for those who have facebook, heres the event listing

 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122709575601&ref=mf

now spread the word

Just wondering if any of you have considered the effect people in dog costumes, placards and possible loud noise would have on the dogs you feel so sorry for?

The majority of people that attend Crufts love their dogs and give them the best lives possible.

Why not protest at the people who breed dogs for dog fighting, who dog fight, who let their dogs loose to roam, starve, get run over, thats why theres dogs in shelters

Sign our petition and support responsible dog breeding

The Kennel Club wants to ensure that every dog’s life can be as happy and healthy as it can be. The best way to achieve this is by encouraging the responsible breeding of dogs and empowering potential puppy buyers to recognise what makes a responsible breeder.

The Kennel Club recognises that the vast majority of people involved are already responsible dog breeders who care very deeply about the health and welfare of their animals. The Kennel Club wants to support responsible breeders in order to protect the future of pedigree dogs in the UK.

We are taking action and we need you to do the same.

Please sign the Kennel Club’s petition calling on the government to apply the basic principles embodied in the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme to the breeding of ALL dogs in the UK – sign up and show your support today

 http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/24731.html

The kennel club petition website, have a look what the "other side" think, I did !

Why not protest against puppy farming ? This practice was not mentioned in the TV programme you watched.

I don't expect you to post this but I feel I have to reply to your comment

'breeding dogs is pointless when there are existing dogs all over the world needing homes'

The above statement is all well and good, lets stop breeding dogs and only take those who are homeless in shelters, how long do you think it will take to re home them all, and when that last rescue dog dies what a sad day it will be as there will be no more dogs in the world. Or is that really your mission?

Why not be sensible and campaign for something more worthwhile, Perhaps its better to campaign the goverment to make law all dogs bred pedigree or cross bred must be health checked for things relevant to the breed/s and all dogs and puppies born to be DNA profiled plus micro chip or tattoo, plus jabs etc before the puppies are registered, make it illeagal to have an unregistered dog as a pet, worker or breeding etc. Would this not make it difficult than for back yard breeders and puppy farms to continue prolific breeding where many of the dogs bred end up in shelters??

Perhaps make breeders pay a hefty licence for each breeding bitch they keep and an even heftier one for the stud dog, you only have to look at puppy adds to see champion stud dogs that are being used prolificaly over any bitch. Use the people power for something worthwhile and ensure dogs bred are as healthy as possible and have a good future by being wanted rather than a fad of the moment or a quick way to pay for someones holiday or new kitchen.

I do not breed but I do show and I like many others would support a campaign to the goverment to stop irisponsable breeding, I think you would have far more support that way.

Going to Crufts and the like in silly costumes, placards and noisey people will only scare the dogs you are supposed to care about, there is no point in that at all as it just becomes hypercritical.

It always amazes me how people use any sort of excuse to defend animal abuse, it either interferes with their own interests or their strange notions that animals were put on the earth so we can enslave them as pets, food, entertainment, sport etc..

no excuse for any animal abuse.

if breeders really love their dogs, why do they make so much money from it???

Do they donate the money they make from breeding to rescue homes???

I don't think so.

I agree with all that Suer has written above, why is'nt there a clearly thought out campaign strategy here.

By posting a link to the PETA video you are aligning your selves with this organisation.

Are you aware that PETA activists have been prosecuted and found guilty of taken animals from shelters, killing them in the back of vans and dumping them in public waste bins, this is not the actions of an animals rights organisation, nor is it propaganda, it's fact.

I shall be at Crufts, not as an activist causing disruption, but representing a rescue charity, educating and informing.

I hope I see you there doing the same and not performing stunts for the entertainment of the crowds.

The majority of breeders at Crufts are responsible and breed for health as well as beauty. How about protesting at the people who breed the unhealthy dogs, the are the people who advertise in your local newspaper who have bred their dog to the dog down the road, just because they happen to be the same "breed". These are the people who don't understand genetics let alone have the money to do all the necessary health tests. I have spoken to numerous so called breeders who usually advise me that they havent tested the dogs they bred from because "they're not show dogs", "you dont need to worry about that if you're not showing" etc. These people haven't even bothered to line up homes before they bred from their dog, hence the ad in the local free newspaper.

I think you need to target the ignorant "pet" breeders, the one's who would never dream of spending the money to even visit Crufts, let alone health test their dogs.

and they don't make much money on their dogs. I have worked with show dogs, handlers and breeders for years and only the handlers make a living from it. And that can be meager, but they all love the dogs. It is always about the dogs with these people, they talk nutrition, genetics, training, veterinary care, treats, fleas, vaccinations and love. Love of dogs. If you protest at Crufts you are just being ugly to the people who have done the most to improve the breeds.

And Matt, you seem to think that just having a companion dog is abuse. But my companion dog gets better food, exercise and attention than most school children. In a perfect world there would be no need for pets but this world is far from perfect and the symbiotic relationship I have with my dog makes it better for both of us. She has no need to fear anything or ever be hungry. In exchange she keeps me company and informs me of any intruders. We keep each other fit as well by our mutual exercise needs.

How can people claim to love dogs but seem to want to end them? They only live 10 to 15 years. With the draconian rules you present it wouldn't take that long to make them extinct. And specific breeds are very important. It gives the person knowledge of what to expect the animal to be like when grown. The very most common explanation of why a dog is relinquished is because "I didn't know he would get so big." Dogs are bred for temperament as well as appearance and just as I chose my dog breed for her small size and calm demeanor, my oldest son requires a larger sized dog that would be willing to run with him and my younger son has several dogs of a toy breed that was the life long dream of his wife's. There are very good reasons why people dedicate their lives to specific breeds of dogs. We will provide our dogs with forever homes and are backup for one another in case of difficulty.

Regardless of what people think after many years studying rescue dogs in shelters and new homes there are many reasons as to why rescue dogs remain in shelters. I myself have show dogs and every single one is health tested THE KENNEL CLUB INSISTS THIS so I do it! For each dog it can cost me up to £400 and when you add that, food to raise the puppies on, vet checks, vaccinations, microchips and follow up visits to their new home there is NO profit whatsoever! By claiming everyone makes money out of breeding show dogs you are summarising everyone in the same group and most lose money and especially lose sleep getting up to check every puppy is fine every 2 hours!

Rescue dogs are often in shelters for a reason not just because they ended up there. Many suffer with anxiety, aggression and exhibit unruly behaviours. I for one know of people who have chosen rescue dogs over pedigree dogs and the majority of which have had to give up the dog once again due to the problems they had to endure.

The fact is would you trust a dog who nobody has any previous knowledge of with a baby, toddler, cat, other dog or grandparent??? You cannot trust any dog constantly in any situation let alone a dog which may have been beaten, shouted at or injured by other means. At least with a breeder you can get in contact with them and if neccessary hand the dog back to them. You also know roughly what you will get taking on a puppy from a litter bred for the show ring as (whether u like it or not) each breed has their own individual purpose, size and temperament.

Now justify to me why exactly a rescue dog is better than a pedigree dog? Oh and before I forget many rescue dogs are out of two pedigree dogs which makes them a crossbred pedigree!

There is a sense in which all breeding of dogs by human beings is morally unacceptable.

All dogs are descended from the wolf and we only have domestic dogs because human beings, for their own selfish purposes (mainly to kill other animals) deliberately bred wolves in a selective fashion in order to create all the different shapes and sizes of dogs we have today.

It could therefore be argued that we are morally obliged to cease the breeding of dogs, while at the same time doing our utmost to protect wolves in the wild and to preserve their habitat. As long as we have the wolf, the dog will not die out, as they are essentially the same species.

In addition, it is surely also morally unacceptable to deliberately or negligently breed dogs (no matter how kindly the breeder might be) in a situation where many thousands of dogs are being "put down" every year because no homes are available for them.

Alice Walker's words (from her book "The Color Purple") that "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women for men" are just as much applicable to dogs/wolves as they are to any other animal.

That is not to say, of course, that we should not try to help dogs that have already been bred, in order to save them from death and suffering, and my wife and I have four rescued dogs ourselves.

As so many people have said, the dog exhibitors / breeders are the ones who are doing so much to erradicate health problems in pedigree dogs by carrying out various health screening. The majority of show breeders take full responsibility of puppies they sell, for the whole of the puppy's life. How many X breed breeders offer to take the puppy back if the new owners can't keep it ? Do they know the lines behind the dogs they are mating ? Do they have any interest in the mixed breeds? People are crossing allsorts of breeds just to make money, , Shelties to Poodles, Munsterlanders to Shar Pei's, Rottweilers to Dog De Bordeaux, What sort of temperament are these dogs going to have.How many X breeds are in rescue compared to pedigree dogs. There is criticism on line breeding (or as you lot would say, interbreeding) what about packs of wild animals, they mate amoungst themselves, are you going to do anything about that, ha !
You lot have stopped tail docking, have you ever seen what damage can be done to a dogs tail when running through undergrowth, in some cases the tail has to be amputated. I suppose you will be targeting sheep farmers next !