WHY WE NEED YOU! We need all owners, breeders and exhibitors of any breed, but also the BULLDOG to sign our petition to help the Kennel Club realise they are here to service us, not just the propaganda media. All we ask is that breed specialists are consulted and listened too BEFORE they make any changes to the breed. After all these breed specialists are the ones that live with this breed everyday, not just making executive decisions behind a desk with little thought or consideration of the impact. The problem is not with the breed standard, but with the many rogue breeders not caring about the health of the breed and utilising them as profit machines. Reputable breeders already endorse the pedigrees of dogs they've bred restricting their breeding capacity in an attempt to control this situation and safeguard good health. But more KC backing is needed in the RIGHT way!! The reputable breeders are alreayd regulating themselves with the Breed Council Health check which is voluntary! Rogue breeders have NO interest in the breed standard as they do not breed for the show ring but for money! They should be forced to health check their breeding dogs to prevent unhealthy specimens reproducing. If the Kennel Club refused to register puppies from unhealthy dogs, they would not obtain the prices they are requesting, something the Kennel Club is unwilling to do, even though it is within their powers due to a conflict of interest = MONEY! They received £48,000 alone in 2008 JUST from bulldog registrations, plus an estimated another £30,000 for transfer of ownership! WANT MORE DETAIL THEN READ ON! Kennel Club (KC) recently reviewed all breed standards as a part of their Fit For Function scheme in ensuring every dog is fit enough to enjoy it's life to the full. This scheme recently pressured to act by the airing of 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed' in which the KC have filed a complaint with Ofsted for being biased. The review of the Bulldog breed standard resulted in 56 amendments, the KC asked for all the 19 bulldog breed clubs and the breed council to review if suitable. Collectively the breed clubs and council responded to the KC even though the timescale was insufficient for the detail required, yet all proposed suggestions and amendments put forward where ignored. It seems that KC want to provide a dictatorship and have not fairly considered their impact on the breed or even entertained the breed specialists opinions that have 100's of years of experience living with the breed everyday. The fit for function campaign states 'That every dog, even if its function is solely to be a pet, should be able to see, breathe and walk freely', yet the KC fails to recognised that reputable breeders within the bulldog breed have been currently promoting this anyway, without a required breed standard change. Since 2003 the bulldog breed council has been working with the KC for the betterment of the breed and is reflected in our show dogs of today with the BULLDOG WINNING 7TH TOP UK SHOWDOG, 2ND TOP UTILITY SHOWDOG FOR 2008 and PEDIGREE CHAMPION STAKES ALL BREEDS CHAMPION judged on 14th Jan 2009. The breed council even introduced their own voluntary health scheme for breeding dogs, showing how self-conscious genuine breeders are. Evidence of how rushed the KC have been is that they have not even considered the effect it will have on dog shows in which the KC regulate. Dogs that have entered Crufts 2009 would have qualified under the 2003 breed standard, this will potentially mean that placings will have to be withheld and along with top honours because of the revised standard, even though the dogs already see, breathe and walk freely. The solutions the KC have suggested are not suitable resolution for the breed due to their lack of consultation with US! All we ask is that before rushed changes our made that they act in the following; - Regular consultation with breed specialists, clubs and council before any changes are applied, changes to the standard to be voted on. - Tangible evidence as to why a particular breed standard amendment is required. - To improve the 'accredited breeder scheme' that will with the correct administration force rogue breeders to produce healthier pet dogs. If you agree with our solutions rather then rewriting the breed standard due to a knee jerk public reaction please sign our petition now!