Top left : Simon and the dogs racing in the early 2000s . From the driver ’ s view , the dog running right lead is an Alaskan / Anadyr Siberian from the Norris kennel in Alaska . The dog at left wheel ran in two Iditarod races and is from the Alaskan Lara- Ke kennel . The remaining dogs were all bred by Luxmoore . Top right : Snow scene from 1991 , while training for a race . This is a promotional shot for Labatt ’ s Brewing Co . with Simon Luxmoore and the dogs outside the old home in Wales . Ch . Zima Toaki and his dam from Alaska in the lead . |
— what you would call specialty shows in the Unuted States . All told , there were 218,436 dogs entered at the all-breed and Group championship shows in 2015 , a couple of hundred more than the year before .
BB : I know you have different levels of shows in the UK — championship shows , open shows , etc . How many open shows are there , and how large are they ? SL : There is Crufts , and beneath that there are the general championship shows , national and regional Group championship shows , national breed and Group championship shows , then breed championship shows , all-breed open shows , breed open shows , limit shows , which can be multi-breed or breed , then companion shows . That is pretty much the top to bottom of it .
There are hundreds of open shows , shows where Challenge Certificates are not awarded . Although champion titles cannot be gained at these shows , some of them get entries into the thousands . There were 1,342 open breed shows last year — similar to your matches but usually larger . At limited shows , champions cannot be shown , but there were only a couple of hundred of those shows last year .
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BB : What is The Kennel Club doing to improve the health of purebred dogs ? SL : For many years The Kennel Club has devoted itself to improving the health and welfare of dogs and is committed to ensuring that every dog ’ s life is as healthy and happy as it can possibly be . We have introduced a large number of initiatives to help improve the lives of thousands of dogs and continue to develop new programs and educational resources to progress dog health in the future .
There is far too much to list here ; we would need several articles to cover it all , but for more information , please see http :// www . thekennelclub . org . uk / for-vets-and-researchers / how-the-kennel-club-supports-canine-health /.
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BB : What do you believe are the biggest media problems facing purebred dogs today ? Again , what action is The Kennel Club taking in this department ? SL : Apart from the health of pedigree dogs and puppy farming , The Kennel Club ’ s key concerns for purebred dogs are the illegal importation of puppies ( as linked to puppy farming ); the sale of puppies in pet shops ( likewise ); the use of electronic |
shock collars on dogs ; the current legislation governing “ dangerous dogs ”; and the restriction of access to land for dog walking . The Kennel Club actively lobbies at local , national and international levels on these matters .
BB : How does the lobbying work ? Does the Kennel Club hire lobbyists ? SL : No , we have a department that provides the government with a lot of papers and reports , opinions , briefings , etc . This comes under the heading of our communications directorate . We work very closely with Westminster — no , not Westminster Kennel Club in the US , but Westminster , as in the City of London ! — and even at the local council / government level , and are quick to help and advise those members of parliament and councillors with an interest or mandate on canine matters in the community .
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BB : The Kennel Club ’ s real estate dealings must be mentioned , not just the new KC building / offices in London but also the purchase of land for , I believe , field trials and even permanent grounds for future conformation shows . Correct ? SL : We have our main offices in Mayfair in central London . We are currently building an out-of-town freehold facility at Aylesbury , which will house our registration staff . To date we have had a lease on a building in the same area . We also have a lease arrangement on a building for canine activities at Stoneleigh near Birmingham , and we purchased a 7,500-acre estate in the north of England earlier this year . It ’ s called Emblehope and Burngrange Estate and includes a working farm and a gamekeeper ’ s cottage . This will be used for field trials and many other activities .
In addition , The Kennel Club membership has recently agreed to build a canine activities center at Chepstow Racecourse , which is in South East Wales , on the basis of a 125- year lease arrangement with the racecourse owners . This area is within easy reach of large parts of central , west and southwest England , as well as Wales , and will provide a general facility for breed championship and general open shows as well as other usage .
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PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY SIMON LUXMOORE |