Annual Report 2014/2015

Transcription

1 Annual Report 2014/

2 Message from the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Kennel Club Steve Dean Chairman Rosemary Smart Chief Executive Message from the Chairman and 1 Chief Executive of the Kennel Club Working for the General 4 4 Improvement of Dogs Health and Welfare 5 Registrations and Services 9 Events and Activities 13 Education and Training 16 Legislation and External Affairs 18 Giving back to Dogs 20 Clarges Street 22 Club Finances 27 The future of the Kennel Club 28 Annex to the Report 29 The year has been dominated by property matters. The new building in Clarges Street is on schedule for us to move in September As this will be the last annual report produced at the current premises, we felt it pertinent to include some memories of our time here, and give further information on our new home. Considerable work in designing and planning the new premises and preparing for the move is underway and this has added extra work for our staff and required significant input from the Trustees. In parallel, the General Committee has been searching for suitable land or property as agreed at the SGM in December After reviewing a number of opportunities, at the time of writing, we are actively progressing with a number of projects and will be able to update the AGM in May. The third property matter is the purchase of property in the environs of Aylesbury to re-locate our business centre, which currently resides in leased premises in the town. We are making good progress and will provide further details once negotiations are completed. This annual report provides an overview of achievements during the past year; a growing international trend is evident. Crufts once again attracted a large entry from overseas in the breed rings, and the continuing success of the international junior handling competition is a showcase of talent from around the globe. Our work on health and welfare has also developed internationally. The Kennel Club is a major partner in the development of the International Partnership for Dogs (IPFD) which seeks to share information across the entire spectrum of pedigree dogs and embraces kennel clubs and organisations worldwide. It is a growing network and we are at the very heart of its development. Closer to home we are changing perceptions of both the Kennel Club and the pedigree dog. Our work at Westminster and with the Welsh Assembly to develop an effective implementation of microchipping has helped the political establishment realise how committed we are to the health and welfare of dogs. Furthermore, the veterinary profession increasingly sees us as allies in the health agenda and the dog charities work closely with us not least through the work of the Canine and Feline Sector Group (CFSG) where we currently fulfil the chairman s role. Internally, we have continued to develop our electronic systems and the increasing use of our online services to find a puppy, register dogs and help breeders and 102 Cover picture: Rae Prince/The Kennel Club Picture above: Carly Godden/The Kennel Club 1

3 Message from the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Kennel Club dog owners ensure their dogs health and welfare needs are met, are a testament to the value of this work. A lot of hard work has been done to ensure the Assured Breeder Scheme continues to thrive and in its first year of operation under a revised fee structure, well over two thousand breeder assessments have been completed. Good business management is directly responsible for the support we are able to provide to our principle charities. The Kennel Club Charitable Trust and the Educational Trust continue to do good work and the money we provide every year has made a difference to the lives of many dogs. In addition the 1.5m loan to the Animal Health Trust, which has now been repaid in full, has allowed the AHT to open the Kennel Club Cancer Centre much sooner than would otherwise have been possible. Allied research is already bearing fruit. Looking forward there is much to be optimistic about. The Kennel Club is well prepared to take forward more change. Microchip identification becomes compulsory from April 2016 and Petlog is ready to do its part in making this a success for dogs in our society. We will be working on the results of the recent health survey to lead the agenda for further improvements in health by identifying those areas that need the most urgent attention. The results of the membership survey will help shape the future structure of the Kennel Club for decades to come. Crufts, Discover Dogs and our website are the shop window that demonstrates to the world just how committed the Kennel Club is to making a difference for dogs. The change in the public image of pedigree dogs is visible for those who want to see it and evident in their popularity. We are being successful in defending the reputation of the dog in society. However, none of this would be possible without those who make it happen and for their support we are both very grateful. We would like to record our gratitude for the hard work of the Kennel Club staff, the members of the General Committee, the sub-committees and various liaison councils and working groups who contribute so much to the success of the Kennel Club and to the improvement of dogs. This year we would also draw attention to all those people who volunteer to serve their breed clubs, societies and rescue groups. Without this army of selfless people the world of dogs would not exist in the form we know it. Considerable work in designing and planning the new premises and preparing for the move is underway and this has added extra work for our staff and required significant input from the Trustees. Steve Dean Chairman Rosemary Smart Chief Executive Picture: Matt Franks/The Kennel Club 2 3

4 Working for the General Improvement of Dogs Memories of Clarges Street Jeff Sampson This overall objective is the cornerstone of the Kennel Club s work - to ensure that dogs live healthy, happy lives with responsible owners. l We invest - in dog health research projects and health programmes through the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, especially in our Genetics and Cancer Centres at the Animal Health Trust. l We develop - knowledge through our research investment, developing DNA and other screening tests to help breeders breed healthy puppies, and through our Health Test Results Finder and Mate Select services on our website. l We educate - puppy buyers and dog owners through events and schemes such as Crufts, Discover Dogs, the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, the Safe and Sound Scheme and through the Kennel Club Educational Trust which promotes responsible dog ownership and social responsibility. l We encourage - the highest standards of breeding through our Assured Breeder Scheme and use the show ring and competitive activities to encourage the breeding of sound, healthy dogs which are Fit For Function: Fit For Life. l We train - judges, show officials, dog trainers and dog owners to reward and promote healthy dogs. l We plan - for the future through the Young Kennel Club which provides ongoing education for those who will be entrusted to take our objective of healthy, happy dogs forward. The Canine Health department as we now know it was effectively created in April 1998 and was the result of the Kennel Club s wish to be more proactive in the canine health arena and provide an infrastructure to help breed healthier puppies. Some pretty bold decisions were taken at the time. Rather than go down the more obvious veterinary route, the Kennel Club decided to opt for a canine molecular genetics solution. Canine molecular genetics as a branch of science was very much in its infancy at the time - it had great potential and promise, but not much of a proven track record. Thankfully, history has more than borne out the wisdom of this early decision and has placed the Kennel Club centrally in a worldwide canine molecular genetics community. There are a number of different ways of describing the growth and impact of the department over the intervening years, but one example would be its representation at Crufts. The first Crufts where the department was represented was in 1999, where it shared a stand, probably no more than 6 square metres in floor space, with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) whose representatives were there to promote the then three joint BVA/KC health screening schemes (for eyes, hips and elbows). Move forward to 2015 and we have the most impressive yet Canine Health Zone taking up many, many square metres of space in Hall 3A at the show. All of the activities represented have grown out of Canine Health department initiatives and breeders and other dog lovers had the opportunity to talk to a wide range of experts. Nothing could better represent the Kennel Club s commitment to creating an infrastructure to improve canine health and welfare through the responsible use of scientific advances and the work of its Canine Health Department. Health and Welfare The Kennel Club is committed to improving the health and welfare of all dogs in the UK, and pedigree dogs in particular. Alongside the Kennel Club s Dog Health Group which continues to lead on this work, a variety of different groups of people, including breeders, breed clubs, scientific bodies, judges and the veterinary profession all have a vital role to play in this. This is how each group has contributed to this work over the past year: Dog Health Group The Kennel Club s Dog Health Group (DHG) aims to address health issues affecting dogs across a number of areas, and has four sub-groups which focus on Genetics and Health Screening, Breed Standards and Conformation, the Assured Breeder Scheme and Activities Health & Welfare respectively. A number of independent leading experts, including canine and human geneticists, scientists, veterinary surgeons and behaviourists sit on either the DHG or its sub-groups. One of the main issues looked at over the past year by the DHG has been an application from representatives of the Clumber Spaniel breed to be moved from Category 3 of Breed Watch (formerly known as high profile breeds) to Category 2. This was agreed in September 2014, signifying that the breed has made significant improvement in health and welfare issues to fulfil the criteria for such transition. There are now 12 breeds classified in Category 3 and these continue to be monitored by the DHG. More detailed information on the work of the Dog Health Group throughout 2014 can be found in its Annual Report. Breeders The Kennel Club s Assured Breeder Scheme (ABS) was set up in 2004 and celebrated its tenth anniversary in The ABS has over 6,500 members who have signed up to a code of best breeding practice which helps ensure the breeding of healthy, happy puppies. The Kennel Club is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify dog breeders 4 Picture: Steven Spall/The Kennel Club 5

5 Health and Welfare under the ABS and carried out over 2,000 ABS visits to breeders premises in 2014, with over 2,500 members having now received full UKAS accreditation. All ABS members must now receive an assessment visit before they may register puppies under the ABS, with visits to be carried out on all members at least every three years. A new membership fee structure was introduced in 2014 and recruitment of further Regional Breeder Advisors has been carried out in order to address the increased number of kennel visits required. A number of new DNA tests, clinical health tests and other breed specific welfare-related requirements were added to the ABS during The Kennel Club held 11 Breeder Education Seminars around the UK with the support of Royal Canin during The Kennel Club firmly believes that dog show judges have a crucial role to play in improving the health and welfare of dogs. More than 300 breeders attended the events which covered a broad spectrum of health and breeding subjects from genetics and reproduction to hygiene and kennel management. Breed Clubs The introduction of new breed-specific guidelines under the Assured Breeder Scheme is largely as a result of collaboration between the Kennel Club and registered breed clubs. Each breed has an elected breed health coordinator and the Kennel Club has a network to communicate with all breeds regarding health. A health coordinator s symposium is held at the Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh each year and continues to be popular and useful. The 2014 symposium focussed on developments in canine health and common problems encountered by the health coordinators. All breed health coordinators have a range of tools to help them which are freely available via the Kennel Club website. These include a Health Strategy Guide, a Breed Health Survey Toolkit, intended to help breed health coordinators maintain, develop, and promote the health of their breed, and Website Content and Website Enhancement Toolkits. A new toolkit entitled Common problems encountered by breed health coordinators and how to resolve them was launched in The Kennel Club has assisted a number of breed clubs with promoting and advertising health initiatives such as surveys among dog owners and other research. As an example 50,000 KC registered Labrador owners were contacted about a research project being carried out by the Animal Health Trust. Scientific Work The Kennel Club conducted the 2014 Pedigree Breed Health Survey in order to gain a wide-ranging insight into dog breed health to date and to compare the results to its 2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey. The 2014 study attracted a greater number of individual responses than its predecessor, with information on 50,000 dogs received. Data from the survey will help pinpoint areas that have seen improvement and areas in which further work is still required. The survey also aims to help breed clubs and the KC to prioritise health concerns in breeds. The Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust has been in operation since 2009 and has so far received grants of over 1.5 million from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, with a further 1.2 million agreed over the next four years. The centre has developed DNA tests for 11 different disease mutations across 31 different breeds since the KCCT funding began, with six breeds benefitting from more than one test. The AHT has now tested almost 46,000 dogs for these mutations, over 8,600 of which were tested in Importantly the tests have identified almost 10,000 dogs which are carriers of at least one disease mutation, making it possible for dog breeders to avoid matings with other carriers and thus avoid breeding offspring that are clinically affected. The Trust also supports the work of the Kennel Club Cancer Centre at the Animal Health Trust, the building of which was made possible through a 1.5 million loan from the Kennel Club, which was repaid in full by the AHT in March The number of DNA screening schemes recognised by the Kennel Club increased in 2014, with seven new schemes accepted, meaning that a total of 50 different diseases across 59 separate breeds can be screened for. These tests allow dog breeders to make better informed choices over which dogs to breed from. The Kennel Club continues to offer a DNA profiling and parentage verification service to aid dog owners prove the pedigree status of their dogs. The Kennel Club has an online research exchange called the Bio-Acquisition Research Collaboration (BARC), which enables researchers to request and share tissue samples to assist with canine research. Since its launch in late 2013, BARC has promoted 22 research studies including projects carried out by the Animal Health Trust and Royal Veterinary College. The Kennel Club has an independently published, scientific research journal titled Canine Genetics and Epidemiology (CGE), which is supported by the Kennel Club Educational Trust. The CGE is a peer-reviewed, openaccess journal that publishes original research and review articles and includes extended lay summaries for each article to help improve understanding for scientific and non-scientific readers alike. In its first full year, 13 articles have been published on the CGE. Picture: Karen Rigg/The Kennel Club 6 7

6 Memories of Clarges Street Rosemary Smart Registrations and Services The move to our new building in 2015 is personally very significant as, in July, I will have worked at the Kennel Club for 40 years; I have so many happy memories of good times and good friends. The registration of dogs and the development of pedigrees has been the core of our business for generations and, whilst now the operation of our registration and pedigree services is computerised and run from the Club s business centre in Aylesbury, it used to be very different. The first floor of the London office housed yards and yards of wooden banks which contained hundreds of thousands of individual paper record cards - one for every dog registered. Up until the 1940s they were hand written and, from the 1940s individually typed by staff working in a huge typing pool. In those days we employed a significant number of temporary staff to file new dogs cards and retrieve cards for amendment, when dogs were transferred. This work was arduous, requiring long periods of standing at and reaching over the hard wooden benches inserting new cards or finding existing cards - quite frankly, it was not very inspiring work to some. Consequently a number of temps over the years decided, prior to leaving, to take a handful of cards from one breed section and deposit them in another, totally random, breed section. These cards could be lost for months if not years! Then, in the early 1980 s we discovered modern technology and all records were transferred to a Data General computer, which was the size of a house! We had a small office in Maidenhead where the computer lived and all the registration cards were inputted onto the system manually. Jacquie Easton, who is now our Operations Executive, worked on this project and today manages all aspects of our IT, data processing and call centre. The Kennel Club offers a number of online services to help people find the right dog for them and also make responsible choices if breeding from their dogs. Petlog, which is managed by the Kennel Club, is the UK s largest lost and found database of microchipped pets, and plays a crucial role in the reunification of missing pets with their owners. Registrations and Transfers The Kennel Club registered over 222,000 pedigree puppies during 2014, a decrease of just 0.5% on the previous year. Of these, over 145,000 were transferred into new ownership, a ratio of 65.2%. The ability of breeders and new owners to carry out both registrations and transfers online continues to grow in popularity, with 73% of registrations and 80% of transfers carried out by this method last year. The Kennel Club reduced the cost of the puppy registration fee for members of its Assured Breeder Scheme by 2 per puppy in Find a Puppy The online Find a Puppy service continues to support puppy buyers looking for a Kennel Club registered dog and provides top listing to those dogs bred by members of the Assured Breeder Scheme. The volume of searches grew by 20% to almost 6 million in 2014 though the number of breeders and puppies being advertised decreased by 3% and 3.5% respectively. The service also allows people to access a list of Assured Breeders across all breeds, regardless of whether they currently have puppies for sale. This is to encourage buyers to wait for puppies from Assured Breeders to become available. This service was used over 2.1 million times during 2014, an increase of around 14% on the previous year. Dog Show Judges The Kennel Club firmly believes that dog show judges have a crucial role to play in improving the health and welfare of dogs. Judges are required to reward only healthy dogs in the show ring and have been given the authority to remove any dog from the ring on visible health grounds as they see fit. For some breeds, official observers are appointed to assess judging to ensure that judges comply with these requirements. Following enhancements made to the Kennel Club s Breed Watch initiative in early 2014, to encourage further health reporting by dog show judges, the Kennel Club received 300 voluntary reports in addition to those which are already mandatory. These are used to provide up-to-date information on visible health conditions and identify emerging points of concern for individual breeds. A second Breed Watch Education Day was held at the Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh in February 2015 to help judges develop a better understanding of the resource and to look at health concerns listed for breeds in categories two and three of the initiative. Veterinary profession The Kennel Club works with the veterinary profession in a number of ways and these links were strengthened during the past year. Schemes run in conjunction with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) have been in place for almost half a century and focus on four health screening programmes which assess the quality of dogs hips, elbows and eyes, with a further scheme for Chiarilike Malformation/Syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and other breeds, now in place. The Kennel Club has a quarterly health e-newsletter for veterinary practices called The Kennel Scope, which is sent to over 3,700 veterinary professionals and students. The newsletter highlights how the Kennel Club is helping to address canine health issues, provides information on the latest developments in research and offers information of interest and use to veterinary professionals. The Kennel Club attended the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress in April 2015 to engage with members of the veterinary profession and explain some of the advances that are currently being made. Nearly 800 veterinary students registered to attend Crufts 2015 to hear talks and meet key staff. The Kennel Club is promoting the third International Canine Health Awards, which are administered by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. Nominees are currently being sought for the awards, which are the largest international veterinary awards and recognise and support canine researchers and veterinary scientists from around the world together with students from the UK. The awards will be announced in June 2015 and are again generously sponsored by Vernon and Shirley Hill of Metro Bank, and carry a prize fund of 60, Picture: Jacqueline Ferris-Woods/The Kennel Club 9

7 Registrations and Services Find a Rescue The Kennel Club continues to promote the work of hundreds of Kennel Club Breed Rescue (KCBR) organisations throughout the UK, which collectively help to re-home over 22,000 dogs each year. The Find a Rescue service enables people interested in taking on a rescue dog to find their nearest KCBR and this service attracted almost 750,000 searches during 2014, an increase of 37% on the 2013 figure. Find a Club The Kennel Club s Find a Club service allows dog enthusiasts to search for their nearest dog clubs, whether they be breed clubs, or those which specialise in dog training or other activities such as agility. An average of around 22,000 searches were carried out each month over the past year, around 4,500 more per month than Breed Information Centre The Breed Information Centre is an area on the Kennel Club website providing information on each of the 215 recognised pedigree dog breeds. It includes links under each breed to health information, Assured Breeders, breed clubs, breed images and the Breed Standard. Over 5 million searches were made during 2014, a 39% increase on the year before. Mate Select The Mate Select resource provides a number of online services which assist dog breeders in making their choices of which individual dogs to use in their breeding programmes, and during 2014, there were around half a million searches carried out. The Health Test Results Finder, which enables published health test records of KC registered dogs to be viewed, continued to prove popular with over 300,000 searches made during Memories of Clarges Street John Golding I started at the Kennel Club over thirty years ago, in November My predecessor had retired at 65 and I had to step into his shoes at the age of 29. I thought it would be tough and that I would be regarded as the boy. However, the Members took to me very quickly, appreciating all that was done for them, complimenting my team and me often and making me feel very welcome to the Club and this has continued to this day. Soon after my arrival, there was a Bi-Annual General Meeting, and I think that it was at this meeting that it was voted that ladies would be welcome into areas they were previously not allowed to enter - the Dining Room and the Smoke Room - which had been exclusively for men. Until this time there were segregations and a separate room for ladies to go to if they wanted a drink with either a lady or gentleman guest and likewise, if they wanted lunch, they went into the Mixed Dining Room. During the course of the ensuing year the walls of the Mixed Sitting Room came down to create the large Club Room as it is today and the folding doors separating the Dining and Mixed Dining Room came down to create the L shape Dining Room that we have today. It was noticeable that ladies were reluctant to initially sit with the men on the Club Table; however that is not the case now of course. When I first joined, the kitchen was a far less professional set up than it is today and one of our best decisions was employing our head chef Donna Fiddes a few years after I arrived and nurturing the talent that our Members still appreciate so much nearly thirty years later. 10 Picture: Dom Pilling/The Kennel Club 11

8 Memories of Clarges Street Alan Pickett Events and Activities I believe that I may be the longest standing Member of the Kennel Club, having first been elected in 1946 at the age of just 21, when I was still in the RAF. Three years later the Kennel Club first attempted to buy Nos 1-4 Clarges Street, where it could build a new headquarters to replace its premises at No 84 Piccadilly next door. The Kennel Club s then premises had happily survived the German bombing raids but their immediate neighbours had not been so fortunate and had been bombed on 10th May Unfortunately the asking price appeared to be beyond the means of the Club at the time, but my father FN Pickett decided to put in a bid for half the site through his solicitor Ernest Neville, and then subsequently went on to purchase the remainder at a greatly reduced rate. He then offered the site to the Kennel Club at the price he had paid for it, free of any commission. FN had had a long and established involvement with the Kennel Club prior to the war, having been elected a Member some years before and gone on to serve the General Committee for around thirty years with only one short break. During this time he successfully persuaded the Committee to purchase Crufts from Charles Cruft s widow. I remember when the new Club opened and I was very impressed with it. It was so different from the old building, which had been an archetypal London members club. In its place was a totally modern office block, though this wasn t completely popular with some of the older Members of the day. Since it opened, one of my favourite developments to the current building was the balcony extension in the Club rooms - a most welcome addition. These include Discover Dogs, agility competitions, obedience and field trials as well as companion dog shows and a wide range of educational events at the Kennel Club Educational Trust s own purpose built venue at Stoneleigh. Crufts Crufts 2015 took place at the NEC, Birmingham in March, with Eukanuba as its principal sponsor. Around 26,500 dogs took part in many activities over the four days of the event and the show attracted a public attendance of almost 160,000 people, closely matching the record attendance for the show, with an increase on the previous year. The show was broadcast across three nights on Channel 4 with the remaining coverage on More 4. A total of 6.4 million people watched the broadcasts, with 2.2 million watching live on Sunday evening. Of the total number of dogs at the show, over 21,000 dogs had qualified to enter in pedigree breed classes, including almost 3,000 dogs from 43 overseas countries which was a record international entry. One new breed - the Beauceron competed in its own breed classes for the first time, with the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne and Portuguese Pointer added to the breeds eligible for the Any Variety Imported Register classes. Three breeds, the Bracco Italiano, Havanese and Tibetan Mastiffs, had Challenge Certificates on offer for the first time. This year s Best in Show award was chosen by Ronnie Irving, and went to a multi-international champion Scottish Terrier called McVan s To Russia With Love, owned by Mrs M L Khenkina from Russia and handled by Rebecca Cross from the United States. The Reserve award went to another multi-international champion Flat Coated Retriever, Castlerock Simply Magic, owned by Miss Anette Dyren from Sweden. The Eukanuba Friends for Life competition, which recognises and rewards the remarkable relationships between dogs and their owners, is decided by a public vote from television viewers. It was won by Miracle, a crossbreed and her companion, six year old Kyle Leask. Miracle was rescued after being photographed trying to escape en route to being slaughtered for the meat trade in Thailand. He was rescued and brought back to the UK and has a special bond with his owner s son, Kyle, who has cerebral palsy and autism. The winners of the Kennel Club Breeders Competition were the Shalfleet Whippets bred by Jane Wilton-Clark. Two services aimed at tackling inbreeding The Kennel Club firmly also continued to grow, with over 130,000 believes that dog show searches to calculate the co-efficient of judges have a crucial role inbreeding (COI) of a hypothetical mating to play in improving the and around 60,000 searches for the COI of health and welfare of dogs. individual dogs carried out. The Kennel Club launched a new service which calculates Estimated Breeding Values for fifteen breeds at Crufts 2014 and over 50,000 people visited this resource during A further 13 breeds were subsequently added in March MyKC The Kennel Club s MyKC service allows breeders, owners and puppy seekers to create a personalised homepage that is linked, via their dogs, to the Kennel Club s extensive pedigree database. This allows the account holder to view their dog s heritage, including any siblings or offspring and offers easy access to the Mate Select service. There are now around 130,000 MyKC accounts registered with the Kennel Club after its first full year of operation. Petlog Petlog is the UK s largest lost and found database for microchipped pets, with over 8.7 million pet owners trusting Petlog to help reunite them with their pets should they become lost. In 2014, almost one million new records were added to the database, an increase of almost 10% on the previous year, and nearly 340,000 telephone calls were handled in relation to lost and found pets and other general enquiries. Petlog ran its annual National Microchipping Month in June 2014 which helped promote the service further to veterinarians, animal welfare organisations, dog wardens and the police. Petlog has continued its preparations for the introduction of compulsory microchipping in 2016 by working closely with Defra and the Welsh government to facilitate a smooth transition once the new law comes into operation, and helping ensure that Petlog is at the forefront of this activity. 12 Picture: Barbora Pejsova/The Kennel Club Picture: Andy Parrott/The Kennel Club 13

9 Events and Activities All of the activities in the main Arena throughout the show were streamed live and free on the Crufts YouTube Channel, with videos of this and past years shows also available to view at Discover Dogs Discover Dogs is the Kennel Club s second largest event, and takes place annually in London to promote choice, care and training when buying and looking after a dog. The 2014 event, sponsored by Eukanuba and Metro Bank, was the last to take place at Earl s Court before it is redeveloped and attracted the second highest attendance in the show s 19-year history, with almost 33,500 visitors attending the show. The 2015 event is to be formally titled Eukanuba Discover Dogs, and will be held at ExCeL London on 17th and 18th October Among the competitions which are held at the show are the class finals of the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year Competition, sponsored by James Wellbeloved and the Companion Dog Club competition finals, which demonstrate the Kennel Club s commitment to all dogs, whether pedigree or crossbreed. Agility The Kennel Club s tenth International Agility Festival was held again at Rockingham Castle, Leicestershire, and was sponsored by CSJ Specialist Canine Feeds. The festival was held over four days for the first time, and welcomed a record number of 2,700 dogs from over 20 different countries and attracted 1,500 spectators. It included a range of competitions for all ages and abilities. New events at the festival were Championship Classes, a Special International Class and Olympia Quarter and Semi-Finals. The Kennel Club again organised Agility Stakes classes at the London International Horse Show at Olympia in December. These were supported by Skinners dog food, and provided an excellent opportunity to convey Kennel Club health messages to a large audience. The Kennel Club organised a team to compete in the European Open Agility Championships in Hungary in July 2014 and the FCI Agility World Championships in Luxembourg in September 2015, bringing home a silver medal in the Large Team event at the latter. Dog shows The Kennel Club currently has a Dog Show Promotion Working Party, whose remit is to look at ways in which dog shows can be improved upon in order to retain existing exhibitors and to attract new exhibitors to the show scene. The working party s recommendations led to two Kennel Club policy changes in 2014: firstly, allowing two sets of CCs to be scheduled on the same day at the same venue; and secondly, a two year suspension of the regulations which stipulate that dogs must be entered and exhibited in a breed class before exhibiting in an Any Variety Class/Stakes Class, and that only unbeaten dogs are eligible to compete in a group or best in show competition. The Kennel Club entered into an agreement with the FCI in April 2015 regarding the mutual recognition of judges. Field Trials The Kennel Club licensed over 700 field trials over the past year including 11 held by the club itself, including the Cocker Spaniel Championships and the Hunt, Point & Retrieve Championship. The Kennel Club Gundog Working Test was again held at Chatsworth Estate and supported by Judges Choice, Lintran and Sporting Saint, and the two day International Team Test for Retrievers was also held at Chatsworth. The Working Gundog Certificate remains a popular activity and saw 131 dogs successfully complete the test during Other disciplines The Kennel Club held Championships for both Heelwork to Music and Obedience at Crufts An obedience event called Obreedience was held at Crufts for the second time and will become a formal competition next year. The Kennel Club Working Trials Championship is organised by a different society each year, with the 2014 competition, co-sponsored by Arden Grange, being organised by the Wessex Working Trials Club and taking place in Upottery, Devon in October. Since its inception three years ago, the discipline of rally has continued to gain in popularity, with 24 licences for rally competitions issued last year, an increase from 13 the previous year. The Rally Working Party continues to review the regulations and launched a judges training programme in Scruffts The Kennel Club runs a national competition for crossbreed dogs called the Scruffts Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year Competition. During 2014, 21 heats were held throughout the UK, attracting entries from nearly 1,500 dogs. The competition was once again sponsored by James Wellbeloved and raised over 2,000 for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and other good causes. Winners from the heats were invited to class finals at Discover Dogs in 2014, with the final being held in the Arena at Crufts The winner of this national competition was Gracie, owned by Alison Hitchins from Alvechurch. The Kennel Club Building The Kennel Club s purpose built venue at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire continues to prove popular for organisers and visitors alike. In 2014 there were a record number of events, with over 380 taking place, attracting around 77,000 visitors to the facility. These included 95 dog shows, including breed club championship shows, and also dog training, agility, meetings of high profile breed representatives and a wide range of seminars and other meetings. To help facilitate these events, a new booking software system has been introduced and works were undertaken to improve the access roads and car parks at the venue. Kennel Club Roadshow Stand The Kennel Club s Roadshow Stand attended many events in 2014, including six Championship dog shows, and four public events including the CLA Game Fair and the London International Horse Show. A display of Kennel Club information was additionally made available at a number of other Championship shows where the full stand was not present and it is planned to continue to cover more shows with information available to both the general public and show exhibitors. The stand was also present at the World Dog Show in Finland and the European Dog Show in the Czech Republic to promote Crufts and attract entries. The Kennel Club also organised four Question Time events around the country, attended by a panel of senior Kennel Club representatives including the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Chief Executive and Secretary. The popularity of Question Times continues to provide an important opportunity to discuss current issues in a relaxed forum. Westminster Dog of the Year The Kennel Club holds an annual event aimed at politicians in conjunction with Dogs Trust. The Westminster Dog of the Year competition is held adjacent to the Houses of Parliament and helps to cement relationships with politicians and to generate awareness about the Kennel Club s political work. A total of 21 MPs and Peers took part in the 2014 competition, which was held in October and which was won by Diesel, a German Shepherd Dog owned by Rob Flello MP. 14 Picture: Darcy Evans/The Kennel Club 15

10 Education and Training The Kennel Club has many initiatives in place which seek to provide educational information to both dog owners and would-be dog owners alike, and also training for those who own or work with dogs. Crufts and Discover Dogs offer an ideal opportunity to provide the public with important information about Kennel Club initiatives and the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme, the Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training and Canine Behaviour (KCAI) and the Young Kennel Club help continue this work throughout the year. The Kennel Club also uses its own website and social media to provide information to dog lovers. Education and Training Month The Kennel Club held its fourth annual Education and Training Month in November A range of seminars aimed at aspiring dog show judges and those involved in running canine societies were held across the UK. I am one of the longest serving members of Kennel Club staff, having started with the Club back in October 1979 as a mere 22 year-old. I have seen many changes take place during this time as you can imagine. The first floor was a mass of white cards, with each one representing a pedigree dog s registration. I believe that there were about 12 million of these at one point as all the litters were registered manually in those days. My first job was as one of the registration clerks. Events Crufts and Discover Dogs each have a key focus on the importance of education and training, and enable the Kennel Club to communicate with many tens of thousands of dog enthusiasts about the right way to buy and care for a dog and the importance of responsible dog ownership. Both events feature a special area dedicated to dog health, giving visitors the opportunity to speak to experts from the Kennel Club, the British Veterinary Association and the Animal Health Trust on a wide range of health topics. Each also offers a dedicated ring for both the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme and the Young Kennel Club to give displays and interact with visitors wanting to learn more. Memories of Clarges Street Alan Prichard Back then all of the male members of staff had to wear a collar and tie at all times as there was a very strict dress code. This has been relaxed over the years, which is good for those of us who do manual work in the reprographics team like me. We used to have a fully seated staff restaurant up on the third floor, which provided a two course cooked lunch for staff. There were three sittings available at 12pm, 12.30pm or 1pm. In those days the front reception to the building was much smaller than it is today and it had a little glass sliding window inside a sealed, walled area. There was enough room for a receptionist and a plug switchboard operator for the telephones and it resembled an old village railway station. The Kennel Club didn t yet have use of number 5 Clarges Street and this was occupied by a record label, Rak Records and a music publishing company run by the famous Chinn and Chapman songwriting team. The entrance to their building is now part of the Kennel Club s fire exit route and I have fond memories of seeing Suzi Quattro and several members of Mud heading into their office! Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme The Kennel Club s Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme (GCDS) was founded in 1992 to promote responsible dog ownership through the training of dogs and education of their owners, and is by far the country s largest dog training programme. The scheme offers four levels of achievement - Puppy Foundation, Bronze, Silver and Gold - and has awarded over half a million pass certificates since its inception. There are almost 1,800 organisations running the scheme across the UK and in several countries overseas. The Kennel Club offers special show classes at Crufts for dogs which have been awarded at least their Bronze award, and these continue to be popular, with several dogs going on from the classes to win further prizes, including Challenge Certificates and Reserve Challenge Certificates at the 2015 show. GCDS classes were also held at nine major Championship shows during 2014 and GCDS testing was made available at 16 Championship shows over the year, with over 300 dogs passing their Bronze award and helping raise funds for the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in the process. Run alongside the GCDS, the Kennel Club s Safe and Sound scheme aims to promote safe interaction between children and dogs for the protection of both. This scheme has been translated for overseas use and a new educational resource for schools is being launched in May KCAI The Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training and Canine Behaviour (KCAI) is the only scheme to offer a nationally recognised City & Guilds qualification for dog trainers and instructors. The scheme now has 88 accredited members and has seen an increase in those working towards accreditation in the past year. The KCAI introduced two new modules in 2014: a support module in dog walking, and an accreditation module in clicker and target training. This brings the number of different modules that trainers can work through to a total of 28. The KCAI also has a group learning and development programme with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home which saw three Battersea staff members achieve KCAI accreditation this year. The programme is being rolled out, with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People having now joined. The KCAI has continued its partnership with Purina Pro Plan and the third KCAI Career Zone was a prominent feature at Crufts Around 2,000 people either working with dogs or interested in doing so attended a programme of talks from experts across a wide range of skills and employment. The first KCAI Trainer of the Year award was presented at Crufts 2015, to Carolyn Menteith after nominations were received from over 900 people. Puppy Awareness Week The Kennel Club held its fourth annual Puppy Awareness Week in September The week was aimed at reminding potential dog owners that a dog is a lifetime commitment and focused on the key messages about buying a dog from a responsible breeder, such as a Kennel Club Assured Breeder. A short film highlighting the consequences of buying from a puppy farm and what to expect when buying from a responsible breeder was created in support of the campaign and this, alongside an animated film of dos and don ts when buying a puppy, has received over 87,000 views on YouTube. Puppy Socialisation Plan This comprehensive puppy socialisation plan, authored by KCAI Trainer of the Year, Carolyn Menteith and supported by the Kennel Club and the Dogs Trust, continues to provide valued support to breeders and new puppy owners. It delivers a step by step socialisation programme tailored primarily for novice breeders and new puppy owners and aims to assist them in preparing puppies for life as family pets. Website and Social Media The Kennel Club website continues to be a popular destination for a whole raft of enquiries and information with over 500,000 individual visitors attracted to the site each month, establishing it as one of the most popular sources of information on dogs. The most popular areas are the Find a Puppy service, Breed Information Centre, Find an Assured Breeder and the Looking to Buy a Puppy advice pages. The Kennel Club s other websites, including Crufts, Discover Dogs, Young Kennel Club, Petlog and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust blog are also extremely popular. The Kennel Club is actively engaged with social media and has a range of fan pages dedicated to different areas of work. The pages have over 300,000 fans in total and this number continues to grow. Every month, Kennel Club posts are viewed by over 5 million social media users with a significant following on Twitter. The Kennel Club YouTube channel, which aims to deliver educational and fun films plus live streaming of the Arena at Crufts, has developed a large audience. Young Kennel Club The Young Kennel Club (YKC) is for young people aged from 6-24 and covers many aspects of education and training. It is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and its mission is to engage and support young people within all dog related activities by providing an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme centred on the love of dogs. The YKC attracted nearly 600 new members during The YKC offers a variety of ways for members to develop their skills and meet other like-minded youngsters. A Summer Camp is held each year, with members attending with their families and dogs to spend the week training with their dogs and learning new skills alongside a busy social programme. The YKC holds its annual Shaun McAlpine Outstanding Young Person Award and this competition was relaunched in 2015 with new categories including Young Braveheart, Champion Volunteer, Good Buddy, Sporting Talent and Fundraiser of the Year. The competition was won by 11 year-old Oliver Beckett, from Walsall for his work raising money for the UK Bullmastiff Rescue and Adoption charity

11 Legislation and External Affairs The Kennel Club lobbies at a local, national and international level on a wide range of issues on behalf of dogs and dog owners. Issues include dog health, the dog meat trade, electric shock training devices, puppy farming, dog walkers rights, dangerous dogs, education, pet advertising, animal testing and compulsory microchipping. A Dog s Life manifesto Ahead of the 2015 General Election, the Kennel Club produced its own manifesto entitled A Dog s Life, which sets out the Kennel Club s vision for legislative changes to help protect dogs at every stage of their lives, from breeding and acquisition to dog training, responsible dog ownership and everyday living. The manifesto also includes a section on preventing unnecessary animal testing and the development of alternative testing methods. The manifesto was launched at Discover Dogs and both the Animal Welfare Minister, Lord de Mauley, and the Shadow Animal Welfare Minister, Angela Smith MP spoke at the launch. Collaborative working The Kennel Club sits on several committees and working groups to further its campaign goals. These include the Canine and Feline Sector Group, which Kennel Club Chairman, Steve Dean currently chairs, the All Party Group for Animal Welfare, with which the Kennel Club worked closely to develop its most recent report on developing an England-wide dog strategy to improve health and welfare so that it reflected our own manifesto as far as possible, and the Pet Advertising Advisory Group, which the Kennel Club assists monitoring by websites which offer dogs for sale in order to ensure they comply with the group s minimum standards. Compulsory Microchipping Compulsory microchipping will come into effect in England, Wales and Scotland in April The Kennel Club has been working with the government to ensure that the regulations will be workable when introduced, and has briefed MPs and Peers about the proposals. The Kennel Club s microchipping database, Petlog is compliant with the microchipping regulations for databases. A compulsory microchipping list of FAQs has been prepared and the Kennel Club is working closely with Defra with regards to their own guidance notes on the subject. Dangerous Dogs Kennel Club representatives spoke at several key events on the subject of dangerous dogs, following the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act which came into force in October Although the Act was welcomed as a step in the right direction towards better preventative legislation, the Kennel Club remained of the view that dangerous dogs legislation is broadly not fit for purpose. To counter this, the Kennel Club hosted a roundtable discussion on the subject in early 2015, the first of its kind in bringing together a diverse group of people including medics, vets, academics, behaviourists, sociologists, expert witnesses, police, local authorities, government representatives and welfare charities in order to devise a strategy making the case for better dog bite prevention and removing breed specific legislation. Dog Health and Puppy Farming The Kennel Club supported a parliamentary debate in September 2014 on a proposed ban on the sale of puppies in pet shops, which came about due to a petition on the subject which had been heavily supported and promoted by the Kennel Club. The debate took place during the Kennel Club s Puppy Awareness Week and the level of support shown highlighted the need to change the law in order to ensure that anybody breeding dogs does so responsibly. Compulsory microchipping will come into effect in England, Wales and Scotland in April The Kennel Club has been working with the government to ensure that the regulations will be workable when introduced, and has briefed MPs and Peers about the proposals. Following the debate, Kennel Club representatives met with Animal Welfare Minister, Lord de Mauley to discuss how its Assured Breeder Scheme could be rolled out more widely and to highlight why we believe that the principles of the ABS should be made mandatory to cover all dog breeding. Meetings have also been held regularly with other welfare organisations regarding the ABS and the Kennel Club has started producing biannual reports on the ABS for interested parties including Defra. In Wales, the Kennel Club has been supportive of changes to regulations on breeding and has met with several Assembly Members and the Minister to ensure that the forthcoming regulations are practical. In addition to this we have been in discussions with the Welsh Local Government Association to offer training for Welsh local authorities tasked with enforcing the new law. Electric Shock Collars Following the two reports on shock collars published last year, a further report was produced highlighting the negative impact of shock collars. The Kennel Club promoted the latest research to MPs and Defra in England, and to MSPs in Scotland. Additionally, the Kennel Club delivered a presentation on the need for a ban on shock collars in Scotland, which led to a debate in the Chamber and an event for MSPs to try the shock collars on themselves. This demonstrated the high level of support amongst MSPs for the need for a ban. Owners rights With the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) were introduced in October 2014, replacing Dog Control Orders (DCOs). The Kennel Club dog owners group, KC Dog was listed in Defra guidance notes with reference to advising local authorities to contact KC Dog if they are considering introducing PSPOs, which allow for councils to introduce orders which limit dog owners rights. Following this, the Kennel Club wrote to all local authorities to highlight the Defra guidance and has been involved in work that has taken place on dog control orders in Dover, Coventry and West Devon. Quarterly bulletins are issued to members of KC Dog. International Partnership for Dogs The Kennel Club is a founding partner and provides the secretariat to the International Partnership for Dogs (IPFD), an international organisation which aims to encourage co-operation, collaboration and sharing of information and resources within the global dog community. The IPFD brings together kennel clubs, health registries, research and veterinary organisations and other stakeholders in dog health and its mission is to enhance the health, well-being and welfare of pedigree dogs and all other dogs. The IPFD launched an international website DogWellNet.com in February Picture: Karen Rigg/The Kennel Club 19

12 Giving back to Dogs The Kennel Club, in its own activities and through its charitable donations, is the major funder of two registered charities, both of which put large sums of money back into the world of dogs in order to improve their health and welfare and educate and train those who own or are involved with dogs. The KCCT also supports a growing number of charities which take dogs into schools, libraries and other learning establishments to help children learn to read as part of its dedicated Bark and Read Foundation. Kennel Club Charitable Trust The Kennel Club Charitable Trust (KCCT) is an independent charity, reporting to the Charity Commission. It was founded in 1987, and has since awarded grants totalling over 9 million towards making a difference for dogs, the charity s principal aim and tagline. The KCCT awards grants across four main areas: Science research into canine health problems Support the training of dogs to help human beings Welfare the rescue and welfare of dogs in need of care and attention Education the use of dogs as a literacy and behavioural aid for children During 2014, the Trust distributed over 726,000, of which more than half was directed to canine health. Of this, nearly 250,000 was to support the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust. This funds the work of a number of scientists in locating genetic mutations which cause problems for dog health and then developing DNA tests enabling breeders to minimise and even eliminate the condition in the relevant breed; and in advising breeders on the choice of breeding pairs to retain or expand genetic variety in their breed represented the fifth year of this support, and the Trust has committed to a further five years funding, subject to satisfactory results and an annual report. About 20% of grants given in 2014 was granted to the training of dogs to help people and during 2014 the KCCT agreed to award 20,000 per year for the next three years to five leading support dog organisations: Canine Partners, Dogs for the Disabled, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Medical Detection Dogs and Support Dogs. This will help fund the training of up to 15 new assistance dogs to help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. A further 19% went to dog rescue organisations including Kennel Club Breed Rescue organisations, each of which works to assist a specific breed and which collectively rehome over 20,000 dogs each year. The KCCT also supports a growing number of charities which take dogs into schools, libraries and other learning establishments to help children learn to read as part of its dedicated Bark and Read Foundation. By reading to dogs, which offer a calm and non-judgemental presence, pupils reading ages have been shown to achieve significant improvement. These very substantial grants can only be made because of the support from breed clubs, show societies and individuals, and especially the Kennel Club. The latter donated about 425,000 in 2014, including the benefit of monies from Agria Pet Insurance, the Kennel Club s pet insurance partner. The Kennel Club also pays all the Trust s administrative and publicity costs. The KCCT was the beneficiary of a significant legacy during 2014, with further funds to come later. The Kennel Club Charitable Trust is administering the third International Canine Health Awards, which take place in June The awards carry a prize fund of 60,000 and are the largest international veterinary awards, recognising and supporting canine researchers, veterinary scientists and students, both undergraduate and postgraduate.. The KCCT s accounts can be viewed on its website and in summary form on the Charity Commission s website. The Kennel Club Educational Trust The Kennel Club Educational Trust (KCET) invests in projects which provide opportunities to educate people about dogs and to promote positive messages about responsible dog ownership to a broader audience. The Kennel Club donated 100,000 to the KCET in 2014 in order to develop its activities. At Crufts 2015, the KCET awarded 2,250 for three prizes covering Agility, Handling and a Young Person award from prize money originally donated to the KCET from the Eukanuba World Challenge 2013 for youth development projects. The KCET also oversees the Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh Park, where over 380 events were held last year. Further details can be found in the Events and Activities section of this report. Picture: Andy Parrott/The Kennel Club 20 21

13 Clarges Street The Kennel Club s headquarters in London provide a range of facilities both to members of the Club and to non-members. Our Mayfair premises include an Art Gallery and Library and various meeting rooms which are used by a number of external organisations for a wide variety of events. Tours are available on request. The Kennel Club is preparing to move to a new purpose-built building on the same street in autumn Art Gallery The Kennel Club Art Gallery maintains the largest collection of dog paintings in Europe and features works by a number of famous dog artists. The gallery is divided into two sections, one for its permanent collection, which includes the famous Crufts Best in Show trophy, and a second section for temporary exhibitions. There have been three exhibitions held at the Art Gallery during the past year. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier and its Ancestors ran until June This was followed by English Toy Spaniels: The Cavalier and King Charles Spaniel In Art, which ran from July 2014 to January 2015 and attracted over 1,200 visitors. In February and March 2015, the winning photographs from the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year 2014 competition were on display. The Art Gallery continues to host a wide variety of events and staff are currently engaged in preparing the collection for relocation to the new Kennel Club building. Kennel Club Arts Foundation The Kennel Club Arts Foundation is a guardian of dog art, and its purpose is to create an archive of important pieces of dog art, literature and artefacts, which co-exist alongside the Kennel Club s current collection. The Arts Foundation was presented with an oil painting of the Crufts 2014 Best in Show winner, the Standard Poodle, Ch/AM Ch Afterglow Maverick Sabre, by artist Paul Doyle, for its collection in a special ceremony at Crufts Kennel Club Members The Kennel Club has three levels of membership and encourages dog enthusiasts to join either as Members, Associates or Affiliates. A range of special events for Members are held throughout the year, and in 2014 these included visits to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the Globe Caroline Kisko Secretary Memories of Clarges Street Valerie Foss In 1989 a new air conditioned library extension was built at Clarges Street due mainly to the then Chairman of the Kennel Club, John MacDougall. Four years previously, a huge step forward had been made in the organisation of Kennel Club information and its books were finally collected in one place. Prior to that the books and collections had been kept all over the building on window sills and cupboards! No proper paper work was kept and over the years items had sadly gone missing. With the refurbishment of the Kennel Club headquarters at Clarges Street in the late 1990s, the opportunity to create a separate gallery space arose. The first task of the Library & Gallery Panel, which had been formed in the late 1980s to oversee the creation of the library, was to design a gallery space befitting the KC s fine art collection and suitable for hosting what would become a very successful ongoing series of temporary exhibitions. A design firm was chosen to create the space, which combines tradition and elegance with the functional requirements of a modern art gallery. Since it opened, the art gallery has hosted 26 themed exhibitions and five Christmas Art Fairs. The Library & Collections staff have co-ordinated the loans of thousands of pieces of artwork, many of which form part of private collections, making these exhibitions the most unique and exclusive displays of canine art in the world. An idea from another then Chairman of the Kennel Club, Ronnie Irving, was a request to Tate Britain to have the iconic painting A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society by Sir Edwin Landseer on a long loan. The request was granted and we are very proud that it hangs in the Kennel Club Art Gallery to this day. 22 Picture: Alexandra Reah/The Kennel Club 23

14 Clarges Street Theatre as well as themed lunches. A record number of over 1,150 Christmas lunches were served at the club over the festive period. Kennel Club publications Kennel Club Members voted for the reintroduction of the club s monthly magazine at the AGM in May 2014 and subsequently a working party was established to oversee its return. The first issue of the revived magazine is expected to appear in spring 2015 and will include a range of articles covering the various Kennel Club disciplines. Library The Kennel Club Library is Europe s largest canine library and welcomed over 900 visitors in person and dealt with almost 1,300 research requests by and telephone over the past year. The Library provided research material for a number of television productions, and for publications such as the Crufts Magazine, The Field, Country Life and Vanity Fair. Library users include Kennel Club Members, authors, breed historians, private researchers, academics and students, as well as members of the public marked the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One and the Library staff dealt with a number of queries regarding dogs during this specific period and canine service in war in general. A range of newly published titles covering history, breeding, welfare, training, behaviour and nutrition, as well as breed-specific books have been added to the collection. A number of rare and important items have been acquired in the last twelve months including an early book of veterinary remedies for dogs dating from the 17th Century and a personal letter from the Reverend John Russell, who was a founding member of the Kennel Club and who developed the breed of terrier that bears his name. The Kennel Club Library is involved in promoting the work of the Kennel Club Bark & Read Foundation which supports the work of charities that take dogs into schools as reading volunteers to help tackle the UK s literacy problems. Promotional activities were held at Discover Dogs in November 2014 and at Crufts in A major digitisation project is underway at the Library which entails scanning all Kennel Club committee minutes and all Championship Show Catalogues 1960 to the present. This will make this material much more accessible for research purposes and considerably reduce the volume of physical material for relocation to the new club building. Licensing The Kennel Club has a series of licensing agreements in place to help promote the Kennel Club and Crufts name. Currently licensing programmes are in place for a range of products, including engraved dog tags, dog bowls and beds, collars and leads, Crufts merchandise and door mats. Picture Library The Kennel Club Picture Library researched and supplied over 5,000 images for use by the Kennel Club and external customers during the past year. These were used on the Kennel Club website and in its publications, press releases and on Kennel Club and Crufts licensed products. Images supplied on licence to commercial clients were used in books, magazines, newspapers, giftware and other products, mobile phone apps and websites. Vintage photographs are in high demand commercially, with World War One, Crufts and Royal subjects especially sought after. In response to the growing demand for imagery by external customers, a new online service was launched early in 2015 which is available to commercial clients. This new service has an automated online payment process, which makes the service much more accessible for international clients, and it can be accessed at The Picture Library acquired a collection of photographs from noted photographer Marc Henrie early in 2015, which documents Crufts during the period These contribute greatly to the historical record of Crufts and dog showing in this period. The Picture Library also represents 20 professional dog photographers and continues to add the work of new dog photographers every year. The Dog Photographer of the Year 2014 competition, supported by sponsors Samsung, attracted almost 13,000 entries from over 60 different countries, a record-breaking entry. The competition is now the largest dog photography competition in the world. The winning images from the competition were showcased at the Kennel Club Art Gallery and on the big screens at Crufts They can be viewed online at Press Office The Kennel Club s in-house press office team achieves national, regional, consumer and trade exposure for the work covered in this report, thereby increasing awareness of Kennel Club events, campaigns and activities. Almost 400 press releases were issued over the last year, resulting in the Kennel Club being mentioned in over 6,000 press articles, excluding the dog press, and over 800 broadcast pieces on television and radio. The Kennel Club s spokespeople carried out more than 400 interviews throughout the year. The advertising value equivalent of the coverage gained by the press office was over 17.5 million in The press office creates news angles to generate coverage for the Kennel Club s The Kennel Club s in-house press work and projects by commissioning office team achieves national, research and generating statistics, linking regional, consumer and trade into current events in the news and exposure for the work covered identifying new trends. Case studies in this report, thereby increasing are also used to sell in the Kennel awareness of Kennel Club events, Club s work to media outlets. The press campaigns and activities. team also creates material to deliver to audiences across multiple platforms, such as scripting online videos and commissioning professional photography to complement news angles. Among the work promoted by the press office is the Kennel Club s promotion of pedigree dogs, vulnerable native breeds, the Be Dog Friendly campaign, which aims to improve dog owners ability to be accompanied by their dogs when using shops and businesses, and the Get Fit With Fido campaign, which encourages owners and their dogs to get fit together through activities such as agility and heelwork to music. Caroline Kisko Secretary 24 Picture: Austin Maclin/The Kennel Club 25

15 Club Finances The Kennel Club is managed in a businesslike manner, though it is very much recognised that it is far more than simply a business - it is an institution with an important mission to improve the health and welfare of dogs. The surplus generated by the commercial side of the Kennel Club is essential to enable investment in all the many activities undertaken in the interest of dogs and those who care for dogs as outlined in this report. The Kennel Club s accounts show a position ahead of break-even before tax for 2014, despite making charitable donations of 528k in the year. Split of total income in million Crufts and Discover Dogs 1.7 million Other Income Split of other income in million Canine Activities (gross income) 0.20 million Publications (gross income) 12.5 million Registrations and Healthcare 0.44 million Miscellaneous 0.27 million Computer Services 0.44 million Members Split of total expenditure in million Crufts and Discover Dogs 8.1 million Other Expenditure Split of other expenditure in million Health, Welfare and Charity 2.6 million Governace of Canine Affairs 5.4 million Registrations and Healthcare 1.0 million External Relations 1.9 million Education 26 Picture: Leszek Starybrat/The Kennel Club 27

16 Annex to the Report The building is on programme for handover to the Kennel Club by the end of August 2015 at the latest. The future of the Kennel Club The new Kennel Club building on Clarges Street is beginning to take shape. Demolition of the buildings surrounding the Kennel Club commenced in February 2014 since which time Members and staff have increasingly been surrounded by construction works. As at the end of March 2015, the structure of the new building had been completed, the external stonework was being fixed to the elevations and the installation of windows was about to start. Already inside the building, mechanical and electrical plant has been installed and ducts, pipes and wires were spreading through the building. Installation of the lifts will shortly commence, whilst off site, joinery is being prepared for delivery once the building is weather tight. The building is on programme for handover to the Kennel Club by the end of August 2015 at the latest. Once handed over, IT networking and audio visual equipment will be installed and tested, new and relocated furniture moved into the building and a host of activities associated with preparing the building for staff to move into and to get the new dining room and lounge ready to serve Members. The library and art gallery will also need to be transferred. The exact date when the current Clarges Street building will be vacated has yet to be confirmed, as this is dependent on when British Land s contractor hands over the new building. The new building will provide members with attractive modern technology-enabled meeting facilities, a comfortable lounge with a large feature bar and homely seating area, and of course a first class dining room. The much loved gallery will be recreated and the library updated with improved accommodation for the gallery staff and the photo library. The food services will be centred on a new state-of-the-art kitchen located adjacent to the dining room with a dedicated service hoist serving the new meetings rooms and the gallery. There will be two passenger lifts serving all floors of the building and air conditioning throughout. Above the Members floors will be efficient modern, flexible, open plan offices that include internal meeting rooms, copying and tea points and a staff seating area. Cycle parking, showering and changing facilities will also be provided for staff wishing to cycle to work. Licenced Shows and Trials in 2014 General & Group Championship Shows 38 Breed Championship Shows 570 Agility Championship Shows 37 Obedience Championship Shows 47 Championship Working Trials 35 Championship Field Trials 5 Premier Open Shows 10 Premier Agility Shows 54 Open Shows: Breed & General 1,471 Open Shows: Agility 462 Open Shows: Obedience 152 Open Working Trials 42 Limited Shows: Breed & General 209 Limited Shows: Agility 31 Limited Shows: Obedience 36 One day Field Trials 627 Two day Field Trials 87 Show Gundog Working Days 7 Flyball 8 Heelwork to Music 23 Companion Dog Shows 648 Rally competitions 24 Registered Societies At the end of 2014 there were 1,781 registered societies and during the year 7 new society registrations and 25 de-registrations were processed. Breed 724 General Canine 572 Training 379 Ringcraft 58 Agricultural/Municipal 48 Listed Status 715 Breed Councils 30 Awards Certificates issued in 2014 Challenge Certificates 7,062 Champion Certificates 1,066 Breeders Diplomas 1,095 Agility Certificates 74 Agility Champions 14 Obedience Certificates 92 Obedience Champions 10 Working Trial Certificates 30 Working Trial Champions 5 Stud Book Certificates (excluding Field Trials) 3,823 Junior Warrants 579 Obedience Warrants 16 Show Certificates of Merit 462 Agility Warrants 618 Field Trial Champions 70 Field Trial Stud Book Certificates 563 Field Trial Awards, including Show Gundog Working Certificates processed 3,800 Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme cumulative passes to end of 2014 Puppy Foundation Assessment 202,257 Bronze Passes 200,983 Silver Passes 71,597 Gold Passes 32, Designed and produced by Solo T: