The following press statement has been issued by The Kennel Club, in recognition of all the dogs that are currently being persecuted by draconian legislation in Germany and other areas of the world. Many, many animals have been and continue to be affected, and it is the intention of this release to highlight the plight of these dogs.

On January 25th 2002, The Kennel Club hosted its annual Good Citizen Dog Scheme (GCDS) Awards, where Clubs were officially recognised for their efforts in promoting responsible dog ownership and co-ordinating Good Citizen Training Courses throughout 2001.

This year’s competition attracted a great deal of entries and the judges were very impressed by both the quality of entries and dedication of the dog training Clubs. Quite rightly, first place in The Kennel Club Registered Breed Clubs section was awarded to the East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, whose achievements included:

The arrangement of an annual funday for all Stafford owners to help promote responsible dog ownership

In 2001 the Club conducted 4 Good Citizen Tests, which produced 12 Bronze and 8 Silver Passes. To date the Club has achieved 24 Bronze, 11 Silver and 1 Gold pass.

The Club holds regular Scheme training and testing days throughout the year
The Club promotes the ‘Domino’ Campaign (www.dominodogs.org), a joint campaign between The Kennel Club and concerned dog owners to oppose Breed Specific Legislation throughout the World.

Wendy Clewley and Tammy representing the East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
and Domino Member at the ceremony held at the Kennel Club last month.

This Club and breed proved to be worthy winners, but had the Awards Ceremony been staged in Germany, it would be unlikely that the Stafford could even have attended! Why? Because the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier and an array of other breeds are currently being persecuted in Germany after a fatal dog attack carried out by an American Staffordshire Terrier and Pit Bull Terrier, which are breeds that are totally unrelated.

Established

In some German states the law simply proscribes height (15.7 inches) and weight (44 lbs), therefore this legislation can affect almost all dogs!

Other breeds affected include the Bullmastiff, Old English Mastiff, Rottweiler and Estrela Mountain Dog. These breeds are registered in the UK and are not considered “fighting dogs” or a threat to public safety by our Government. These breeds are well established in the UK and both the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier are in the top 20 list of most popular registered breeds and are considered to be ideal family pets.

Said Wendy Clewley - EASBTC and Domino Member and Stafford owner – at the ceremony, “Coming to The Kennel Club today to receive this Award with the EASBTC really has put into perspective just how ludicrous the German anti-dog laws are! The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a people orientated breed with a special love of children and we are proud of the breeds well deserved nickname ‘The Nanny Dog’. My dog Tammy is a Gold Good Citizen and along with many other Staffords in the UK regularly competes in Agility and Obedience and enjoys visiting hospitals and residential homes in their role as registered PAT (Pets As Therapy) dogs. To contemplate that in Germany Tammy would be considered a ‘Dangerous Dog’ and heavily penalised against….quite frankly beggars belief?!”

Rose Smart, Chief Executive of The Kennel Club continued, “We strongly believe that all countries should unite in an attempt to quell the anti-dog campaign currently being perpetuated around the world, particularly in Europe. We have visited the European Commission and with our friends from Domino launched a successful public awareness campaign in an attempt to dispel these anti-dog developments.

Pressure really needs to be brought to bear in an attempt to save these wonderful companions. We all know of the broad spectrum of positive benefits that dogs bring to our lives so we should all make a concerted effort to protect ‘man’s best friend’ The Stafford winning this prestigious award has really brought it home to us all just how ridiculous and unfair this piece of legislation actually is.”

The Domino Campaign refers to the Domino affect – the way that anti-dog legislation appears to be sweeping the globe, having a knock on effect from country to country, breed to breed, dog to dog. For further information on this campaign and to see what you can do to help please visit www.dominodogs.org