TLRT Publicity - Crufts 2009
5th - 8th March 2009 - We have attended Crufts on Gundog Day every year since 2000, being the first Labrador Rescue organisation to do so. In recent years we've been joined by several other labrador rescue organisations with stands around the Labrador Rings in Hall 5. It has always proved to be a successful day for us, both financially and in promoting the work of The Trust. We have made good friends from around the country and the world who visit our stand every year.
But following the BBC's controversial TV programme "Pedigree Dogs Exposed", about some of the sad results of in-breeding and failure by some breeders to health-check all breeding stock, and the consequent withdrawal of various other organisations from this year's event, it was only after much deliberation that we decided not to withdraw ourselves this year. It was felt not only that our small charity's withdrawal would have gone relatively unnoticed, but also that by maintaining a presence there and talking to people at the show, we were better able to get our own views across to a wide audience, on how best to maintain the health of labradors in particular and dogs in general.
To that end we also inserted the following flyer into every bag of merchandise that we sold, and handed out many others:
"The Labrador Rescue Trust increasingly deals with dogs coming into our care suffering from inherited health problems. These dogs often need operations or long term medication which is putting a huge demand on our resources. We would like to see the following recommendations put in place to help alleviate some of the problems that we experience and to improve the general health and welfare of all dogs.
- All breeding stock should be health screened for their suitability.
- Registration Certificates to state whether a dog is suitable to be used for breeding, ie: when testing has been carried out whether the results are within acceptable limits.
- Only progeny from tested dogs with acceptable results to be registered.
We believe that by adopting these simple measures that great strides could be made to improve the health of many dogs. Only those breeders who have acted responsibly by testing their breeding stock would be able to register their puppies and the public would be much better able to make an informed choice in purchasing a puppy. Unscrupulous breeders would then be uncovered and the public be made aware of the difference."
As the pictures show, although attendance was down this year, especially for a Saturday, we were kept busy all day and were also delighted to meet this beautifully marked yellow Lab, admiring our garden poop-scoops (a really useful bargain at only £5 each). The day's takings were £2400.