Policing the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme
When Assured Breeders register a litter
When Assured Breeders sell their puppies
What happens if breeders breach any of the Scheme requirements?
How Assured Breeder Scheme members are monitored
How does the Kennel Club check the properties of KCABs?
When Assured Breeders breach requirements
Recent consultation with breed clubs has highlighted a lack of awareness of policing measures used in connection with the Assured Breeder Scheme. The Scheme is policed by the Kennel Club in the following ways:
Applicants’ Kennel Club records are checked.
All applications will be fully considered. Further information may be required so that the Kennel Club is satisfied the breeder is fully capable of meeting the requirements of the scheme.
An application may be subject to Committee approval by its Review Panel.
The Kennel Club reserves the right to refuse an application.
Any breeder subject to KC disciplinary penalties under Rule A42/43 will not be eligible for Assured Breeder Scheme membership.
Names of new members are published in the Kennel Gazette and effectively ‘policed’ by breed clubs who report names that are, in their opinion, inappropriate candidates to us. If this happens then the Kennel Club investigates carefully.
When Assured Breeders register a litter
Every time an Assured Breeder registers a litter, the sire and dam of that litter are checked for compulsory permanent identification (microchip, tattoo or DNA profile are currently acceptable). In addition, both sire and dam are checked for compulsory health screening scheme results that are relevant to their breed. All the usual Kennel Club rules and regulations must be complied with.
When Assured Breeders sell their puppies
Assured Breeders are required to use ABS puppy sales wallets for every puppy that they sell. Included in these wallets is a feedback form that the new owner is requested to return directly to the Kennel Club. There are questions on this form that inform us about the Assured Breeder’s compliance with aspects of the Scheme that we are not able to police in any other way, for example whether the breeder provided advice on training, feeding, socialisation etc.
Where any problems are mentioned, these are taken up with the breeder.
Litters and numbers of puppies registered by Assured Breeders are monitored and compared with orders for additional puppy sales wallets.
Upon joining the Scheme all Assured Breeders sign a declaration as follows:
“I have read and understood the requirements of being an Assured Breeder and I undertake to comply with them and hereby apply to be a Kennel Club Assured Breeder. I will provide the Kennel Club upon request with the opportunity to review my compliance procedures and to investigate any anomalies or complaints. I accept that in the event of non-compliance, my name may be removed from the list of Assured Breeders and I will no longer be entitled to use the Scheme literature or accreditation”.
The breeder agrees that the Kennel Club may visit facilities upon giving reasonable notice.
If there are issues of concern arising from a visit and it is considered that the facilities fall short of the standards expected for an Assured Breeder then this may result in the breeder being removed form the scheme.
Full details of what is involved and expected of an Assured Breeder for a Breeder Advisor visit are available on request.
What happens if breeders breach any of the Scheme requirements?
- Temporary Suspension - at any time during the investigation of a complaint a breeder may be suspended from using or operating under the scheme pending the conclusion of such an investigation. During such suspension, puppies must not be sold under the scheme.
- Grievance Procedure - there is a grievance procedure which will be followed in the case of a complaint by a purchaser of a puppy under the scheme. A copy of the Grievance Procedure is available on request.
There has been some misunderstanding about the Scheme expressed in the canine press so it must be stressed that the Assured Breeder Scheme is not any of the following:
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A Scheme designed to set certain breeders apart as elite:
The Kennel Club recognises that there are some breeders who already offer their puppy buyers a service equal to or beyond the terms of the Scheme and who, for whatever reason, choose not to belong to it. For example, an established breeder who has a long list of people waiting for their puppies may not feel the need to advertise. -
A Scheme which only accepts established breeders
The Assured Breeder Scheme is very much about what breeders agree to do once they have joined, so, while the Kennel Club naturally wants established breeders to join, equally it feels that newer breeders should be encouraged to do all the right things and be recognised for doing so. -
A Scheme designed to make lots of money for the Kennel Club
The cost to the Kennel Club of producing and sending out a member’s starter pack, for example, absorbs most of the £15 joining fee. -
A Scheme which recognises only breeders who have won lots of awards with their dogs
The Assured Breeder Scheme is concerned less with the points looked for in the show ring than it is with the production of healthy, well-adjusted puppies for the puppy-buying public. Where breeders can achieve both, it is a bonus!
How Assured Breeder Scheme members are monitored
The Kennel Club takes compliance with the scheme’s requirements very seriously and has a robust system in place to ensure that members follow standards set by the scheme. Checks include:
-
All applicants’ records are checked prior to acceptance on the scheme
- Check of the health screening records for a member’s breed is required
- All members agree to be spot checked by the Kennel Club throughout their membership of the scheme, in order to ensure our standards are maintained
- The Kennel Club has recently added even more Regional Breeder Advisors to its national team to ensure that, as the Scheme grows in size, it can continue to monitor the standards of its members
- The Kennel Club encourages feedback from the dog-owning community and future members’ names are published in the monthly Kennel Club publication, the Kennel Gazette, to enable breed clubs to comment on names that they believe to be inappropriate
- All new puppy buyers are given feedback forms by Assured Breeders that they return to us and if this does not happen then we look into the reason why. The Kennel Club receives hundreds of feedback forms from new puppy buyers each month; most of the feedback is positively glowing. However, if any complaints are made the Kennel Club investigates fully and takes the appropriate action which might include removal from the scheme
How does the Kennel Club check the properties of KCABs?
Upon joining the scheme every member of the Assured Breeder Scheme agrees to allow a breeder advisor access to visit their premises. Occasionally we have complaints about an Assured Breeder and we ensure that these too are dealt with as a matter of urgency. However, we also arrange randomly selected visits to ensure that good practices as outlined in the scheme are followed. List of Kennel Club Breeder Avisors
As the scheme grows the Kennel Club wants to ensure that it is able to monitor all new members. As such, it now has a network of regional advisors, in addition to its national team, who will be appointed across the country.
In addition to breeder advisor visits, we ask all puppy buyers to send back the feedback form that all Assured Breeders give out at the point of sale and if we don’t receive that feedback we check up on the breeder.
When Assured Breeders breach requirements
An email may be sent to the ABS Team in the first instance detailing the complaint. Then, depending on the nature of the complaint, a signed letter may be required as well.
Any written complaint that we receive about an Assured Breeder, who is breaching the rules of the scheme, or someone claiming to be an Assured Breeder who is suspected not to be, is thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken. An up to date list of members is available on our website here.
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- Categories:
- Accredited Breeder Scheme (ABS), Responsible Dog Breeding
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