A big day for the dogs of Oz
Pedigree Dogs Exposed is on Australian ABC1 tonight prime time and is programme of the week in many TV listings. So that's 12.30 our time - lunchtime here. The pre-show reviews I have seen are all very positive. Not long now till it is shown in America.
I know the show is on tonight for a variety of reasons.
The most amusing is that 20 something years ago when I worked at the KC I met an Australian journalist called Brian Kelly who was being groomed as my successor as I was off to a glamorous new job at... BT! (From one unpopular two letter abbreviation to another!)
Working closely together we ended up seeing each other socially and at my leaving party he announced he was leaving too and we lived together for the next eight or so years!
He's back in OZ now and has two beautiful young kids.
Brian has just emailed to say he's just seen me on his TV, apparently I'm on the PDE trailer!
Isn't it a very small world.
Pedigree Dogs Exposed has definitely started to change things in this country, let's hope the ripple affect keeps going. I recently wrote a piece for American dog mag Bark about the show and whether there was a better way of doing things. It was interesting talking to an audience who hadn't yet seem the documentary (or "doco" as the Sydney Morning Herald quaintly call it!).
BBC America are due to show PDE soon. I wonder if any old friend's living in America will get in touch if they catch the show? It's better than Friend's Reunited for encouraging people to get back in touch!
I know the show is on tonight for a variety of reasons.
The most amusing is that 20 something years ago when I worked at the KC I met an Australian journalist called Brian Kelly who was being groomed as my successor as I was off to a glamorous new job at... BT! (From one unpopular two letter abbreviation to another!)
Working closely together we ended up seeing each other socially and at my leaving party he announced he was leaving too and we lived together for the next eight or so years!
He's back in OZ now and has two beautiful young kids.
Brian has just emailed to say he's just seen me on his TV, apparently I'm on the PDE trailer!
Isn't it a very small world.
Pedigree Dogs Exposed has definitely started to change things in this country, let's hope the ripple affect keeps going. I recently wrote a piece for American dog mag Bark about the show and whether there was a better way of doing things. It was interesting talking to an audience who hadn't yet seem the documentary (or "doco" as the Sydney Morning Herald quaintly call it!).
BBC America are due to show PDE soon. I wonder if any old friend's living in America will get in touch if they catch the show? It's better than Friend's Reunited for encouraging people to get back in touch!
Comments
The Animal Health Trust is great and other charities (for eg Tailwaggers) have given substantial donations too. DNA tests should be part of the response to the health crisis in pedigree dogs - but inbreeding as a culture has to change as the pace at which DNA tests can be developed will not out run the pace at which new hereditary problems are emerging.
And yes, Jo is the owner of the Boxer featured on PDE.
Did the documentary ever say the dog was a show dog?
No.
Oh Sirius, please give it a rest - I see even you have tired of giving your false name... come out of the shadows and reveal yourself as the KC insider we know you to be.
Change the record, go on the record.
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/zombies-time-wasters-and-anonymous.html
When I read that I automatically think of him that likes to be known as Sirius.
PS to Jo - have kept up with Zak on You Tube - some great footage on there - hugs to you all.
Philippa
How many hereditary problems have been identified in pedigree dogs so far? At what rate are new ones being discovered?
How many DNA tests are there? And that's not double counting the same test across lots of breeds.
How long did it take to develop them?
DNA tests are great, but everyone needs to moving on every front if we are to save the dogs from future suffering.
They cost a fortune to develop for a start - look how many thousands of pounds were needed to get the DNA test for the eye condition you were bragging about. Who has the money to do that for all the other conditions? And as e know not all of them are that simple to crack. Autoimmune diseases for eg, HD, OCD, syringomyelia.... I could go on and on.
Relying on DNA tests to save the pedigree dog is like saying don't worry about drink driving - we've invented seat belts and airbags!
And no I don't mind who quotes me on this one. DNA tests will not save the dog from the ravages of inbreeding. And the sooner you and the KC stop spinning that phoney PR line the sooner we'll start trusting you.
Only a tiny number of conditions have a DNA test and an even smaller number of these that the KC have backed sufficiently to make testing mandatory and acted upon ... isn't it just two breeds so far? Irish Setter and Irish Red and White?
Too slow.
Too much hype.
As usual PR over substance.
I recently telephone the KC with regards to other dog registry's and puppy farms, the woman I spoke too, couldn't help and was totally in the dark regarding pet shops selling puppies that have been sourced from these farms.
how many of the CKC breeders dismissed MRIs to rule out Syrigemyelia.
MRI's are telling us very little. So called clears are producing it over and over again. we need a gene marker for SM because only then will we know which cavs pass it on. MRI scanning will never tell us that because the results change from one MRI to the next. A dog can be 'clear' one year and show multiple syrinx 12 months later.
Anticipating fallout from the program's local broadcast, the Australian National Kennel Council recently enlisted prominent vet Dr Peter Higgins to handle public relations. Dr Higgins is disappointed with the program. He says issues with registered breeders are minor compared to problems with backyard breeders, puppy farmers, dog hoarders and people who are cruel to dogs.
He says hereditary disease is a fact of life for dogs as much as it is for humans and his organisation funds research into inherited disease problems. ''It's how you manage it, that's the issue,'' he says. ''In labradors, hip dysplasia was a problem 15 years ago; now, it's almost not around because the labrador breeding society worked with university researchers to get around it.
''For me, the conclusion of the show is that anyone who has anything to do with dog breeding doesn't care about the dog, the outcomes, who they're selling the dog to, it's all just a beauty contest and that's not the case.''
Louise