The dog-related good deeds of the past twelve months were celebrated in London today (10 February), as the Kennel Club hosted a prize-giving ceremony to honour the winners of the annual Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme (GCDS) Training Awards and the KC Dog Awards.
 
The GCDS awards recognise the efforts of organisations nationwide which have invested their time and energy into helping to train dogs and educating their owners on the importance of responsible dog ownership.
 
The KC Dog Awards acknowledge the actions taken by politicians, local authorities, public bodies and individuals to develop positive alternatives to restrictions on dog walking and ensure that the nation’s dogs continue to enjoy maximum access to the UK’s open spaces.
 
The GCDS was set up in 1992 to create a quality standard for dog obedience and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is the largest dog training scheme in the UK and, since its inception, almost 400,000 certificates of achievement have been given to the owners of dogs who have successfully passed the scheme’s tests. There are currently nearly 1,750 dog training clubs and other organisations around the country actively administering the scheme.
 
The categories for the GCDS awards and winners were as follows:
 
Kennel Club Registered Training Club
Winner – Solihull Dog Training Club
Second Place – Haselmere & District Dog Training Club
Third Place – Bridgend & District Kennel Association
 
Kennel Club Listed Status Club
Winner – Warbstow Agility Club (Cornwall)
Second Place – Capel Dog Training (Kent)
Third Place – K9 Academy (Tyneside)
 
Kennel Club Registered Breed Club
Winner – Southern Finnish Lapphund Society
Second Place – East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
 
Local Council Category – Most Effective Campaign
Winner – East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Second Place – Luton Borough Council
Third Place – Medway Council
 
Solihull Dog Training Club was chosen as the overall winner of the GCDS Awards for their dedication, commitment and outstanding support in promoting the scheme in 2011.
 
Speaking to the award winners, Kennel Club Chairman Steve Dean, said: “The scheme can be proud of its many achievements over the past twenty years, and with your help, should continue to go from strength to strength for decades into the future.
 
“The dedication and hard work of the scheme’s supporters is essential to the on-going success we anticipate for the scheme, so it is only right that we recognise and reward you for your fantastic efforts over the past year.
 
The Kennel Club’s KC Dog campaign was established in 2006, after the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act gave local authorities the power to restrict dog access in their area.
 
KC Dog award recipients were selected on account of their positive approach to dog walking around their local area. This year’s winners were:
 
KC Dog Campaigner Award
Dog Walkers Action Group
 
KC Dog Local Authority Award
City of London Corporation
 
KC Dog Parliamentary Award
Darren Millar AM
 
KC Dog Recognition Awards
Dr Richard J Prince
 
Speaking at the ceremony, Kennel Club Chairman, Steve Dean, said: “These awards are an opportunity for us to credit the actions taken by politicians, local authorities, groups and individuals to ensure that the UK’s dogs continue to enjoy maximum access to the our open spaces.
 
“We really do feel that you, and many others, have all done marvellous work in promoting responsible dog ownership in local communities and all deserve a huge vote of thanks! Thank you for your enthusiasm and dedication and please accept our appreciation for helping us make a positive difference for dogs and their owners.”
 
KC Dog is an information network, free to join, whose members benefit from news and information on dog control orders across the UK. Visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/kcdog for more information, or email kcdog@thekennelclub.org.uk.
 
More information on the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme can be found at www.thekennelclub.org.uk/dogtraining.
 
ENDS
[035.12]
10th February 2012

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Notes to editors
 
Dog control orders were introduced under Section 6 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. The Act came into force in April 2006 and enables local authorities to implement the following:
 
The fouling of land by dogs and the removal of dog faeces
The keeping of dogs on leads
The keeping of dogs on leads by direction
The exclusion of dogs from land
The number of dogs which a person may take on to any land
 
Details of the KC Dog winners are as follows:
 
KC Dog Campaigner Award – Dog Walkers Action Group (DWAG)
Founded in 2007 in Poole, Dorset, core members Lin Waring, Kelly Willmington, Derek Corby and Chris Eaton campaign for alternatives to Dog Control Orders in local Hamworthy Park, fostering good relationships with organisations such as the Kennel Club, Keep Britain Tidy, the Borough of Poole Safer Neighbourhood Team, as well as councillors and the local dog warden. They put work in to ensure Hamworthy Park is kept clean and tidy by actively cleaning up litter to ensure that others will continue to enjoy the park. DWAG is a certified ‘corporate supporter’ of Keep Britain Tidy and the group liaises with other parties to promote responsible dog ownership.
 
KC Dog Local Authority Award: City of London Corporation
City of London’s Open Spaces Committee signed an agreement with the Kennel Club in December 2011 as a means of encouraging responsible dog ownership in London’s open spaces and as a collaborative approach to improve people’s health and wellbeing through dog ownership whilst respecting the needs of other visitors in London’s open spaces. Within the agreement, City of London Corporation will ensure responsible dog walkers feel welcome when visiting the open spaces, as well as helping to promote codes of conduct for all dog walkers visiting which help set out a consistent and clear guidance to encourage responsible dog ownership and behaviour in partnership with other local authorities within London.
 
KC Dog Parliamentary Award – Darren Millar AM
During Conwy County Borough Council’s dog control order consultation period, Assembly Member Darren Millar stepped in to oppose the dog control orders, encouraging the Council to reconsider their proposals. He recognised that the dog control order proposals would negatively affect the majority of owners who exercise their dogs responsibly and should instead target irresponsible owners. He also requested for the consultation period to be extended to ensure that as many local dog owners as possible would have the opportunity to respond. In addition to this, Darren has been proactive and consistent in raising important canine welfare issues in the Welsh Assembly, including breeding, puppy farms and the issue of local authorities with regards to stray dogs.
 
KC Dog Special Recognition Award: Dr Richard J Prince
Dr Prince has been opposing local councils, including Calderdale, regarding their proposed dog control orders and coordinated a local press campaign to promote the issue. As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester, Dr Prince proposed a research project to students which looked at the relationship between toxocara and dog control – specifically looking at whether dog control orders work or are an effective means of tackling these problems.
 
About the Kennel Club
The Kennel Club is the largest organisation in the UK devoted to dog health, welfare and training. Its objective is to ensure that dogs live healthy, happy lives with responsible owners.
 
It runs the country’s largest registration database for both pedigree and crossbreed dogs and the Petlog database, which is the UK’s largest reunification service for microchipped animals. The Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme is the only scheme in the UK that monitors and sets standards for breeders, in order to protect the welfare of puppies and breeding bitches. It also runs the UK’s largest dog training programme, the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme and licenses shows and clubs across a wide range of activities, which help dog owners to bond and enjoy life with their dogs. The Kennel Club runs the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, and the Discover Dogs event at Earls Court, London, which is a fun family day out that educates people about how to buy responsibly and care for their dog.

The Kennel Club invests in welfare campaigns, dog training and education programmes and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which supports research into dog diseases and dog welfare charities, including Kennel Club Breed Rescue organisations that re-home dogs throughout the UK.The Kennel Club jointly runs health screening schemes with the British Veterinary Association and through the Charitable Trust, funds the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, which is at the forefront of pioneering research into dog health.
 

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