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Sporting breeds arrest registrations in decline


AS THE Kennel Club issues its Breed Records Supplement for the third quarter of the year registration figures show a small recovery in the totals thanks largely to the sporting breeds.

Hounds totals are up by 5.5% to 2737, Gundogs by 1.8% to 23,177 and Terriers by .2% to 9,525. Conversely the figures show a remarkable decline in Toys down 14.9% to 5,302 and the Working group down 12% to 6,560. There are smaller reductions in the figures for Pastoral breed down 9% and Utility breed with a .3% decrease. The running total down 2.6% to 57,995 compared with 59,529 in 2001.

The KC income from registrations, which decreased by some 17% in 1999, was up in 2001 to £2,051,164 compared to figures of £1,842,045 in 1998. In 1999, the registration fee was increased to £10 from January 1st. Registration income was up in 2000 to £2,078,196. In 2001 income from registrations was down to £1,939,238.

The registration totals for 2001 failed to show a recovery in the figures at 220,799 - down by 26,515 or 10.72%, on the previous year’s total. This, at current 2002 fee levels, represented a loss of £318,189.

Compared with the 1989 peak figure of 283,915 the decline is even more pronounced amounting to 63,116, 22.23% or, in terms of income, a loss of £757,392. The Kennel Club registration fees went up in January 2002 to £12 from £10 and at the same time the cost of transfers rose from £9 to £10.

The uncertainty caused by the Foot & Mouth crisis is thought to have had an impact on the registration figures in the second and third quarters of the year but these were expected to recover.

The greatest decline in 2001 of 16% was in the Pastoral Group with a 13% decrease in both the Toy and Utility Groups. The Working Group total dropped by 8%. In the sporting breeds the biggest drop was in the Terrier Group with 12% fewer registrations; the hounds show 11% less and the gundogs only 8% less. At the same time the KC has announced its ‘top twenty’ popular breeds table which, if totalled overall, shows a decline of 11.75% - 158,774 from 177,432 in 2000 - in breeds which account for 71% of ALL registrations.

The top three in 2001 remained the same with Labradors, GSDs and Cockers holding their own. Up from sixth place to fourth last year were English Springers with Westies down one place to fifth. Cavaliers were up one place to sixth along with a one place move up for staffies to seventh.

Down to eighth place from fifth were Goldies and Boxers remain nineth. At tenth up one place from 2000 were Rottweilers. the list including the year 2000 places in parentheses were :- 1 Labrador s 33,668 (1); 2 GSD 14,270 (2); 3 Cockers 12,680 (3); 4 English Springers 11,892 (6); 5 WHWT 11,019 (4); 6 CKCS 10,309 (7); 7 Staffordshire Bull T 10,072 (8); 8 Goldies 9,839 (5); 9 Boxer 9,034 (9); 10 Rottweiler 5,587 (11).