The Kennel Club introduces template notice of endorsements

The Kennel Club is introducing a mandatory template form to assist breeders in simplifying endorsement requirements, which it is hoped will help reduce challenges and disputes over whether endorsements should be lifted or otherwise.

Registration endorsements are used by breeders in the main to protect breeding lines and for welfare protection, in avoiding breeding where there may be hereditary issues and where onward breeding is not advisable. It is an important tool for breeders and an aid to responsible breeding.
However, disputes with endorsements can arise over the sufficiency and format of the notice of endorsements, therefore a template notice of endorsements has been created and will be introduced on 3 May 2022, in order to support the endorsement system for breeders and puppy buyers alike.

Breeders need to ensure that puppy buyers confirm, through signing the template form, that they know the endorsement has been placed on the registration record for their puppy. Puppy buyers should be signposted fully to the fact that a registration endorsement is in place and that a puppy has been sold as a pet or companion animal and not for the purposes of onward breeding or to contribute to the available gene pool.
Disputes over endorsements can sometimes become protracted, which can be a cause of distress, frustration and inconvenience to both breeder and puppy buyer. It is hoped that the introduction of the template notice will help avoid these situations by ensuring that any endorsements are clearly communicated by the breeder and accepted by the puppy buyer. The template will be accepted by The Kennel Club as sufficient notice and will help to remove known legal challenges.

The conditions for imposing registration endorsements are contained in Kennel Club regulation B12. The regulation will be updated to refer to the mandatory form of notice.

A breeder will still be free to express any conditions for lifting the endorsement in their puppy sales contract, and any dispute of that nature would remain for a court to resolve if necessary as is currently the case.
The updated regulation will not be retrospective and therefore does not affect previous endorsements already placed. There will be a transition period until 1 January 2023 before it will be expected that all breeders use the endorsement notice, as endorsements will otherwise not be maintained if challenged. We will issue a further notice in advance to alert breeders.

The template can be downloaded today.