Launch of Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding marks watershed in the UK history of dog welfare
Today marks a watershed moment in the history of dog welfare in the United Kingdom, with the appointment of the founding members of The Advisory Council on the
Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding.
With support from central and devolved governments and leading organisations such as Dogs Trust, the Kennel Club, RSPCA, Blue Cross, PDSA and Battersea Dogs and
Cats Home, the independently run Council has been set up to provide advice and guidance on how to improve the health and welfare of the nation’s dogs, following
recommendations arising from three recent Reports* which stated that problems relating to dog breeding were a major concern needing urgent action.
The work will include:
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Engaging with a range of organisations to develop and implement action to resolve the welfare problems caused by inherited disease and exaggerated
conformation
Improving the effective enforcement of animal welfare law as it affects dogs and considering the need for new legislation
Raising public awareness of problem areas, such as the ways in which some puppies are produced and sold, and advising on how to prevent irresponsible dog
breeding and ownership.
Animal Welfare Minister Lord Henley said: “Having up-to-date and independent evidence-based advice on animal welfare is important to ensure the best protection for
the health and welfare of dogs. I look forward to working with, and considering the recommendations from, the experts appointed to the new Dog Advisory Council.”
The Advisory Council members were selected following an open competition** and the Council will be chaired by Professor Sheila Crispin, a leading expert in the field
of dog welfare, who was appointed in June this year.
Fellow members of the board, announced today, are:
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Mrs Lesley Bloomfield has served as an Officer of The English Springer Spaniel Club and acted as Joint Health Co-ordinator on behalf of the 8 UK
English Springer Spaniel Breed Clubs
Dr Rachel Casey is a Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Bristol. She also conducts research into various
aspects of companion animal behaviour, including socialisation, training methods, and the factors influencing individual differences or ‘personality’ in dogs.
Dr Lisa Collins. A lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Queen’s University, Lisa has a Doctorate in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the
University of Oxford and recently led a team of vets and animal welfare scientists through an epidemiological assessment of inherited disorders in pedigree
dogs
Mr Chris Laurence was formerly Chief Veterinary Officer at the RSPCA and Veterinary Director for The Dogs Trust. He was awarded the MBE for services
to animal welfare in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2007.
Mrs Lisa McCaulder has considerable experience of re-homing and successfully rehabilitating a dog damaged by ill treatment. Lisa has a post graduate
diploma in Occupational Safety and Health and is a trustee with her local branch of the RSPCA.
Dr Cathryn Mellersh has spent the last 20 years working in the field of canine genetics. She now leads the Canine Genetics Research Group at The Animal
Health Trust.
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Mr Mike Radford is a Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen. He has extensive experience of developing public policy in relation to animals and was
appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law.
Dr Clare Rusbridge. A specialist in Veterinary neurology, Clare has a PhD from Utrecht University and has published on the nature of several genetic
diseases. She lectures on a range of topics internationally and locally to veterinarians, medics, breeders and dog owners.
Dr David Sargan is a senior lecturer at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School working in comparative genetics and genomics, with special
interests in canine inherited disease genetics. He curates the database “Inherited Diseases in Dogs”, a reference tool that catalogues inherited defects in dogs
and their underlying genetics and his laboratory has produced a number of DNA based tests for canine inherited diseases.
The Council will meet for the first time on 8 December 2010 and its first tasks will include the development of its strategy and priorities for the next three years as well as
forming a response to the Welsh Assembly consultation on proposed legislation relating to dog breeding.
Professor Sheila Crispin said: “I am excited by the breadth and depth of relevant expertise in the new Council. I believe that we have now drawn together the skills,
knowledge, commitment and experience that the Council will need in order to address the welfare problems associated with dog breeding effectively and without delay.”
Whilst the Council has already received significant support from animal welfare charities, as an independent body it is wholly dependent on charitable donations for its
work and matters of immediate importance include raising significant funds to help establish the work of the Council, increasing public awareness of the issues and
effecting change.
You can find out more about the Council at http://dogadvisorycouncil.org.uk/
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For more information or to request interviews, please contact
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Amanda Thurston at JBP on 0117 907 3406 or email amanda.thurston@jbp.co.uk
Notes to editors
*The first report, entitled ‘Pedigree Dog Breeding in the UK; a Major Concern?’ was commissioned by the RSPCA and written by Dr Nicola Rooney and Dr David Sargan.
The second, ‘A Healthier future for Pedigree Dogs’ was produced by the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare. The third. ‘An Independent Inquiry into Dog
Breeding’ was written by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS.
All three reports stated that problems relating to dog breeding were a major concern needing urgent action. Each report also recommended the establishment of an
Independent Council to advise stakeholders on action needed to improve dog welfare.
**The board was appointed following an open competition conducted in accordance with the Nolan principles on standards in public life. Members were selected from a
strong field of nearly 60 applicants
The selection panel was chaired by Prof Sheila Crispin, Chairman of the Advisory Council, and the other members were Prof Sir Patrick Bateson FRS, Mr David Grant
(Director of the RSPCA’s Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital), Prof Peter Holt (Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Surgery, University of Bristol), Mrs Caroline Wood
(previously Director of English Nature responsible for Human Resources) and Mrs Heather Peck FCIPD (previously Head of HR at the Central Science Laboratory and a
Civil Service Selection Board Assessor).
ADVISORY COUNCIL BIOGRAPHIES
CHAIRMAN
PROFESSOR SHEILA CRISPIN MA VetMB BSc PhD DVA DVOphthal DipECVO FRCVS
Prof Crispin is a Past-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and current member of its Council; she also represents the College on the Dangerous Dogs Act
Study Group. She has a long association with the British Veterinary Association’s Canine Health Schemes and has been Chief Panellist of the Eye Scheme on three
occasions. As well as being a lifelong dog owner (currently a Border Collie (Maddie) and a Collie Cross (Maisie), she is a life member of the International Sheep Dog
Society, an honorary member of the Kennel Club and a member of the Companion Animal Welfare Council. She was previously a member of Defra’s Science Advisory
Council and Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology at the University of Bristol, she is currently a visiting Professorial Fellow within the Department of Anatomy.
MEMBERS
MRS LESLEY BLOOMFIELD
As well as owning, breeding, exhibiting and judging English Springer Spaniels over the past 36 years, Lesley has also combined her commitment to canine related
activities by working in an administrative and representative capacity, serving as both an Officer (Assistant Secretary & Treasurer) and Committee member of The English
Springer Spaniel Club. For the past 11 years she has acted as Joint Health Co-ordinator on behalf of the 8 UK English Springer Spaniel Breed Clubs, providing a central
focal point for the Breed on all health and welfare issues, thereby gaining a wealth of knowledge, understanding and experience, working alongside all stakeholders as well
as the general public.
Along with English Springer Spaniels, several other breeds, including Whippets, have played a very important part in her family life for over 50 years. She and her
husband are also both keen owners and breeders of Thoroughbred racehorses.
DR RACHEL CASEY BVMS PhD DipECBVM-CA CCAB MRCVS
Rachel is a Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Bristol. She teaches clinical behaviour on veterinary and animal behaviour
and welfare courses at Bristol, sees referral clinical behaviour cases in the University clinic, and runs a residency training programme for both veterinary and nonveterinary behaviourists. Rachel also conducts research into various aspects of companion animal behaviour, including socialisation, training methods, and the factors
influencing individual differences or ‘personality’ in dogs. Her research also involves identifying methods of measuring and enhancing the welfare of companion animals.
She lectures internationally on animal welfare and behaviour topics.
Rachel is a Diplomat of the European College of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, a Certified Clinical
Animal Behaviourist and a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. She is also a member of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific
Committee and the BSAVA representative on the Animal Behaviour and Training Council working group.
Rachel and her husband live in Somerset, with a cat and Parson Jack Russell terrier, both acquired from rescue charities.
DR LISA COLLINS MA (Oxon) DPhil (Oxon)
Lisa completed a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford in 2002, and a Doctorate in Animal Behaviour and Welfare in 2005 under the supervision of
Prof Marian Dawkins, also at the University of Oxford. Since then, Lisa has held postdoctoral fellowships first at Oxford and then at the Royal Veterinary College, London
and has recently taken up a position as Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Queen’s University, Belfast. Lisa’s research to date has principally been on the
application of mathematical and statistical methods to the study of animal behaviour and welfare in both farm and companion animals. She recently led a team of vets
and animal welfare scientists through an epidemiological assessment of inherited disorders in pedigree dogs, where each of the top 50 most popular breeds was assessed
for the numbers and types of disorders they were predisposed to as a consequence of breed standards and of restricted breeding pools. One of her principal research
interests is the development of welfare risk assessment as a tool for the objective prioritisation of different welfare problems. When not crunching numbers, Lisa can be
found running her Weimaraner, Bella, on the beaches of the Ards Peninsula, or being sat upon by two tabby cats, Harry and Moon.
MR CHRIS LAURENCE BVSc TD QVRM MBE MRCVS
Chris qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1968 and went straight into practice, mostly in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and remained there until 1998.
Chris then joined the RSPCA as Assistant Chief Veterinary Officer and was promoted to Chief Veterinary Officer in 1999. He took up the post of Veterinary Director for
Dogs Trust in 2003.
Chris has been show veterinary surgeon for Bath Canine Society for almost twenty-five years and is also now their President. He is also show veterinary surgeon for
Bournemouth Canine Society. Chris’ broad experience in both the animal welfare and show fields has engendered a passionate interest in the welfare issues of dog
breeding.
Chris was awarded the Queens Volunteer Reserves Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2002 and the MBE for services to animal welfare in the Queen’s Birthday
Honours list in 2007.
Chris has a Golden Retriever, Margaret (Maggie), and a tabby cat, Prudence (Pru).
MRS LISA MCCAULDER
Lisa McCaulder is a pet owner with considerable experience of re-homing and successfully rehabilitating a dog damaged by ill treatment. Lisa’s dog Fluke has progressed
from the terrified, unresponsive animal collected from the RSPCA into a confident and playful family pet. Fluke and Lisa have worked tirelessly together to overcome
Fluke’s fears and he is Lisa’s pride and joy. Lisa is also a trustee with her local branch of the RSPCA as a result. Professionally, she has a degree in Environmental Health, a
postgraduate diploma in Occupational Safety and Health and twenty years experience in the field. Before specialising in health and safety her work in local government
included responsibility for managing the dog warden service and inspecting licensed kennels. Lisa is a Corporate Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health and a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
DR CATHRYN MELLERSH BSc PhD
Cathryn has a BSc and a PhD in Genetics and has spent the last 20 years working in the field of canine genetics. Initially she developed tools with which to navigate the
canine genome, first of all at the University of Leicester and then at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, USA. In 2001 Cathryn took up a position at
the Animal Health Trust where she now leads the Canine Genetics research group. Cathryn’s team works with dog breeders and clinicians to identify the conditions that
are of most concern to particular breeds, to pinpoint the mutations that cause those disorders and to develop DNA-based tools that breeders can use to minimize their
chances of breeding affected dogs. Cathryn shares her life with two very lively dogs, a labrador/Border Collie cross and a lurcher, as well as two children, ten chickens and
one very patient husband.
MR MIKE RADFORD LLB
Mike Radford is Reader in Law at the University of Aberdeen. His areas of expertise are animal welfare law, administrative law, and constitutional law. Mike has extensive
experience of developing public policy in relation to animals, and has worked widely with governments, public bodies, and NGOs. He is presently a member of the
Companion Animal Welfare Council, chairman of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) and the Humane Slaughter Association, deputy chairman of the
PDSA, a trustee of Dogs Trust, and a member of the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Board of the RCVS. Mike was appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal
welfare law. He has always lived in a household shared with dogs, and presently there are three in the family.
DR CLARE RUSBRIDGE BVMS DipECVN PhD MRCVS
European and RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Neurology. A Glasgow University graduate, Clare completed an internship at the University of Pennsylvania and a
BSAVA/Petsavers Residency in Neurology at the Royal Veterinary College. She is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology and gained RCVS
Specialist status in 1999 while operating a Neurology and Neurosurgery Referral service at the Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital in Wimbledon. Always committed to dog
welfare she is particularly interested in the causes and treatment of neuropathic pain and its genetic origins. In 2007, she was awarded a PhD from Utrecht University for
her thesis on Chiari-like malformation and Syringomyelia in Cavaliers. Working closely with vets, breeders and pet owners, she has been involved with defining breeding
guidelines and screening criteria for this condition. She has published on the nature of several genetic diseases and lectures on a range of topics internationally and locally
to veterinarians, medics, breeders and dog owners.
DR DAVID R SARGAN MA PhD
David Sargan was co-author of the RSPCA report “Pedigree Dog Breeding in the UK: A major welfare concern?” He is a senior lecturer at the University of Cambridge
Veterinary School working in comparative genetics and genomics, with special interests in canine inherited disease genetics. He curates the database “Inherited Diseases
in Dogs”, a reference tool that catalogues inherited defects in dogs and their underlying genetics. His laboratory has produced a number of DNA based tests for canine
inherited diseases. Dr Sargan is currently Director of Graduate Education for the University Of Cambridge Graduate School Of Life Sciences which manages training and
educational issues for research students and junior research staff in Biological, Medical and Veterinary disciplines at the University. Dr Sargan and his family currently
provide food, shelter and entertainment for two beautiful kittens – but they have made it quite clear that they consider that nobody owns them!
ACTING SECRETARY TO THE COUNCIL
MRS HEATHER PECK BSc FCIPD MCMI
Heather was Secretary to the Bateson Inquiry and subsequently to the Stakeholder Group which was formed to consider how to take the Inquiry recommendations
forward. Previously, during a long career in MAFF and Defra, she was responsible for a wide range of policy areas including animal welfare. She was Regional Operations
Director for a succession of avian flu outbreaks and for part of the response to the 2007 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. She is currently Deputy Chairman of
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Chairman of the CEL Wheat Committee. She has also bred both pedigree sheep and alpacas. She and her husband
share their lives with an elderly Border Collie and a very lively young Springer Spaniel with whom she is attempting agility training.