The Kennel Club’s Health team is hosting a free webinar exploring the evolution of the organisation’s registration system and the development of closed breed registers.
The webinar is taking place via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 10 June, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, and will include a historical overview of the development of closed breed registers from Dr Alison Skipper, Veterinary & Research Advisor at The Kennel Club. Alison will explore how and why the current registry system evolved, how the changing landscape of scientific knowledge has shaped breeding practices over time and what this means for the future of pedigree dogs. The session will conclude with a brief overview of The Kennel Club's ongoing and future engagement in this area.
The presentation will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session, giving attendees a chance to put forward their thoughts, experiences and questions for discussion (questions can also be pre-submitted at the time of registration). Those interested in attending this webinar can register here.
Alison commented: “As a vet with a PhD in canine history, I’m really pleased to have this opportunity to share some of my research. I’ll be discussing the historical background to the current debate over genetic diversity and outcrossing in pedigree dogs – and there may be some surprises!”
The Kennel Club’s webinar series has so far explored canine conditions such as bloat, epilepsy, colour dilution alopecia, osteosarcoma and haemangiosarcoma, as well as the science of DNA testing for health, with experts, researchers, owners and breeders. Past webinars can be watched on The Kennel Club’s YouTube channel.
The Kennel Club takes insights from its health data and feeds them into its Breed Health and Conservation plans, so that it can work with breeders to give information and guidance about how to ensure the future health of pedigree breeds. These plans, which enable The Kennel Club to track progress and make meaningful changes to breed health, have been developed as a result of reviewing more than 4,000 research papers, making the project the most comprehensive review of pedigree health data anywhere in the world. More information about what the organisation does for dog health is available at thekennelclub.org.uk/health