Just The Way You Are

Breed standard, Crufts, English bulldogs, Kennel Club, Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Just The Way You Are

In Animals and Pets, bulldogs, Dog Competitions, Dog Shows, Thats' Life on May 8, 2011 at 8:00 AM

#bullDogNATION’s Sunday BULLY Pulpit

Hello! And to #bullDogNATION’s Sunday BULLY Pulpit! This week:

English bulldog owners, breeders and exhibitors around the world! Lend me your ears! Are you aware changes to the breed standard endorsed by the Kennel Club will become effective March, 2012?

What, specifically are these changes? If you are a bulldog fancier just looking to have one (or two or three) as a furriend companion with no intent to show or breed, you need to decide if the “leaner, longer, less jowly” new bulldog is the Churchillian featured bulldog you may have always envisioned having, and be prepared.

@JanetCrook78: @BaggyBulldogs
I blame the bad breeders out there who are only interested in making money, not making the breed better.

You are correct, Janet. The problem is not with the established breed standard currently in place and that has been the recognized, respected breed standard fur hundreds of years. The problem lies squarely at the feet of the many rogue so called “breeders” (puppy mill operators) who have bartered away a cherished birthright fur a bowl of lentil soup, namely, compromising the health and standards fur the breed for profit.

Reputable breeders zealously oversee the pedigrees of their dogs, restricting their breeding capacity, control their breeding stock and are vigilant about standards fur good health. The Kennel Club’s shocking knee jerk response to the outcries of a small but vocal few, appears to be at the expense of responsible, reputable breeders.

Reputable breeders have already voluntarily taken the lead, regulating themselves by means of the Breed Council Health check. Rogue breeders have NO interest in the breed standard.

They’re breeding not fur the show ring but fur money! There should be a regulating entity to compel these bulldog sellers (and that’s really all they are: carpetbaggers and sellers) to health check their breeding dogs to prevent unhealthy specimens from reproducing.

If the Kennel Club refused to register puppies from unhealthy dogs, disreputable breeders would not be able to command the prices they do or proliferate the market with unhealthy, defected dogs.

Sadly, the Kennel Club sees no incentive to do this. Why? MONEY! The Kennel Club receives hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from English bulldog registrations and transfer of ownership fees!

NEED MORE DETAIL?
Kennel Club (KC) recently reviewed all breed standards as a part of Fit For Function, a program created to ensure every dog is fit enough to enjoy it’s life to the full. This program was recently pressed into action in response to the 2008 broadcast of the BBC documentary ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed.’

The broadcast was a tsunami strike of bad publicity to one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world, Crufts, shinning the welcomed light of scandal on the heretofore highbrow world of pedigree show dogs. The Kennel Club, which runs the prestigious dog show, announced that starting in 2012, at least 15 high-profile dogs will need to be given a clean bill of health from the show’s official veterinarian.

Fit For Function is an effort to both protect the dogs and keep the bad apples from bringing down the sport. “This action will not only protect the reputation of the majority of dog showing people who put the health and welfare of their dogs first and foremost,” said Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko. “It will also continue to encourage improvement within the high profile breeds themselves, ensuring that the healthiest are justly held up as an example for others to follow.”

Fit For Function’s stated mission ‘That every dog, even if its function is solely to be a pet, should be able to see, breathe and walk freely’ apparently fails to recognize the herculean, valiant, honest-hearted efforts of reputable breeders within the bulldog breed community who have already been painstakingly promoting this standard without requiring any change to the established breed standard!

And then there's ThatOne

So now what? Well People could get all emotionally worked up, get political, sign petitions, make loud outcries, but change is gonna come so People get ready! Nothing will stem the tide of these physiological changes. Why?

Because People, Americans especially, have come to expect and even demand more athleticism in bulldogs. They see bulldogs on TV who skateboard and surf and participate in all manner of physical activity.

People themselves are becoming more active and they are transferring these expectations onto their bulldog companions. This is particularly unsettling to me because Bulldogs are lapdogs.

We’re coveted because of our friendly, kind, quiet, docile and calm personalities. We’re not suited fur extremes in heat or cold, or prolonged instances of vigorous activity that can cause us to overheat and possibly even suffer heat exhaustion.

We’re coveted fur our compact, footstool shape and size. The breed standard fur weight is 50-60 lbs fur adults. We stand 12-16 inches at the withers (shoulder) so prolonged periods of running and jumping is stressful and may be even injurious to our bone and joint health.

And our adorabull, pushed in faces are not exactly like those of horses. We don’t have large nostrils or big lungs. We’re not designed fur a lot of heavy breathing. We’re pretty much the laid back, low energy type. But People wanna turn us into Type A agility dogs so… Oh well. We shall all soon see.

So if you’re lookin’ fur a bulldog again and again I say to you: Do Your HOMEWORK. Make sure you’re getting the bulldog you really desire. Make sure it’s really even a bulldog and not an Olde English bulldogge, or a Victorian bulldog or an American bully all of which are wonderful dogs, but they are not English bulldogs. Do Your HOMEWORK and Look before you leap.

And that’s The Sunday Bully Pulpit. This is ThatOne. See you next week.