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The Kennel Club Annual Report 2020/2021 A message from the Chairman and Chief Executive of The Kennel Club It has been a tumultuous year for all, and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted on all of our lives in a myriad of ways. I wish to extend my sympathies to all those who have suffered as a result of this awful disease. Thankfully, at the time of writing, the most onerous of the Government restrictions are in the process of being lifted and I sincerely hope that in the weeks and months ahead we can all start to return to the events and activities we so enjoy and value. We are also looking forward to welcoming our members back to Clarges St and the Club once we are in a position to fully reopen. In spite of the challenges we faced in Board and Chief Executive, in between sympathetic response it received. Our 2020 and indeed are still facing, I want our formal meetings. These have proven focus is now on making Crufts 2022 a to highlight some of the vital work we to be of great value and enabled us to really exceptional celebration of all have done to improve the health and react swiftly and decisively to the many things canine. welfare of dogs. This has included our challenges the pandemic created for us as lobbying, charitable and public relations an organisation. Finally, as Chairman, I would like to express work, which took on an even greater my immense gratitude for the exceptional significance as the challenges of the Working with the Chief Executive and his contribution made every single day by pandemic for dog owners became more team, important and positive projects our dedicated and committed staff and evident with each passing month. for 2021 and 2022 include co-creating a volunteers. My sincere thanks also go to new vision and strategy for The Kennel my fellow Board Directors for their support I would especially like to praise the Club as well as strategic reviews for the during this challenging year. efforts of all at The Kennel Club, both Assured Breeders scheme and Education staff and volunteers, who have worked and Training. These initiatives will grow and As the nation’s leading organisation so exceptionally hard across all areas support our priorities for improving dog dedicated to protecting and promoting the to support the canine world during this health and welfare as well as the Club’s health and welfare of all dogs, I believe unpredictable and ever-changing period. canine activities. there is so much to be proud of in this report, despite the current climate of In a more positive vein, I was delighted I am delighted that The Kennel Club uncertainty. We will see better days ahead to welcome our new Chief Executive in Genetics Centre has officially re-opened and together we can all make a difference October of last year, Mark Beazley, who and is now located at the University for dogs. came to us from his post as Director of of Cambridge Veterinary School. This Operations at Cats Protection. Prior to this, followed the sad announcement last July he also held executive positions at Dogs of the closure of the Animal Health Trust. Trust Ireland and the Irish Society for the The Kennel Club Charitable Trust has Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In the funded the centre since its initial launch short time he has been with us, he has in 2009. Later in the year, it is hoped that already instigated a number of measures Discover Dogs will be able to go ahead as designed to address the issues the planned at the Excel, London, subject to Club has faced in recent times and thus Government guidelines surrounding indoor deliver a better service to our customers, events. The show is currently London’s an improved working environment for only major all-breed dog event, so here’s our people and, of course, to ensure we hoping we can bring a little much-needed continue with our mission of making a ‘canine joy’ to our capital later in the year. difference for dogs. Very sadly, we had to take the difficult In order to ensure strong communication decision to cancel Crufts 2021. Whilst this and support during the pandemic, I news was disappointing for all concerned, Tony Allcock OBE instigated regular meetings with the we have been very touched by the Chairman 02 The Kennel Club Annual Report 2020/2021 I am delighted to have joined The Kennel Club as its Chief Executive, even during what has undoubtedly been a particularly challenging period for the organisation and the UK as a whole. From my previous experience in animal welfare, I knew that the Club carries out hugely valuable work for dogs, but it was not until I started in my new role that I came to realise the sheer breadth of our involvement in so many areas of canine health and welfare. Even in the midst of the pandemic, all our people have striven to do their utmost to support our customers, be they breeders, dog owners or those wishing to welcome a puppy into their lives for the first time. I am also particularly passionate about our work dedicated to protecting and promoting the health and welfare of all dogs through lobbying and education and have been truly encouraged by our work in these areas. We have had our challenges following the launch of the new IT system and at times we did not provide the level of service to our customers that we would have wished, and for that I sincerely apologise. I have however been impressed by the commitment and desire of all our people to overcome these challenges and the sheer effort that has gone into improving the situation. The Kennel Club’s mission statement concentrates on making a difference for dogs and already, in the short time I have been with the organisation, I have seen how our staff and volunteers have worked hard to drive home the message to the general public about responsible ownership and other aspects of canine care during this unprecedented time. My focus now is to work with my staff colleagues and the Board on the delivery of a fresh strategy and vision for The Kennel Club in the years ahead so that we can indeed deliver on that all important mission of making a difference for dogs. I would like to thank our Chairman, the Board and all my colleagues for their support over the last number of months. Mark Beazley Chief Executive The Kennel Club Annual Report 2020/2021 03 Our strategic objectives The Kennel Club’s mission statement focuses on making a difference for dogs and this report highlights the impact we’ve had in delivering against our nine strategic objectives and demonstrating how everything we do supports one or more of these objectives. 1 Invest in canine health and 3 welfare Encourage the 2 responsible breeding of pedigree dogs Facilitate the breeding of healthy dogs 5 4 Promote the positive benefits Encourage the of dogs in society responsible ownership of dogs 04 The Kennel Club Annual Report 2020/2021 6 Promote and regulate canine activities and competitions 7 Provide opportunities for education and training 8 Engage with the wider dog owning public 9 Promote The Kennel Club as the leading national organisation regarding all canine related matters The Kennel Club Annual Report 2020/2021 05 Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic has obviously had a significant impact on The Kennel Club over the past 12 months, as it has for all businesses across the UK and beyond. In this section, we will outline how we have adapted to the ever-changing situation, in terms of our staff, day-to-day work, the events which we license and the support we have been able to offer across all of these sectors. | Our staff | Online Covid-19 Following the Prime Minister’s instruction in March information hub 2020 that people should work from home where With the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, possible, The Kennel Club closed its offices for all The Kennel Club liaised with DEFRA early in the but essential purposes and quickly adapted to a pandemic and created a comprehensive information home-working model. hub ahead of the national lockdown. Over 73 pages of information and FAQs were developed to help To support our staff during the Covid-19 lockdown stakeholders navigate the crisis, including breeders, period, we provided homeworkers with the show organisers, dog training clubs and breed necessary IT and telephony equipment and rescue organisations. We also voiced the concerns introduced a number of practical and well-being of breeders and training clubs and ensured the support initiatives. During this period, we also challenges they were facing were addressed in utilised the Government’s Coronavirus Job advice drafted by the Canine Feline Sector Group Retention Scheme for those employees who and later approved by Government. were unable to perform their roles from home. We expanded the hub to provide vital resources and We also conducted surveys to understand our practical advice for new owners as well, including employees’ views on returning to the office as we at-home training and socialisation tips. emerge from lockdown. From March to June 2020 alone, during the height | Our venues of the pandemic, our Covid hub was visited by over 744,000 users and received great feedback from The Emblehope and Stoneleigh venues have stakeholders who felt they hadn’t received any been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

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