As we haven’t for a few weeks

Many Glen of Imaal Terrier people like to pride themselves on being thinkers so health papers are regularly featured to “keep people up to date”. We haven’t had one for a while so take a look at this; it does need more than a quick glance though.

From the Kennel Club

The Kennel Club and Royal Canin are welcoming dog breeders to a stimulating series of educational seminars on health issues, breeding practices and scientific developments which will help breeders and their puppy rearing programmes.

A number of highly regarded professionals in the world of canine health will be taking part in these seminars. The cost of each day is £25, and for Assured Breeders is only £20 per person, which includes morning refreshments, a buffet lunch, afternoon refreshments and a delegate pack.

Details for the next seminar: When: 19th & 20th July Where: Nottingham Vet School What:

Saturday 19th JulySpeaker One: Dr Tom Lewis – The science behind Mate Select and population Genetics principles Speaker Two: Professor Gary England – Reproduction and fertility in the bitch Speaker Three: Professor Gary England – Reproduction in the male dog and artificial insemination Speaker Four: Mr Alex German – Obesity in pets – what dog owners need to know

Sunday 20th JulySpeaker One: Mr Nick Sutton – Common canine poisons – Common risks for poisoning in dogs Speaker Two: Ms Eleanor Raffen – Diabetes in dogs Speaker Three: Dr Nicholas Bexfield – Understanding liver disease in dogs Speaker Four: Dr Nicholas Bexfield – Canine tumours; an overview of some common types and breed predispositions

Further speakers to be announced soon.

To book onto this seminar, please click here to download a booking form, and for further information about other Breeder Education Seminars, please click here.

A chance remark…

Recently somebody, not a Glen of Imaal Terrier owner, asked what EFG actually stood for? On being told they then asked question two….so when are you adding the H? “H?” “Yes, Enthusiasts & Fanciers of Glens for Health, it is the in thing now after all”

It was just a chance remark but it set the thought process in motion; is it time that the EFG had a rethink about itself? Everything has to adapt so it can continue & grow with nothing being worse than complacency. Not that we think we do suffer from that (this blog being one example of adaptation) but it sometimes can become very easy to get a bit smug & self satisfied with how things are done. Set the little grey cells in motion please!

Where’s it gone?

No, we haven’t stopped raising money. The specific website, efgfundraising, has been taken down. It will be up again soon with details of how you can (again) part with your money to benefit the search for the rogue gene that causes late onset PRA in the Glen of Imaal Terrier.

Docking in Ireland

After the mammoth commenting session recently THIS was forwarded in response to one post in that long exchange. It seems that Irish Vets decided to support the banning of docking tails in February 2008 and since then have been working towards getting their wish through Government.

All in one place.

All the Kennel Club online services (litters, registrations, healths tests, etc. etc.) can now be all accessed from one introductory page rather than having to trawl all over the KC website. Have a look what you think to it!

Seminars are the IN thing..

We are currently being encouraged (browbeaten sometimes) into increasing our knowledge of canine genetic health and welfare so for anybody in the South West area this would appear very nicely on your Seminar attending CV.

The University Federation of Animal Welfare Seminar 2009 is about the problems realated to selective breeding practices. It is an International panel and day 2 is the canine day with sessions 5 & 8 looking very interesting

Decisions, decisions…

A week away so what should be the announcement for the return?

KC LAUNCH NEW BREEDERS SCHEME FOR 2009

The KC today revealed its new scheme replacing the Accredited Breeders Scheme, Good Citizen and Fit for Function Fit for Life Schemes. The new scheme the ‘ Dog Order of Good Citizenship , Rearing And Purpose’ incorporates many of the better aspects of all the previous schemes as well as introducing some well awaited new aspects, including new, revised accolades for the scheme.

Membership to the scheme will be mandatory for all breeders that wish to use the KC registration services.

Criteria for membership are:

1. All breeding stock must be permanently identified, by microchip, tattoo, DNA or the new electronic leg tag.

2. All breeders homes will receive a random inspection of facilities, any that fail to meet with the new required standards or that have chintzy or naff decoration will be given suitable time to correct these issues.

3. All breeding stock will be required to undertake a British Citizenship oral examination, this will include dogs recognising standard commands given in English and standing to command at the sound of the National Anthem.

4. Breeders must have been members of an associated Breed Club, or recognised Dog Training Club or Any Doggie related Club or charity for a minimum of 1 week. Note: Any members found to belong or have links to PETA or the RSPCA will be removed from the scheme, however membership of the TT Beanie Baby Puppy Club will be allowed.

5. The only exception to any of the above criteria will be on receipt of a sizeable cash donation to the KC officials benevolent fund. Any breeder wishing to exercise this option will be sent details of the offshore Icelandic Bank account numbers.

All members will receive membership packs which will include:

1. A4 printed certificate of membership.

2. New gold coloured puppy sales wallets.

3. Gold membership badge with the schemes initials.

4. Gold coloured Bic Biro.

5. Car and window stickers with the schemes logo.

6. Doggie poo bags.

7. Doggie treats.

8. £10 Woolworths gift voucher.

9. £50 discount towards double glazing.

It is our intention to allow members to choose the level of commitment to the scheme once the scheme has been in operation for six months, there will be two levels of membership each level will be recognised by different certificates, badges and tee shirts each with the respective logo of the level of membership chosen, earned, bought.

These levels will be:

1. Basic Membership. Members at this level agree with the scheme at its most basic requirements. All members will begin at this level and the logo and slogan for this level will be

‘ I like the look of D.O.G.C.R.A.P.’

2. Advanced or Full Membership. Members at this level will benefit from access to all registration services and receive badges, etc. with the logo and slogan for this level which will be

‘ I am full of D.O.G.C.R.A.P.’

This scheme comes into effect from today and as a special incentive membership to the scheme will be free for anyone joining on April 1st 2009 before midday only

UNFORTUNATELY THE INBOX WASN’T OPENED UNTIL AFTER MIDDAY SO NOBODY CAN APPLY

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Public Domain

The tag line of this blog is “keeping Glen of Imaal people up to date”. Those words sit right at the top of the page and what is written (and hopefully read) most days is intended to do just that; let people know what is going on that might affect them and their Glens.

Back on January 6th the introduction of the Kennel Club online Health Checker was announced & a link given so everybody could have a look. For the past six months many of the Kennel Club announcements have been able to be found here. Also some of the more “interesting” media comments and stories have graced this blog. A certain recent development has raised a question we knew was out there but it is one we can’t answer as we believe the EFG is doing what it can.

For months now the cry has been dog people should have “open transparency” in regard to anything and everything that could concern pedigree canine health. This is why the KC launched the online checker; anybody would be able to check if a certain animal had participated in any health tests i.e. results were moved into the public domain. Long before “online” was invented the Kennel Club produced the Breed Record Supplement; all animals registered with them were recorded and placed in the public domain.

Spring 2009 saw the collating together of Glen of Imaal Terrier information; information already in the public domain. There have been squeaks of indignation from a few “who gave permission?” “nobody asked us” “it’s not right”. It has seemed to be a genuine surprise that everything is “freely out there” for anybody to look at. The KC & the two dog papers have been covering this for months. Information has gone out to breed clubs about “changes” but apparently some are still unaware.

Collating the 08 results DID show some omissions in the Glen of Imaal Terrier results. The KC were got in touch with about this and the missing name has now been added. The owner of the dog did considerable teeth gnashing when the list was seen because they knew that their own dog had been done but if anybody used the KC tracker…….

AS everything is now in the public domain (and people are being encouraged to use the facility intensively) it can be suggested that all responsible Glen of Imaal Terrier people make sure anything to do with their dog, that is recorded at the Kennel Club, is up to date and correctly on the site. Even looking at the Glen Breed Standard now will find the Accredited Breeder Link. That link will indicate that Glen people who are ABs are required (previously recommended) to have done the relevent eye tests as per Kennel Club guide lines and there is another link to the online checker so it can be found out.

The EFG came into being because the “need to know” attitude around at the time irritated and Public Domain has been one of the bywords of the organisation. The blog came into being because it was wanted to get any information “out there”. The Kennel Club have come a bit late to the ideal but are beginning to adopt it with a vengeance. Actually that is probably the answer to the earlier question of “How can it be got out to people that everything to do with dogs, if the KC are involved, will soon be public domain?” It’ll take a bit of time and some will be later than others but hopefully like the KC they will adopt it with enthusiasm.

How about a podcast?

The American Kennel Club have taken their Health Programme one step further than the Kennel Club; they now release podcasts and it is known as the Genome Bark Series.

This week on Genome Barks, the speaker is Dr. Cheryl London, a faculty member at the Ohio State University with a specialty in veterinary oncology. Dr. London discusses her research in canine cancer, including malignant histiocytosis, mast cell tumors and osteosarcoma. A recipient of several grants from the AKC Canine Health Foundation, Dr. London has recently focused her research on osteosarcoma with a collaboration at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Dr. London also discusses how her research will benefit children as well as dogs.

The Genome Barks podcast series features lectures from the highly successful AKC-CHF Breeders Symposia and provides responsible breeders and pet owners an inside look at the work being done by the AKC and the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

Click here to listen to the podcast