As the title says......

About time too but is this going to see the increase of unregistered Pups on sites such as Preloved, Epupz,local papers etc.


Kennel Club Takes The Lead On Litter Limits For Bitches
22-Nov-10

The Kennel Club has announced that from 2012 it will normally register no more than four litters from any one bitch because of concerns that the current legal limit of six litters can potentially be detrimental to a bitch’s welfare.

The decision was made by the Kennel Club General Committee after receiving a recommendation from its Dog Health Group and will be effective for litters born on or after 1st January 2012.

Six litters per bitch is the current legal limit enshrined in the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999.

Bill Lambert, the Kennel Club’s Health and Breeder Services Manager, said: “The Kennel Club wants to ensure that all breeders put the health and welfare of their puppies and breeding bitches first and foremost, and this decision underlines our commitment to this issue.

“Whilst the law allows bitches to have six litters in a lifetime and our registration system has previously fallen in line with this, the vast majority of responsible breeders feel that this is too high and that there is potential for this to have a negative impact on the welfare of the bitch.

“Very serious consideration has to be given to the matter if a breeder wishes a bitch to have more than four litters but the Kennel Club may grant permission for this to happen if it believes that there is good and justifiable reason for doing so on a case by case basis.”

The Kennel Club has also urged the government to follow suit and to tighten up the law in order to help clamp down on puppy farmers.

Mr Lambert added: “Of course, this decision will sadly not impact on those people who do not register their litters with the Kennel Club, in particular puppy farmers who breed purely for profit and tend to show little consideration for an animal’s welfare. Legislation needs to be tightened so that these people can be brought to account.”

The Kennel Club has called for the principles and standards of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme to be made mandatory for all dog breeders. This means that breeders would have to put the health and welfare of their puppies first, for example by giving their dogs the required health tests for their breed and ensuring that potential buyers see the puppies with their mothers and in their home environment. A petition with 15,000 signatures supporting this objective was handed in to Number Ten Downing Street just a year ago by Ian Cawsey MP.

ENDS

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would have liked to have seen it put at 3 litters, but 4 is better that 6 - so its a start.

Agreed

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Lets hope the gen pub decides to only buy from registered litters then. It's a step in the right direction, hopefully they'll up the age from one year to start breeding from a bitch too!

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Flynn - Kali - Britches - Bruce - T-Bo - Marty



"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack"

this is brilliant news i dont see how anyone would want 6 litters out of a female dog other then £ sorry if i offend anyone.

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Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

O yes The age is crazy and then they will have to lower the number of litters too

Education is the only way to get Joe public to only buy from registered litters and get rid of the "but I only want a pet, not interested in the posh show dogs so I don't need papers" beliefs.


Exactly DK xxxx

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I've always thought that 6 was a hell of a lot so glad to see them reduce it even if it is by just a bit, 3 would have been my preferred number.

Perhaps they ought to look at doing something with the number of times a dog can stud out too there are some very 'busy' boys out there !!

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ShazaLhasa
My fabulous furry friends

i agree with this aswell

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"If the wolf is to survive, the wolf haters must be outnumbered. They must be outshouted, out financed, and out voted. Their narrow and biased attitude must be outweighed by an attitude based on an understanding of natural processes."
L David Mech

We have doomed the Wolf not for what it is, but for what we have deliberately and mistakenly perceived it to be..the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer..which is, in reality no more than a reflexed images of ourself." -Farley Mowat

couldn't agree more DK! personally I wouldn't have minded it it had been restricted to just ONE!

now spect I have rattled a few cages

Great news and about time as well

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"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."
Martin Luther King Jr.