Cavalier chaos

Why is there an element in the Cavalier world that seems intent on being bad to the bone?
It is ironic that such a sweet breed should attract a pack of dinosaurs intent on extinction.
At the Cavalier Club AGM a bunch of troublemakers turned up late - missing a very important talk on the terrible heart problems within the breed.
Against all protocol this large group persuaded the Chairman to overturn a motion already agreed by the meeting and re-open the topic for debate and another vote.
They had previously voted to include a new section in the club's code of conduct to recommend stud dogs be MRI scanned for syringomelia before being used.
The second vote saw this overturned.
Who were these vandals?
These late arrivals included influential cavalier breeders such as the Dog World breed note writer, owners of leading stud dogs and top champions and regional club officers and committee members, including the Chairman/health representative of a Southern based regional club who got up to speak twice against the proposal.
The front page of Dog World reported that: "At first the motion was passed by 25 votes to 15, with nine abstentions. But a little while later discussion became heated when members demanded that this vote should be taken again. Some said they had not heard what was said and thus not known what they were voting for.
"Under some pressure, Mrs Jupp agreed that a vote could be taken on an amendment to remove the SM recommendations from the code. This was carried by 37 votes.
"It is understood that the treasurer’s report showed that the special general meeting held to oust Mrs Carter from the committee had cost the club £2,082. There was an additional expenditure of £1,147 which paid for the committee to be trained on how to deal with questions from the media following the SGM."
It would be more appropriate for a course on assertiveness for the lovely owners and breeders of this sweet breed who disagree with those dinosaurs! It is time for you to unite and fight.

Here is a statement from Lesley Jupp, Chairman of the Club that is published on the club website. I totally applaud her passion and just wish more of the normal caring members had been at that AGM to back her up:

A BENCH MARK WEEKEND Before the AGM last Sunday, Simon Swift, Cardiologist, gave a talk to members to inform us of the present situation, current research and to update us on the new BVA/KC heart testing scheme that involves a number of breeds including cavaliers. His talk was attended by about 25 members, including the committee, out of a current total UK membership of 1050. At the end of his talk Simon had difficulty in leaving the room for the throng of other members waiting outside for the AGM, chatting and drinking coffee, whiling away the time until his talk was over. So much for breeders’ interest in, and concern for heart problems within the breed. The AGM then followed, attended by 63 members. The agenda contained a proposal from the committee that the Code of Ethics should include the recommended breeding guidelines for SM. These are not mandatory rules, merely recommendations, and would have been in line with Hearts and Eyes breeding guidelines, which have been in place for some years. These proposals seemed to me to be innocuous and reasonable. However, the proposal was substantially defeated by the meeting. This was a triumph by the members present over neurologists and geneticists, and of course, over the committee. It would seem that cavalier club members continue to progress, like lemmings, towards mandatory breeding regulations that will surely come, as surely as night follows day. There are many members who are still not prepared to health check their breeding stock, and of those who do, it would appear that many would not hesitate to breed from affected animals. I have tried my utmost to defend and support the breed and the club. This weekend was proof, if proof is needed, that there is no point in deluding myself, or others, that self-regulation is possible. Mrs Lesley Jupp