These changes only apply to the Assured Breeder Scheme members and not to any other breeder registering puppies outside the ABS. So dogs may still come with a pedigree but not under the AB Scheme. It is part of the KC's commitment to the Accreditation process and an attempt to indicate their acknowledgement of the criticisms that too few of the ABS members had actually been inspected. From 1 January 2014 it is intended that no member of the scheme can register a puppy unless recently inspected. If they have not been inspected they will have to leave the scheme or arrange an inspection prior to registering a liter.Maty wrote:Crikey, looks like they are making it harder for anyone to make money from breedingOr do you think we are going to find more dogs are sold without a pedigree?
Actually nowadays I think there are very few responsible breeders who are making any money from this - most have part time jobs and/or a partner with a full time jobs - especially of you breed small dogs where litters are of only 2-4 pups.
Certainly the costs will have an impact on some breeders decision to becoming a member of the scheme although I personally do not believe it will change the commitment to good welfare and breeding practice of those who have the best interests of their breed at heart. People either are puppy farmers or backyard breeders with financial profit their only concern or they are breeding to improve and conserve the very best of the breed with welfare not financial gain as their priority. However whether or not puppy seekers choose to obtain their puppy from a member of the Scheme or not, I would urge them to check the ABS requirements as a guide to what to expect and demand from a breeder and if they find them falling short of this to walk away.BBG wrote:My personal opinion is this will encourage puppy farmers to have more litters. And those that breed fewer litters will probably not become members of the scheme.
There is some controversy about whether the scheme is worth becoming a member of because the KC are not particularly fussed about who they give membership to. You pays your money and the KC will happily accept it!
I too know of a number of excellent breeders who are not members of the ABS and, although I believe it is a scheme worth supporting, I respect their decision of course. As long as a good breeder is known and has people interested in buying well bred pups from them that is fine all round. I think the problem is more trying to find a way for people who do not know of good breeders to find out where they are and to have some confidence that the breeders they are approaching have made a commitment to good breeding practice. The Assured Breeder Scheme was intended to address this issue by providing puppy seekers with a list of breeders who were in this top level of breeding. Clearly the Scheme as it was did not do that in a number of cases and still has problems that need addressing but it does provide puppy seekers with the information on what to look for when they go to see a breeder and is working to ensure that more of the members are meeting the criteria by the introduction of mandatory inspections and weeding out breeders who are reported to being failing in their standards.Hollypops wrote:In our search for holly I spoke to one assured breeder who told me "the money is nice!"needless to say I didn't bother with him! I know there are very good breeders out there who breed few litters and don't bother with the scheme, my mother never bothered joining and she used to have 1 litter a year (cavalier King Charles spaniels) she retired in 2007 so the scheme hadn't been going very long then.
As regards the costs of belonging to the Scheme being passed on to puppy buyers and this putting them off purchasing a good quality dog, I am not sure this should really be issue. If the price of a puppy is raised I would expect it to be minimal and really anyone looking to get a healthy, well bred puppy that has been raised with love and care should be willing to see that reflected in the price they pay. Sadly too many people seem to look at price first and foremost and the speed with which they can get a puppy as priorities rather than being willing to wait for a well cared for pup and paying the reasonable cost for that. Considering that there is a market for four figure cross breeds and mongrels I would have thought price is not a major issue. Ultimately puppy farmers would not exist if there was no market for their product and they do not force anyone to buy their pups. Anyone looking to get a puppy needs to take responsibility for properly researching the breed, the breeders and everything necessary to make sure they do not line the pockets of backyard breeders (breeding one or several litters a year) and puppy farmers ( breeding on a commercial scale). Check the requirements of the Assured Breeder Scheme and see if the breeder you obtained your puppy from meets them, regardless of whether they are an ABS member. If they fall short walk away and if they are seriously failing and claim to be a member of the AB Scheme report them and have them removed from it.