This week, 21st to 27th of November, is National Canine Health Testing Week (#NCHTW), which is one of the Kennel Club’s annual initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of breeding and buying puppies from appropriately health tested and health screened parents. During the week we’ll be using social media (our Facebook page and Twitter account) to provide dog breeders and puppy buyers with information on which health tests and screening schemes may be relevant to their dogs, tools to assist breeders in making health related breeding decisions and information for puppy buyers to ask the right questions before buying a puppy.
Use #NCHTW to promote important health tests or research
The awareness week is a platform to publicise statistics, information and health related resources that highlight the value of health testing. If you have any health tests, screening schemes or research, then National Canine Health Testing Week is an excellent opportunity to publicise them on social media using the hashtag #NCHTW.
Get involved with #DogsEyeView photos During the awareness week we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme by launching a social media campaign asking owners to show their support of eye testing by taking and sharing images of their pets, using the hashtag #DogsEyeView on social media. For 50 years the Eye Scheme has been helping breeders produce dogs with healthier eyes, and it now screens around 13,000 Kennel Club registered dogs each year. The #DogsEyeView photos are intended to emphasise how a dog sees the world and to demonstrate the impact that healthy eyes can have on a dog’s quality of life.
How to take a #DogsEyeView photo To take a #DogsEyeView photo, the Kennel Club is asking people to take a picture of their dog from behind, with the ears, head or whole body in shot, to show the dog’s view. The photo could be taken low to the ground and should emphasise how a dog sees the world. The dog could be looking at a stunning view, going for a walk through the woods, meeting family and friends or doing an everyday activity (example attached). Photos can be funny, serious, or poignant, and should be posted on social media using the hashtags #DogsEyeView and #NCHTW. During the week the Kennel Club is calling for #DogsEyeView photos to also be posted to the Kennel Club Facebook and Twitter pages any time between 21st and 27th November 2016. What else will be going on during #NCHTW
As well as the #DogsEyeView photos, the Kennel Club will be using social media to:
- Launch a new “Breeding Advice” section on the Kennel Club website
- Update breeders and owners on the latest developments in health testing
- Encourage the appropriate use of health tests and screening schemes
Although National Canine Health Testing Week is largely about appropriate health testing, it also stresses that there are many other important factors for breeders when choosing two potential mates, such as genetic diversity, temperament, and the dogs’ family history.
As part of National Canine Health Testing week we will be publicising the recently updated and reorganised health area of the Kennel Club website.Two new areas for breeders have been created, which include a “Breeding Advice” area and an “Understanding Canine Genetics” area
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/health/for-breeders/understanding-canine-genetics
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/health/for-breeders/breeding-advice/
Enthusiasts & Fanciers of Glens 