Walk The Talk

Last year on 2nd September I wrote about a pregnant bitch who attended and competed at a tracking trial. I was appalled that her owners would put her through such an extreme canine activity just 5 days from whelping.

I made the decision then I would do two things, the second depending on the outcome of the first;

1. Report this incident to the Weimaraner Club of Victoria Inc., (W.C.V. Inc) and report it to the Victorian Canine Association Inc., (V.C.A. Inc).
2. Report this incident to the R.S.P.C.A. in the event option one did not yield an appropriate out come for this disgusting behaviour by the owners.
   

The time line for this follows;

• 10th September 2006 email sent to W.C.V. Inc and V.C.A. Inc
• 17th September 2006 confirmation email from W.C.V. Inc confirming my email 10th September 2006 and the matter was put to the committee
• 21st September 2006 email from V.C.A. Inc seeking further information and the matter was referred to the V.C.A. Inc CR & R Meeting in October 2006
  
• 21st September 2006 my email reply to V.C.A. Inc
• 22nd September 2006 acknowledgment from V.C.A. Inc to my 21st September 2006 reply
  
• 19th October my email seeking out come of the V.C.A. Inc CR & R Meeting in October 2006
• 19th October 2006 email from V.C.A. Inc advising the V.C.A. Inc CR & R Meeting was not held in October but is scheduled for 1st November 2006
• 8th December 2006 email from V.C.A. Inc advising the matter was referred to Management Committee with a recommendation that it be forwarded to Investigations and seeking full details of owners and the bitch in question
• 10th December 2006 email sent to V.C.A. Inc with all the information requested
• 15th February 2007 hard copy of letter from V.C.A. Inc advising the matter was referred to Investigations Committee
• 1st June 2007 my telephone call to V.C.A. Inc to follow up on the out come of the investigations committee, the information of this call will not be available until the matter is resolved, except to say the rules of the V.C.A. Inc will be changed to protect pregnant bitches in the future being forced into extreme canine activities during their pregnancy.

Yet ANOTHER rule for something which should never have a rule for it;

S-E-L-F

R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Why can owners not self regulate?

The answer seems obvious to me, the Blue Ribbon Syndrome is the all mighty motivator even if it yields bad decision and at time perhaps even life threatening ones.

Rules are only ever made for those who fail, GROSSLY FAIL to self regulate.

Will I proceed with option two?

That remains to be seen.

In the mean time, as a purebred community isn't it high time we started walking the talk? The talk of 'we care about our dogs', 'we exercise animal welfare before anything else' and other feel good phrases, regardless who is on the receiving end of this walk, be it dear fiend, a family member, another fellow competitor or our worst enemy.

Walking the talk should never be based on who but rather on actions of the who because if it is not, as a purebred community we will always be tripping ourselves up and lagging behind.