to make health testing a priority , allowing to be inspected and assessed , commit to operate to high standards and comply with all relevant laws . You must agree to only sell puppies bred by yourself and raised in a safe and secure environment , with puppies socialized and advice on continuation of socialization provided to puppy buyers . Assured Breeders must take all reasonable steps to ensure the purchasers are able to provide a suitable lifetime home , they must allow any purchaser to view the puppies with their dam and siblings in the environment that they were born and raised , and must commit to help with the re-homing of any dog that they provide throughout the dog ’ s lifetime , for whatever reason . They must also issue a Scheme Puppy Sales Wallet with each dog sold , containing up-to-date written information .
The Kennel Club is the only organization accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service ( UKAS ) to certify dog breeders , under The KC Assured Breeder Scheme . This
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COURTESY SIMON LUXMOORE
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