The History of the Kennel Club
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The Kennel Club was founded in 1873, by 12 men shortly after the first dog show took place in 1859. It's original mission statement was : "The Club shall endeavor in every way to promote the general improvement of dogs". As we welcome the new Millennium, this statement remains as the Clubs' primary objective, although the role of the Kennel Club in the world of dogs has evolved immeasurably over the last hundred years or so. One of the earliest undertakings in 1873 was the formulation of a code of rules relating to dog shows and the compilation of a Stud Book, which has been published annually since 1873. Many new rules, and regulations, were introduced by the Kennel Club Committee, and after a few years a sound system of government was developed which has been adopted by the majority of overseas Kennel Clubs. The official journal of the Kennel Club called "The Kennel Gazette" was first published in 1880 and has continued as a monthly publication from that date. In 1900 the "Dog Show Scene" was thriving under the guidance of the Kennel Club. The policy of the Committee was to keep rules to a minimum and shows were "recognised", "licensed", or "sanctioned"provided that the executive of the show agreed to adopt The Kennel Club show regulations. The guarantors of a show signed an undertaking (and still do) to hold and conduct the show under and in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of The Kennel Club. It became obvious that some system of distinctive naming would have to be introduce to overcome the confusion arising out of "quantities of Spots, Bobs, Bangs, Jets, Nettles,Vics, across all breeds! The Committee introduced in 1880, a system of "universal registration" which was strongly opposed at first, but the advantage of reserving the use of a name for a dog was quickly seen and accepted. Registration in 1880 was nothing more than the registration of a name to avoid duplication in the Stud Book. The pedigree was of little importance and only came as an aid to identification at a later stage. The number of dogs registered at The Kennel Club has increased tremendously over the years, indicating an ever-growing interest in purebred dogs - their ownership, their exhibition and competition. At the same time there has been a tremendous growth in pet ownership of purebred dogs and in recent years the average number of dogs registered with The Kennel Club has been about 260,000 a year. During the past few years, the registration system has been altered and it has been shown that the requirement is for a simple system easily understood by all. A computer was installed to process registrations in 1981. The system is now being developed to handle other Kennel Club services. The database now comprises over 5 million dog names. Although the initial objectives of The Kennel Club were related to the interests of the purebred dog, the Club has become concerned by "anti-dog" legislation and actively represents the interests of all responsible dog owners, whether the dog is registered at The Kennel Club or not, pedigree, crossbreed or mongrel. From the original twelve gentlemen who founded The Kennel Club, the number of those involved in the government of the dog world in this country has increased greatly and The Kennel Club is now also concerned with aspects of general canine matters which could not have been foreseen in 1873. The object of the Club today is to promote in every way the general improvement of dogs and this continues to be achieved. Please
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