HEALTH SUB COMMITTEE
To All Members
You may or may not be aware that the Club has a sub committee set up which will deal primarily with the health and welfare (not to be confused with rescue) of Chinese Crested. I, along with a few others, am very much of the opinion that this is long overdue and can only be for the betterment of our breed. The sub committee has been set up to discuss problems within the breed and hopefully to educate and advise breeders and owners. Many breeders are not aware of the different health schemes that are now available to us and if used sensibly can only, surely, be for the good.
I am sure that you all have had some idea that at present we, as pedigree dog breeders, are at rather a low point thanks to the media. Yes, much of it was ill informed and is very biased against us; however, it has brought to the surface problems that do exist and should be addressed. The general public, like it or not, will always believe what they read or watch, rather than listen to a group of, and I use their words, "Strange Fanatics". I also believe that in some people's eyes the Chinese Crested will be labelled as a deviation from the norm simply because it has a hairless variety. Few actually know the ancient history that the breed has and it is up to us to protect it. But to protect it we must do the right thing and not put our heads in the sand believing that everything is rosy and it will all go away. Joe Public is all too aware now of what health problems there are, and more and more want puppies from breeders who actually give a damn. And, quite frankly, knowing the prices that some people have paid for puppies, I don't blame them !!
The sub committee is in its very early stages and at present comprises of the management committee of the club itself. I have had some constructive criticism of this. I have been asked why the committee includes people that don't actually themselves test ? This is, I believe true, but it is also true that no member is a Vet or Health scientist but we all bring to the table a mixture of expertise and experience and there is a broad spectrum of differing views and in my opinion this can only be for the good. We have to start somewhere and to be fair we are ALL in a position where we have the opportunity to learn and make informed decisions.
The Club website will have a section devoted to the subject of health. This is not to out do any of the excellent health websites already dedicated to Chinese Crested; it is just to highlight them. The page will include a section for breeders to publicly publish their health results and I urge people to use this opportunity. It gives us an opportunity when planning our future generations. Obviously, proof of testing and results will be asked for.
I also ask that as well as good results, we also have the bad. I for one have had some bad results and am not afraid for people to know. It is part of breeding dogs, it is a learning curve and is not the end of the world. But at least I now know what I have to work with.
I am also fully aware of the British way that if you have one dog affected, you must have a kennel riddled with the problem. Let us hope that this mentality is seen for what it is; it will serve the cause no good whatsoever.
This is in no way meant to incite panic; the breed is in no danger of extinction, but in my opinion it is the way forward and such issues should be taken seriously.
If you have any questions or wished to have matters raised then please feel free to make them known. After all we are here because of one thing, The Chinese Crested. They give us so much, it is time we did the same.
Lee Cox
Chairman
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