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5 th of December 2020
A new perspective for the pedigree dog?
In the Netherlands we write poems on the 5th of December, a day on which gifts are given in our country. Yesterday, the three pedigree breeders, who were elected by a large majority in the first round as members of the Board of the Dutch Kennel club, were given a ‘gift’.
The newly elected members were ordered to Amsterdam as a matter of urgency. After all, the remaining board members had made their seats available. Despite the fact that the balance of power within the board was such that they could continue along the same path, they saw the election of the three ‘purebred dog lovers’ as a motion of disapproval of their members regarding the current course of the Kennel Club. They had also probably grown tired of the battles within the board and its members. They stepped down to give the ‘other’ side the chance to restore unity within the Board and its members.
There are still 4 board members left. The 4th board member who was elected last Saturday must have been a bit surprised by what happened around her. A good conversation with her will have to make clear what she opts for. After all, another fight within the board is not constructive. Fortunately, 4 board members is not an obstacle to the board’s functioning. After all, the standing orders in Art 24 clause 11 ‘ A board that is not full remains competent to govern’. Fully-fledged because according to the articles of the regulations article 12, section 1 states that the board must consist of at least 7 and a maximum of 9 board members. The 4 remaining board members can continue until the next general meeting at which at least 3 vacancies have to be submitted. So no panic necessary . Within this slimmed down board a new chairman will have to be appointed. In view of the CVs it seems obvious to me who should take on this task. Information will have to be transferred. What are the agreements within “fairdog” and other external contacts, for example? But then what?
In order not to shoot from the hip, it would make sense to come up with a plan, a policy, a vision or coalition agreement, whatever one wants to call it. This is what we have not seen in the past and as a result of which the old administration has lost contact with its members. Decisions were taken opportunistically, reactively and over the heads of members, without an open dialogue. The removal of pedigrees from short-muzzle pedigree dog-breeders was a blatant example of this. This attitude that the Board had, made them a play toy to outside parties and at the same time became a victim of it. Questions that had already been asked by Maurice de Hondt in 2012, such as how the pedigree dog kennel club wants to profile itself and present itself in this world in which social media reports are spread worldwide within seconds. The product the ‘pedigree dog’ has not yet lost its shine, it needs to be dusted off, polished up and left and right also seriously ‘repaired’. Now is the opportunity to steer the ocean steamer stuck in the Amsterdam canals out of it. By downsizing into a decisive organisation and thereby proactively concentrating on its core business. By the grace of its members, mostly pedigree breeders, the Raad van Beheer exists and eats out of this hand that it should not bite. The Board and its members have made major mistakes in the past, for example with the “fairfok” programme. However, now this organisation reinvent itself. Learning from the past and no longer behave like the beaten dog. On the other hand, the members must be aware of the fact that the Kennel CLub does not live in a cocoon. They must come up with initiatives themselves to improve the ‘product’ and put it back on the map, take its position and reconnect with society. It is important that all kinds of personal motives should be put aside and people should be able to step over their own shadow. Only then can the Dutch Kennel Club rediscover itself. However, standing at this crossroads is a great opportunity.
Stichting Ras en Recht
(Foundation Justice for pedigree dogs)
Edwin Meyer Viol