Great care should be taken to analyse each and every aspect that arises from the Kennel Club requirements detailed in their “undertaking” directed at the German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian) breed.

This is the core issue.

"In order to be considered for an allocation of Kennel Club Challenge Certificates, all GSD Breed Clubs and General & Group Championship Show Societies, which had previously been allocated Challenge Certificates, and wish to have such Certificates in future, are to be required to sign a formal Undertaking to abide by certain conditions for all future shows with immediate effect."

GSD clubs should take great care to avoid broadening this issue into areas which are not directly referred to in the Kennel Club undertaking. For example Registrations.

In the first instance:

GSD breed clubs should consider writing to the Kennel Club and asking them a number of carefully worded questions of clarification.

For example:

1)    If our club do not sign this Kennel Club undertaking, what are the full implications, besides not being allocated Challenge Certificates?

2)    If our club does not sign this Kennel Club undertaking, and in the event our club decides to run an event under the rules or regulations of any organisation other than the Kennel Club, what sanctions, if any, will the Kennel Club take against our club?

3)    If our club signs this Kennel Club undertaking with clause 9 deleted, will it be acceptable to the Kennel Club? And if not, why not?

It is important for all GSD breed clubs and exhibitors to remember how numerically small they are within the whole GSD fraternity of Great Britain. The Kennel Club undertaking is targeted at the GSD exhibitors, and should be dealt with wholly within that context.

Several issues contained within the undertaking are current Kennel Club rules. Clause 9 is NOT a Kennel Club rule.

If registration is brought into this issue, the breed clubs are making this issue far greater and far more difficult to resolve than is necessary or indeed desirable.

The two WUSV member clubs, or more likely one WUSV member club, have some very serious issues to consider in regards to the future of our GSD show scene here in Great Britain.

I would encourage you all to recognise the value to the future GSD show scene of our British Sieger Event and Regional Events, held under the WUSV rules & regulations, with the support of the WUSV and SV.

The Kennel Club undertaking brings into sharp focus some very important considerations for our two WUSV member clubs, which must be addressed carefully and comprehensively.

David Payne.