Susan Ablon wrote: > Did you have a hard time getting breeders in Sweden to agree to these > rules or did they do so willingly, or did they have a choice? > Do you find breeders who refuse to abide by these rules? > Are there large kennels where large numbers of puppies are produced > annually? > > I commend your Sennenhund breeders on taking such a stand to preserve the > breed and am curious how difficult it is to achieve such a strict > position. We have been working on the code of ethics in the US with much > controversy lately and nothing we've come up with has begun to approach > such a conservative stance as that of the Swedish club. Just curious how > difficult it was for your club to achieve this?
Susan, Thank you for your reply. I don't know the direct answers to some of your questions, but I can try and find out. Theses rules have been in place for almost 20 years. Any attempt at an answer to your first question without consulting those that were involved in the initial discussions while the Breeders' Ethical Code was being developed would be pure speculation on my part. As for having a choice, breeders that refuse to comply, then and now, well .... they can't register their Berner puppies as purebred with the Swedish Kennel Klubb (SKK), which is the only organization registering purebred dogs in this country. By chosing to breed registered Berner Sennen dogs, they have chosen to accept the Breeders' Code of Ethics as stipulated by the Swedish Sennenhundklubb (SShK). We have no commercial kennels producing large numbers of Berner puppies. I can ask for the the total numbers of registered litters from each kennel if that will help answer your question more precisely. Cecilia Ståhl Stockholm , Sweden
