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THE BORDER TERRIER CLUB - GENERAL
CODE OF ETHICS
All members of The Border Terrier Club
undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics.
A) Club members (Kennel Club
Mandatory 14 paragraphs):
1) Will properly house, feed, water and
exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for
appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2) Will agree without reservation that
any veterinary surgeon who performs an operation on any
of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of
the animal, or who carries out a caesarean section on a
bitch, may report such operations to the Kennel Club.
(Amended April 2011)
3) Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled.
Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard
should be placed in suitable homes.
4) Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
5) Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that
have been docked illegally.
6) Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which
could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
7) Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or
to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out
official duties.
8) Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged
collars and will be kept leashed or under effective
control when away from home.
9) Will clean up after their dogs in public places or
anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
10) Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable
expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help
with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances
change.
11) Will supply written details of all dietary
requirements and give guidance concerning responsible
ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
12) Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents
are provided to the new owner when selling or
transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to
forward any relevant documents at the earliest
opportunity, if not immediately available.
13) Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers,
retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs
to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of
any kind. Will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club
registration certificates as stand alone items (not
accompanying a dog).
14) Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics
of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any
person regarding the health or quality of a dog.
Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from
club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the
Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities
for legal action, as appropriate.
KC/GJ September 2008
Additional clauses for
Border Terrier Club members (approved by The Kennel
Club):
For the purposes of this document the term 'Breeder' is
defined as any Border Terrier Club member who owns
bitches or stud dogs, which produce one or more litters.
Breeders should abide by this Code of Ethics with regard
to everything associated with breeding and any resulting
offspring; this includes both the owner of the bitch and
the stud dog.
B) Breeding
It is not necessarily beneficial to her well being for a
bitch to produce a litter and in some circumstances, may
be deleterious to her health. Contrary to popular
belief, if she has had false pregnancies, breeding from
her will not cure that for the future.
1 It is recommended that only animals that are healthy,
of good temperament and free from known inheritable
defects should be bred from.
2 It is recommended that Breeders do not breed from a
bitch on consecutive seasons. A bitch under 12 months
old and over 8 years old must not be bred from.
3 Stud dog owners shall give the bitch owner an
accurately completed Kennel Club form at the time of
mating. If no puppies result from the mating a free
repeat mating at a later date may be given at the
discretion of the stud dog owner. The stud fee is paid
for the stud service, not for the resulting puppies.
Decisions about Stud services should be mutually agreed
between stud dog owner and the brood bitch owner,
preferably in writing.
4 Members should not mate a bitch to more than one stud
dog during a single heat period. If a misalliance occurs
and the sire of the puppies is inconclusive, DNA testing
of all resultant progeny and the prospective sires and
the dam is recommended, in order to verify the parentage
of the puppies before registration at the Kennel Club.
5 Stud dog owners should satisfy themselves that the
owner of the bitch is fully aware of the contents of
this Code of Ethics and intends to comply with this
Code, before accepting a bitch for mating to their dog.
The stud dog owner should ensure that the owner of the
bitch has a copy of this Code of Ethics and that they
intend to pass it on to the buyers of the resultant
puppies.
6 Members who breed a litter should ensure they have the
time and resources to rear the litter correctly, making
sure they are well fed, housed and socialised before
leaving for their new homes, also ensuring that they are
free from parasites such as worms and fleas. Regular
worming should be carried out with the appropriate brand
of wormer, usually two or three times before the puppies
leave their breeder if leaving around 8 weeks and advice
should be given to the new owner on worming and other
preparations necessary to keep them free from parasites.
C) Sale & Placement
1 It is advisable that puppies should not normally leave
for their new homes until around 8 weeks of age (when,
if advised by the breeder's veterinary surgeon, they may
already have had their 1st injection). On no account
should puppies leave the breeder's premises before they
are 7 weeks old.
2 Breeders should consider obtaining a Health
Certificate for each puppy or adult, from their own
veterinary surgeon, before the puppy or adult is offered
to a new home.
3 In addition to supplying details of dietary
requirements etc as specified in paragraph A) 11 above,
it is recommended that the breeder give a small supply
of the food being used to the new owner, when parting
with the puppy and that advice be given not to change
the puppies diet for a considerable length of time, as a
dietary change in the early days in a new home may upset
the digestive system of the puppy.
4 If Kennel Club registration papers are not available
when a dog leaves it's breeder and/or owner, the member
should ensure that information is given to the new
owners, including the Kennel Club names and registration
numbers of the sire and dam, the date the application
form for the registration was or will be forwarded to
the Kennel Club (if appropriate) and a pedigree showing
the extended family of the dog, for example a 3 or 5
generation pedigree certificate signed by the breeder.
Members should also give the purchasers a copy of this
Code of Ethics.
5 If for whatever reason, a puppy is being sold without
Kennel Club Registration papers, this should be made
apparent to the new owners when the puppy goes to its
new home, preferably in writing, and the purchaser
should be advised of the reason/s for withholding the
registration papers.
6 Members should impress upon buyers that they should
contact the breeder and/or the member in the event of a
problem with their Border Terrier and should make a
genuine effort to be of assistance to buyers if a
problem arises.
7 Members should ensure when people visit to see
puppies, that they are shown the dam with the puppies.
8 Members should screen prospective owners and advise
them of the characteristics of the Border Terrier.
9 In this document, all references to puppies should
also be taken, where appropriate, to apply to any adult
dogs which are sold or re-homed.
Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from
club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the
Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities
for legal action, as appropriate.
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