The Kennel Club has announced the appointment of eleven new Breed Advisors to join its regional team, who will play a central role in maintaining the high standards of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme as it continues to grow in size and stature.

The new Regional Breeder Advisors were chosen following a rigorous selection process that took account of their breeding experience, knowledge of the scheme and general commitment to the dog world.

Amongst them the new recruits amass years of breeding experience and include Show Champion breeders, Crufts judges, a veterinary surgeon, a veterinary nurse and behaviourist and a former Breed Club Secretary.

The new recruits will be responsible for inspecting the premises of the scheme’s members and ensuring that its principles and standards are upheld.

Bill Lambert, Head of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme, said: “We are delighted with the quality of the candidates who applied to join our team of advisors. Those who have been selected are of a very high calibre and are utterly dedicated to ensuring that the scheme’s members put the health and welfare of their puppies first and foremost. The role that they will play is a vital one, helping us to ensure that our robust system of checks and inspections remain effective and that the quality of the scheme is maintained.”

Accredited Breeders have all agreed to sign up to Kennel Club standards for responsible breeding, which include following guidelines about the maximum age and frequency of litters, providing post-sales advice, proper whelping and kennelling facilities and agreeing to give their dogs the required health tests for their breed. The Kennel Club, in addition to running a system of inspections, has various other checks in place to monitor the credentials of its members, which include continually monitoring puppy feedback forms and running pre-acceptance checks on all new members.

The most powerful way to end puppy farming is to educate puppy buyers about how to spot a responsible breeder, so that they don’t unwittingly fall into the hands of a puppy farmer. By bringing responsible breeders together as one recognisable group the Kennel Club hopes that puppy buyers will find it easier to identify good breeders from those who may not be.

Puppy buyers can contact the Kennel Club for their list of Accredited Breeders or they can find them listed on the Kennel Club’s Find a Puppy website (www.findapuppy.org.uk) where they will be marked with a scheme logo next to their name, and will appear at the top of the results page.

The continued development of the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme comes as the Kennel Club prepares to hand a petition into the government on Tuesday 1 December, which urges it to make the principles and standards expected of Accredited Breeders compulsory throughout the country. This would mean that anybody who does not follow responsible breeding practice, whether they breed pedigrees or cross breeds and whether they register with the Kennel Club or not, would be unable to sell puppies within the law.

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