CKCSC, USA Position Statement on CKCS Breeding Restrictions in Norway

For Immediate Release:  February 8, 2022

CKCSC, USA  Position Statement on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bulldog Breeding Banned in Norway 
 

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA, Inc. (CKCSC, USA or Club) is the original registering body and breed club for Cavaliers in the United States. This Club has been committed to the health and welfare of this breed, and to responsible breeding practices which improve breed health, characteristics, and disposition for sixty years. The Club’s primary goal has always been to protect the breed from exploitation of any kind and to encourage policies that are designed to protect overall health and welfare of the breed.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA (CKCSC USA) respectfully submits the following response to the recent ruling by a district court in Oslo, Norway banning of the breeding of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Bulldogs. 

The Norwegian Parliament amended the countries “Animal Welfare Act” in July 2021, holding the Norwegian Kennel Club, breed clubs and individual breeders responsible for the breeding of healthy dogs. The Animal Protection Alliance (NAPA) of Norway saw this as an opportunity to file suit against both breed clubs and six breeders of Cavaliers and Bulldogs. The primary argument in their case was, that due to selective breeding, none of the dogs from these two breeds were healthy and therefore could not continue to be bred. The only exception that they provided was for the breeders of Cavaliers and Bulldogs to crossbreed their way to improved health by breeding these breeds with other breeds. The court ruled in favor of this argument.

The CKCSC USA supports policies based upon scientifically valid and reliable data that encourage responsible breeding practices to minimize inherited disorders. However, we do not believe that objective would be accomplished by a policy which bans the breeding of the Cavaliers based on inherited disorders. It is an overly simplistic notion that embraces  

anti-selective breeding claims and will not improve the health of either of the Cavalier of the Bulldog breeds. The assumption that Cavaliers and Bulldogs are all inherently unhealthy is both biased and flawed. We therefore oppose what we believe to be a misguided and ill-founded decision by the Norwegian Parliament and fully support the Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK) in its effort to preserve these two beloved breeds.

CKCSC USA, National Board of Directors, 

Legislative Committee, CKCSC USA

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