GardenPalace Bianca declared unfit for Best of Breed by a Veterinarian Specialist at Crufts
In response to the groundbreaking Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary, the British Kennel Club has rolled out a new policy at this year’s Crufts, the largest and most influential dog show in the UK and perhaps the world. Best of Breed winners must pass a Vet exam before being rewarded their titles and right to move on to the Group and Best in Show rings. At least two dogs, the Peke and the English Bulldog, have already failed these Vet Checks during this first day at Crufts.
Bulldog and Pekingese fail Crufts vet checks
No dog representing the Pekingese and Bulldog breeds will compete in Thursday evening’s Best in Group competitions at Crufts after they failed the new veterinary checks that have been introduced to the show.
The Best of Breed award was not given to Pekingese, Palacegarden Bianca, or Bulldog, Mellowmood One In A Million, following their veterinary checks, which were carried out by an independent veterinary surgeon. This means that the dogs will not be allowed to continue into the Toy or Utility Best in Group competitions respectively.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “We are determined to ensure that the show ring is a positive force for change and that we help to move breeds forward by only rewarding the healthiest examples of a breed.
“The veterinary checks were introduced to ensure that dogs with exaggerated features do not win prizes. The independent veterinary surgeon decided that the Pekingese and Bulldog should not pass their checks and therefore they did not receive their Best of Breed awards and will not be representing their breeds in the remainder of the competition.”
High profile Best of Breed vet checks to be launched at Crufts
Changes have been made to the way that the fifteen high profile breeds are awarded Best of Breed, to ensure that only fit and healthy dogs are awarded Best of Breed.
The changes, which came into effect on 1 March 2012, mean that any dog in the fifteen high profile breeds which is selected as Best of Breed at Crufts 2012 and at all subsequent Kennel Club licensed General and Group Championship Shows, will need to be given a clean bill of health by the show veterinary surgeon before their Best of Breed award is confirmed and before they are allowed to continue to compete in the final stages of the show involved.
These are two iconic breeds, both of whom came under intense scrutiny in the PDE documentary and around the blogosphere for the extreme brachycephaly which renders them oxygen deprived and prone to overheating and collapse from even moderate exercise. Winning Pekes are often displayed on blocks of ice to cool them to prevent heat stroke and Bulldogs are so malformed that they often are unable to breed and whelp naturally.
The English Bulldog is the veritable icon breed of England and this health screen failure sends a very strong message that the continued feebling of this breed will not be rewarded by the KC even if breed judges continue to put these dogs up for trophies.
The ability of this policy to effect change depends entirely on how stringent these Vet checks are and the willingness of the KC to keep them in place following the likely backlash of any failed high profile dogs. The early news is that the KC is serious and these vet checks are not meaningless rubber stamping of problem dogs.
The Pekingese PalaceGarden Bianca, from the same kennel and relative to this year’s winning Westminster Best In Show Peke PalaceGarden Malachy, and the English Bulldog Mellowmood One In A Million are the first two casualties of this new policy and hopefully two of the last casualties of breeding fads that have grown corrupt.
Congratulations to PDE and to the KC for highlighting this issue and for putting into place serious tools that can have the power to change the show culture and improve these crippled breeds.
* * *
Comments and disagreements are welcome, but be sure to read the Comment Policy. If this post made you think and you'd like to read more like it, consider a donation to my 4 Border Collies' Treat and Toy Fund. They'll be glad you did. You can subscribe to the feed or enter your e-mail in the field on the left to receive notice of new content. You can also like BorderWars on Facebook for more frequent musings and curiosities.
* * *
Just heard via FB. Can’t help but wonder how much your posts on Collie winner at Westminster had to do with it!
I’d give Pedigree Dogs Exposed the credit for pushing the KC into action, but I will take some credit for the AKC publishing a critique of Merle to Merle breeding in their Gazette magazine from a Collie breeder who is brave enough to put the issue on the table for discussion, not that credit is really important here, as long as we are marching toward greater health for the dogs.
I am *stunned.* Truly, truly blown away. I never in a million years thought the vet checks would actually disqualify a dog.
I am curious on two points.
1) What, specifically, failed the Pekingese and the Bulldog?
2) How does a 6 month old puppy have that much hair already!
Raegan recently posted..Adam’s Task II: Preface
The reasons will not be revealed.
http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/67059/1/peke_and_bulldog_fail_high_profile_vet_checks_at_crufts
“The Kennel Club would not reveal why they failed the new checks – introduced to Crufts this year – and said it would not do so for any of the 15 high-profile breeds although the reasons will be given to the club by the vet involved. The owners have no recourse to appeal.”
Hmm. I’m not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it does seem respectful to the dog’s team (owner, handler, sponsors, etc). But I’m not sure how much it helps the committee’s goal. If you don’t know what you can be disqualified for, it makes it much harder to avoid it. I suppose at that level everyone “knows” what it is anyway, and maybe it keeps people from riding the line of acceptability, but I would think it would do more good to spell out specifically what is too much.
Raegan recently posted..Adam’s Task II: Preface
This is a huge step forward for dogs in the UK and we’re thrilled that the KC are now dealing with this issue with the gravity it deserves. The dogs are not subjected to a detailed veterinary examination, I am led to believe, but the cursory basics ie that they can breathe properly, see properly, walk properly. The tests are what you could expect from a normal dogs…they are not breed specific ie if the dog can breathe better than another Bulldog etc.,
Those of us who have been championing pedigree dog health issues in the UK are delighted with this because, quite frankly, we thought it was a PR exercise. We have to give credit where credit’s due…and congratulate the UK Kennel Club for refusing to reward dogs bred with such exaggerated conformational faults that it affects their health. The UK Kennel Club would also not have registered the progeny from a merle/merle mating so the Westminster farce wouldn’t have been rewarded either.
Thank you Christopher for highlighting this major step for pedigree dog health.
Annie Macfarlane (Scotland UK) recently posted..About KC Registered Puppies
ABOUT TIME, what great news, now for the last few countries to follow suit would be great.
Great news it really is, I also would love to know the vets report.
Love these judging comments about this Peke.
” . . .Nice size, good head typical of this kennel, Grand ribs, level back, sound with again the correct amount of coat. Very promising.”
“Smith’s Palacegarden Bianca, Adored the expression and overall compactness of this very attractive young bitch. Large shallow head, super width, fabulous under jaw all demand attention. Broad chest and well placed ribs, lovely strong fore legs and large flat feet. Fawn brindle coat presented to perfection but not overdone in anyway. Moved with dignity and distinct style. RBB RBIS”
http://www.britishpeke.webspace.virginmedia.com/showresults.html
This is 100% because of Jemima!!! 🙂
Don’t they pick a reserve BOB?
Jess recently posted..Yum! Velociraptor Eating a Pterosaur
They pick a reserve, but they have a rule about no beaten dog advancing in the competition. So there will be no representatives from Pekes and English Bulldogs in their respective groups.
Weird. Doesn’t seem to be a point to picking a reserve, then.
Jess recently posted..Yum! Velociraptor Eating a Pterosaur
It’s one more cookie to keep the players coming. They want as few losers as possible because losers don’t come back for more if they stay losers. Consolation prizes are like free drug samples.
There are plenty of losers, though. In AKC shows, technically every entry but Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are losers, because they are the only ones who get points. Points are the point, eh?
Jess recently posted..Yum! Velociraptor Eating a Pterosaur
I don’t think they use points in the UK. Some shows are specially designated as Championship shows and they award “Challenge Certificates” to the top bitch and stud. Three of these earns one a “Championship.” Not sure how one qualifies for a Championship show without some sort of point system though.
Your dog being KC registered qualifies for a Championship Show…. You don’t have to qualify. There are 3 types of show in the UK…Limit, Open and Championship. You can enter your dog even if it has 3 legs in a Championship Show…as long as its KC registered. To qualify for Crufts you have to have won either 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in a Crufts qualifying show…normally Championship Show. My dog qualified for Crufts for 2 years only being shown once and achieving 2nd in her class both times. It’s much harder to qualify for Crufts in other countries…but quite easy in the UK. We are seeing a lot of my breed qualifying for Crufts because the classes are generally small. The judges are now told to withhold a placing if the dogs are not fit for function or are good examples of the breed but that rarely happens. Last year there was an outcry because dogs were withheld from classes while competing at Crufts. Effectively this should never happen because only the creme de la creme should be qualified for Crufts. This is why certain breeds of dog can go downhill very quickly in terms of conformation, type etc., When dogs are on the Import Register they cannot compete in the Group Ring. As soon as they come off the Import Register some of the “big names” in dog showing become interested and they tend to be placed because of who they are…not because of the quality of the dog. This is a serious problem because true lovers of a breed can see it change beyond recognition almost overnight.
I agree it does seem like the so called big names win at shows due to the fact that the owners are judges themselves and they win because of course they know best when it comes to breading. I have a friend in france who bought a bulldog from a very respected name in the breeding world and paid 3k but the dog has so many problems! Makes you wonder why the breeders are breeding? To better the health or profiteering? I would have bred from my bitch but she had ingrowing eyelashes and when i called the breeder who again is recognised in the bulldog world and told them they replied they just pluck them out seems again as though the most respected breeders don’t want to better the bread but just make money from their status!
It would be helpful to find out the reasons why the bulldog failed the vet checks but bigger problem is how did this bulldog make it to crufts in the first place? Shouldn’t these vet checks be filtered down to the normal show arena too to make sure the breed is changed fir the better?
In the US, Reserve Winners Dog/Bitch gets the points if the WD/B is ineligible for them. There isn’t a reserve Best of Breed, instead it’s Best of Opposite Sex.
It’s a really weird system.
Raegan recently posted..Adam’s Task II: Preface
Wow, props to the KC!
I hope this keeps on making news over here.
Help PDE video go viral. Plug it.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/pedigree-dogs-exposed/
Kate Williams recently posted..How Far Should the Dog Shelter Movement Go in Refusing Placement of Rescue Dogs?
This is the best news I’ve heard in a while.
Retrieverman recently posted..It’s amazing what Pedigree Dogs Exposed has done
The vet must have had a lot of balls to do this, really god news, something that’s worth celebrating, let’s hope its a trend!
It didn’t take long for these people to start whining:
https://www.facebook.com/teamjennyforever
We was robbed!
Retrieverman recently posted..The bulldog and Peke people are not amused
Save your comments for the judge. Ask him why you lose so much !
Benny Hill,
I used to love your shows!
I wouldn’t go to a stupid dog show if you paid me.
I’d rather go to a titty bar.
Retrieverman recently posted..Why you need a muzzle to retrieve
If they think you’re motivated by some loss at a dog show, they really are stupid. I wonder where you’d see more boobs then, given how dumb these people are. I’d say a bulldog breeder’s meeting. Gosh, throw in those rape racks and a bulldog breeders’ convention would be 10x as scandalous as one of those Sex Industry conventions.
im very sad to read your comments …bulldogs are the most loving breed any one can own..as you mention rape racks ..99.9 per cent of bulldog people DO NOT USE THEM !!!
And it’s supposed to be more comforting that you need to take your dog to a Vet for AI treatments then?
Bulldogs have been screwed for over a hundred years.
Read what Robert Leighton wrote about them in Dogs and All About Them (1910):
“It must be acknowledged that there are many strains of this breed which are constitutionally unsound. For this reason it is important that the novice should give very careful consideration to his first purchase of a Bulldog. He should ascertain beyond all doubt, not only that his proposed purchase is itself sound in wind and limb, but that its sire and dam are, and have been, in similarly healthy condition. The dog to be chosen should be physically strong and show pronounced muscular development. If these requirements are present and the dog is in no sense a contradiction of the good qualities of its progenitors, but a justification of its pedigree, care and good treatment will do the rest. It is to be remembered, however, that a Bulldog may be improved by judicious exercise. When at exercise, or taking a walk with his owner, the young dog should always be held by a leash. He will invariably pull vigorously against this restraint, but such action is beneficial, as it tends to develop the muscles of the shoulders and front of the body.
When taking up the Bulldog fancy, nine out of every ten novices choose to purchase a male. The contrary course should be adopted. The female is an equally good companion in the house or on the road; she is not less affectionate and faithful; and when the inevitable desire to attempt to reproduce the species is reached the beginner has the means at once available.
It is always difficult for the uninitiated to select what is likely to be a good dog from the nest. In choosing a puppy care should be taken to ensure it has plenty of bone in its limbs, and these should be fairly short and wide; the nostrils should be large and the face as short as possible. The chop should be thick and heavily wrinkled and the mouth square. There should be a distinct indent in the upper jaw, where the bone will eventually curve, whilst the lower jaw should show signs of curvature and protrude slightly in front of the upper jaw. The teeth from canine to canine, including the six front teeth, should be in a straight line.
***
The breeding of Bulldogs requires unlimited patience, as success is very difficult to attain. The breeder who can rear five out of every ten puppies born may be considered fortunate. It is frequently found in what appears to be a healthy lot of puppies that some of them begin to whine and whimper towards the end of the first day, and in such cases the writer’s experience is that there will be a speedy burial.
It may be that the cause is due to some acidity of the milk, but in such a case one would expect that similar difficulty would be experienced with the remainder of the litter, but this is not the usual result. Provided that the puppies can be kept alive until the fourth day, it may be taken that the chances are well in favour of ultimate success.
Many breeders object to feeding the mother with meat at this time, but the writer once had two fitter sisters who whelped on the same day, and he decided to try the effect of a meat versus farinaceous diet upon them. As a result the bitch who was freely fed with raw beef reared a stronger lot of puppies, showing better developed bone, than did the one who was fed on milk and cereals.
Similarly, in order that the puppy, after weaning, may develop plenty of bone and muscle, it is advisable to feed once a day upon finely minced raw meat. There are some successful breeders, indeed, who invariably give to each puppy a teaspoonful of cod liver oil in the morning and a similar dose of extract of malt in the evening, with the result that there are never any rickety or weak dogs in the kennels, whilst the development of the bones in the skull and limbs is most pronounced.
Owing to their lethargic disposition, young Bulldogs are somewhat liable to indigestion, and during the period of puppyhood it is of advantage to give them a tablespoonful of lime water once a day in their milk food.
Many novices are in doubt as to the best time to breed from a Bull bitch, seeing that oestrum is present before she is fully developed. It may be taken as practically certain that it is better for her to be allowed to breed at her first heat. Nature has so arranged matters that a Bull bitch is not firmly set in her bones until she reaches an age of from twelve to eighteen months, and therefore she will have less difficulty in giving birth to her offspring if she be allowed to breed at this time. Great mortality occurs in attempting to breed from maiden bitches exceeding three years of age, as the writer knows to his cost.
It is desirable, in the case of a young bitch having her first litter, for her master or mistress to be near her at the time, in order to render any necessary assistance; but such attentions should not be given unless actual necessity arises.
Some bitches with excessive lay-back and shortness of face have at times a difficulty in releasing the puppy from the membrane in which it is born, and in such a case it is necessary for the owner to open this covering and release the puppy, gently shaking it about in the box until it coughs and begins to breathe.
The umbilical cord should be severed from the afterbirth about four inches from the puppy, and this will dry up and fall away in the course of a couple of days.
In general, it is true economy for the Bulldog breeder to provide a foster-mother in readiness for the birth of the expected litter; especially is this so in the case of a first litter, when the qualifications for nursing by the mother are unknown. Where there are more than five puppies it is also desirable to obtain a foster-mother in order that full nourishment may be given to the litter by both mothers.
The best time of the year for puppies to be born is in the spring, when, owing to the approaching warm weather, they can lead an outdoor life. By the time they are six months old they should have sufficient stamina to enable them to withstand the cold of the succeeding winter. It has been ascertained that Bulldogs which have been reared out of doors are the least liable to suffer from indigestion, torpidity of the liver, asthma or other chest ailments, whilst they invariably have the hardiest constitution” (pg. 25-28).
So it’s not like it’s news that bulldogs have been buggered up and were hard to breed.
It’s been that way for at least a century!
Retrieverman recently posted..Why you need a muzzle to retrieve
I found this recently on the PDE blog. Frankly I’m not even thrilled with the “healthy” bulldog’s nose, but it does beat the show dog. I wonder how long the “healthy” dog had been running when they said “No panting?”
http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.com/2012/03/able-mabel.html?spref=fb
I guess it’s a step.
I’m sorry but your mistaken rape racks are used more often than ever so breeders can say their dogs concieve naturally, what a joke hay.
I think AI is not much better but thats a discusion for another time.
I think it’s very sad what has happened to the Brittish Bulldog it was once a wonderful boofy stuburn dog with energy to burn & a body able to work that energy off. now they are prisioners in their own bodies & i feel thats why there are more aggressive & anxiety ridden Bulldogs now a days. There brain is still the same but the result of breeding for extreme type has left them unable to be the athletic energy bunnies they obce where. Go look at some photos & pictures of what the breed looked like origanally & then tell me it’s OK that they are deformed wrecks imprisioned in a useless body.
I’m sorry but you’re mistaken rape racks are used more often than ever so breeders can say their dogs concieve naturally, what a joke hay.
I think AI is not much better but thats a discusion for another time.
I think it’s very sad what has happened to the Brittish Bulldog it was once a wonderful boofy stuburn dog with energy to burn & a body able to work that energy off. Now they are prisioners in their own bodies & I feel thats why there are more aggressive & anxiety ridden Bulldogs now a days. There brain is still the same but the result of breeding for extreme type has left them unable to be the athletic energy bunnies they once where. Go look at some photos & pictures of what the breed looked like origanally & then tell me it’s OK that they are deformed wrecks imprisioned in a useless body.
Retrieverman recently posted..Why you need a muzzle to retrieve
This will create a lot of buzz from the breed enthusiast, it will be funny to just sit back and be able to read lots of comic outcries about this in the near future.
I agree… I’m just waiting for the whingeing to commence!
I’d buy tickets LOL.
Pennypup recently posted..KONY 2012
Hopefully this courageous (at last) step against two obviously not fit for purpose breeds will eventually be followed by actions against breeds which are notoriously concentrating harmful recessive genes and causing heartbreak and expense to so many people, notr to mention the calculated cruelty to the dogs themselves, the cavalier being just one example.
The “word” is that the dogs were disqualified due to an ophthalmologic problem of some sort, which was not readily evident. Nothing whatsoever to do with their “extreme” conformation. There is a real disconnect from the many posts crowing about what a boon this will be for the future of those breeds.
The KC really is grasping at straws looking for technical reasons to disqualify the winners, and I fail to see how that will have any effect on the issues of breed standards and the process of judging.
So now what? Since these two bitches are deemed “unhealthy” are they forbidden from being shown in the future?
Geneva Coats recently posted..Crufts Latest Political Stunt
The “word” is not confirmed fact.
All dogs with extreme brachycephaly have some health and welfare problems.
See the link that pops up at the bottom.
Retrieverman recently posted..The truth about the health of brachycephalic dogs
There are eye problems that do result from extreme brachycephaly.
Pugs and pekes have eyes that fall out all the time.
Retrieverman recently posted..The truth about the health of brachycephalic dogs
I’ve read the “chalk got in their eyes” theories, although that seems much more like rumor to me at this point.
Eye problems are related to extreme conformation though. These bug-eyed breeds are more prone to eye injury, the loose skin breeds are more prone to entropion and other eyelid/membrane disorders, head shape clearly has an effect on the normal function of the eyes in Collies, etc.
If these issues do turn out to be non-genetic welfare issues, I’ll be disappointed, but it really doesn’t change the observation that the KC is willing to place health above beauty and trump the final word of a show judge. No matter what, if there is going to be reform, the will of judges has to be subordinated to reason in some form and a Vet check is a good way to do that.
I see no better way to send that message and force change than deny titles. That’s the only thing that matters to the breeders doing this, so cut it off. If the dogs have issues due to their genetics, why should they continue to be shown? They are defective.
I don’t believe the problem is in the standards, I’ve read a lot of standards that don’t meet what people are producing. They are so prone to exaggeration no matter what language is used, breeder fads trump the standards. Sure, you can rewrite them, but that’s not going to change the culture fast enough. Judges are still putting up horrible dogs that they deem brilliant and that’s not going to change without swift and decisive action. These Vet checks have the potential to do that.
“I’ve read the “chalk got in their eyes” theories, although that seems much more like rumor to me at this point.”
Not to mention, at least in AKC shows, chalk is illegal. It’s never enforced, but it’s still on the books.
Raegan recently posted..Adam’s Task II: Preface
Rather embarrasing for the owners and above all judges fancy putting up an unfit dog.
I wonder if this will reflect and lead to censure of some judges.
The judge how put up the Peke bred the Peke from a few years ago who was found to have had the throat surgery. That dog is also behind the winning Peke a few generations back. We don’t ask the sick to heal themselves and it’s clear that the Judges and the Breeders are not up to the task of reforming themselves either.
Good on the KC. At least they are doing something eh?
PDE can take much of the credit for airing the breed club’s dirty laundry.
Pennypup recently posted..KONY 2012
So great there are people to talk about these issues. KC-type organizations must go through a number of thorough checks to build up again their reputation