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Breeders Code Of
Ethics
To Be Applied To All Members From 1st
April 2006
All Members of The
Border Terrier Club shall be deemed to have accepted this Code Of
Ethics.
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.
Generally
1.
Members will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs
under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and
when required
2.
Members will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to
cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
3.
Members will ensure that their dogs shall wear properly tagged
collars and shall be kept fully leashed or under effective control when
away from home.
4.
Members will clean up after their dogs in public places or
anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
5.
Members will agree without reservation that any Veterinary
Surgeon operating on any of their dogs, which operation alters the
natural conformation of the animal, may report such operation to the
Kennel Club.
Breeding
Members should be aware that 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
Members will agree not to knowingly breed from a bitch, which in
any way is deleterious to the bitch or the breed. 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.
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
Members agree only to sell puppies and older dogs to homes where
the prospective owner can provide a reasonable expectation of a happy
and healthy life and will take back or help with the re-homing of a dog
if the initial circumstances change.
3
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.
4
Members will provide written details of all dietary requirements
and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in
a new home. In addition, it is recommended that the breeder give a small
supply of the food being used when parting with the puppy. It is
recommended 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.
5
Members should take great care when they sell their puppies and
no puppy should be sold knowingly to commercial dog wholesalers or
retail pet dealers. Members should not, either directly or indirectly,
allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation, in a competition of any
kind.
6
Members will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of
the breed nor falsely advertise dogs or mislead any person regarding the
quality of the dog.
7
Members will ensure that the Kennel Club Registration certificate
is provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a registered
puppy. If the Kennel Club registration papers are not available when the
puppy leaves home, the breeder 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 and a pedigree
showing the extended family of the puppy, for example a 3 or 5
generation pedigree certificate signed by the breeder. Breeders should
also give puppy purchasers a copy of this Code of Ethics.
8
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 it’s new home, preferably in writing, and the
purchaser should be advised of the reason/s for withholding the
registration papers.
9
Members should impress upon buyers that they should contact the
breeder 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.
10
Members should ensure when people visit to see the puppies, that
they are shown the dam with the puppies.
11
Members should screen prospective owners and advise them of the
characteristics of the Border Terrier.
12
In this document, all references to puppies should also be taken,
where appropriate, to apply to any adult dogs which are sold or rehomed.
Breaches of this
Code of Ethics may result in action being taken to expel the breeder
from membership of The Border Terrier Club.
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