President’s Message

“Ithink that we all knew this year would be different, and it certainly has been. And our dog world has had its share of disappointments, happy times with our dogs, and challenges. The array of event cancellations in July and August was disappointing, but understandable, given the way the Delta variant has taken hold down South. However, the surge in vaccination levels has been very encouraging.

Although the Ekka was cancelled and the All Dogs Sports Spectacular postponed and other events have been cancelled or postponed, a number of events and shows have been able to continue here in Queensland and for that we are grateful.

What has become clear is that organisers at club and Dogs Queensland office level need to be nimble footed and be able to change arrangements and judges in a matter of days before scheduled events. We have become much more flexible in getting events and shows happening, sometimes with less than a week’s lead time. Club officials and the office are to be commended for rising so effectively to this challenge. It does show that we can be flexible and that is not such a bad thing as we look to doing things more effectively in our dog world.

Agricultural Shows I have a been a keen supporter of dog shows at Agricultural Shows for many years. I see it is a continuing opportunity to interface with the community at these Show Society events and showcase what our dog showing is all about. Of course, the premium Agricultural Show in Queensland is the Ekka and, sadly, that did not happen this year because of COVID. It would be great if just the dog show could still happen, but time will tell.

These shows are all about giving the public a great experience and opening doors about what our dog world is all about. The community love of dogs and all our dog breeds and seeing the dog show is top of the “to do” list with surveys of people attending our Royal Show events. A recent local example of this was the Gold Coast Show Society Inc show last weekend. A bouquet to David Kill and his team in running a successful and well organised event in a compact section right on Marine Parade at Southport. As you will see from the photos it was a huge drawcard to the public with David keeping up a dialogue with those moving through and explaining what was happening and how to get a better spot to view the judging action.

Images: Justice Andrew Greenwood

Duty of Care Reminder As responsible dog owners and dog breeders and as members of Dogs Queensland we are acutely aware of the importance of good temperament in our dogs. During COVID some owners and breeders have had additional challenges in getting their dogs out regularly and this may have had some impact on proper socialisation. Whilst I understand this, it does make it incumbent on our breeders and dog owners to focus more on socialisation.

During our conformation dog shows and dog sports we owe a duty of care to anyone meeting our dogs that they can do that safely. This includes other exhibitors or competitors with their dogs, judges, and members of the public. Last weekend we had a shocking attack on a dog judge whilst judging in Northern Queensland. Fortunately, that judge is recovering but I believe it is timely to remind exhibitors and breeders of the very important responsibilities they have in this regard.

As a dog breeder I place the highest importance on the temperament of the dogs I breed, and I know this is a priority with other breeders. We breed to improve our lines and an important and quite wonderful consequence of that is having puppies available to the community as family members. Good temperament is critical.

So, if a dog shows unprovoked aggressive tendencies this needs to be managed by the owner or the breeder in an effective manner. At our events we have very strict measures that Show Managers are required to comply with. Any report of unprovoked aggressive behaviour results in a hearing by a panel of 3 at the show or event with a decision made on the spot. If the dog is found to have been aggressive a 6-month suspension of the dog is immediately imposed with some attendant appeal rights. Breeder’s Terms Contracts For those who are unaware, this is a practice that has developed over the last number of years. It is all about ownership of the dog sold to a family, couple or person. The usual position is that a person buys a dog for an agreed price, and they become the owner with a requirement under our rules that the breeder transfer the dog into the name of the new owner.

An amendment happened to our rules a few years back making an exception to this requirement of transfer. This is where a “Breeder’s Terms Contract” (BTC) is signed by both the breeder and the new “owners” and lodged with the office. Sometimes these are referred to as “guardian homes” and I understand the breeders have been referred to by the NSW government as “Sovereign Breeders”.

The requirements vary under the BTCs and depend on what the breeder wishes to stipulate. But common to these arrangements is that the dog remains in the name of the breeder, despite the fact that the people have paid a purchase price or consideration for the dog. Also, the breeder has the right to access the dog for litters or stud work as the case may be. One concern is that there is a clear inequality of bargaining power between the breeder and the keen puppy purchasers. Also, it closes off access to a new pool of members for Dogs Queensland.

A clear alternative to these arrangements is a co-ownership arrangement with the new owners and the breeder as partners. That would require a partnership agreement setting out the respective rights of the parties and would be lodged with the office when the transfer occurs. And yes, the new owners would be required to become members of Dogs Queensland for the dog to be shown or bred from. And yes, breeding of a co-owned bitch would require a transfer of the dog into the sole name of the breeder with the prefix to enable the breeding to occur.

These contracts were discussed at the Board meeting on 30 July, 2021. The Board is keen to consult with members on this and a survey will be going out to members shortly to allow feedback. In addition, please feel free to give email feedback to rob@dogsqueensland.org.au

This matter will be on the agenda for the next Board meeting when consultation feedback will be provided.

Stay safe” – Ulla Greenwood, President Dogs Queensland