The Kennel Club has announced the appointment of eleven new Breed Advisors to join its regional team, who will play a central role in maintaining the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme as it continues to grow in numbers.

The new Regional Breeder Advisors were chosen following a rigorous selection process that took account of their breeding experience, knowledge of the scheme commitment.

Amongst them the new recruits amass years of breeding experience and include Show Champion breeders, Crufts judges, a veterinary surgeon, a veterinary nurse and behaviourist and a former Breed Club Secretary.

The new recruits will be responsible for inspecting the premises of the scheme’s members and ensuring that its principles and standards are upheld.

Bill Lambert, Head of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme, said: “We are delighted with the quality of the candidates who applied to join our team of advisors. Those who have been selected are of a very high calibre and are utterly dedicated to ensuring that the scheme’s members put the health and welfare of their puppies first and foremost. The role that they will play is a vital one, helping us to ensure that our robust system of checks and inspections remain effective and that the quality of the scheme is maintained.”

Recruits

The new recruits to the Regional Breeder Advisor team are: vet Tony Buckwell, owns and works dogs, organises field trials and stewards at field trials; Laura Clark, bred successfully for 12 years, achievements including a homebred champion and has taught animal care at higher level; David Coode, bred Labradors that work and show for 35 years under the Warringhah affix. Has bred 21 champions in total, 14 with full titles. He is a championship judge and judges Obedience and Gundog Working tests; Anthony Foulston, owned and managed a breeding and boarding kennel and has been a Kennel Club Field Officer for Breed, Agility, Obedience and Heelwork to Music, for six years. He has shown dogs, has bred champions and has been judging since 1986; Carole Wilcox, worked with dogs for 25 years in several kennel environments, including Guide Dogs for the Blind, successfully shows three Belgian Shepherd Dogs at Championship Shows; Mrs Janet Green, has kept and bred dogs for 30 years, Chairman and health Coordinator of the Chow Chow Club of Wales; Pat Hutchinson, bred and exhibited Rough Collies for 31 years and started judging in 1982, Secretary for the East Anglian Collie Association and breed club’s Health Coordinator; Julie McDonough, involved with dogs for 40 years, breeding and working Labradors, has experience as a kennel maid and working for Rottweiler Welfare, on a voluntary basis; Michelle Meredith, dedicated todogs since 1983, she judges at Championship Shows and was previously successfully involved with Clumber Spaniels, with 7 UK Show Champions, and more recently with Weimaraners and Rhodesian Ridgebacks; Stephen Talbot, microchipping trainer with extensive experience of over 15 years in the animal welfare industry, has been breeding for some years and Joy Venturi Rose, MSc in Animal Behaviour Counselling and is a qualified veterinary nurse who has owned and bred Labradors for thirty years and has many successful dogs including Full Champions and serves on a number of committees.

The continued development of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme comes as the Kennel Club prepares to hand a petition into the government on Tuesday 1 December, which urges it to make the principles and standards expected of Accredited Breeders compulsory throughout the country. This would mean that anybody who does not follow responsible breeding practice, whether they breed pedigrees or cross breeds and whether they register with the Kennel Club or not, would be unable to sell puppies within the law.

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