Code of conduct and ethics

The welfare of BULL TERRIERS must be the first concern of all its members, but the breeder and the first owner of a dog should accept a particular responsibility for that dog throughout its life. To this end the Breeder should endeavour to maintain contact with the owners of all the dogs they have bred.

The greatest care must be taken in placing or re-homing BULL TERRIERS. Advice from The Club Committee or Welfare Officer should be sought in cases of any but absolute certainty, of the suitability of prospective owners.

All Members of THE BULL TERRIER CLUB undertake to report to the appropriate authorities any information they may acquire on dog fighting; NO member of The Club will be involved in any way in dog fighting.

All Members accept the objects of The Club as defined in The Rules of THE BULL TERRIER CLUB as a condition of membership.

A proper standard of behaviour is expected of Members at all times and in particularly at dog shows.

The very essence of judging dogs is that different Judges have different opinions. Exhibitors should

remember they have the option of not showing under a particular judge, and therefore have the duty

to accept the Judge’s opinion with good grace.

Dog showing is competitive; disagreements are bound to occasionally arise. The proper channels for

complaints are to be made directly to The Show Manager, or for matters outside the show ring, in

writing to the Clubs Hon. Secretary. Vocal disagreements at shows are not acceptable to The

Committee and action may be taken against offenders.

Rumours and un-substantive claims concerning the failing of dog or owner are one of the evils of the

dog world. Members should avoid being party to either. However, the best defense against such evil

is for greater frankness, regarding inherited or acquired problems in our dogs, than in common in

many other breeds. Members should do all they can, including complete disclosure of their own

problems, to encourage open study of any such conditions.

A zero tolerance approach

No-one should be subject to intimidation or made to feel alarmed or distressed or put in fear of

reprisal. Harassment is a criminal offence. To that end, The Kennel Club adopts a zero tolerance

approach towards all type of harassment activity. Harassment may be defined as causing alarm,

distress and anxiety and fear of physical violence or other threat, offensive statements, verbal

abuse and threats.

Buying and selling dogs is a matter of mutual trust and confidence. Buyers must expect to pay a fair

price having regard to the expenses of owning, showing and breeding a bitch; they are entitled to

expect a healthy, well-reared puppy in return for that price. Notwithstanding the element of mutual

trust, it is in the interest of both parties to obtain written agreement for any special conditions of the

sale. In particular, any puppy sold on breeding terms should be the subject of, preferably, a robust

contract of agreement between both parties.

The seller should make his or her conditions for the return of the puppy, and possible refund of the

purchase price, quite clear to the buyer. The buyer should understand that the value of the puppy is

likely to fall rather than rise as its age increases.

Puppies should not be sold before they are a minimum of 8 weeks old.

Prospective buyers should expect to be screened for suitability having regard to the very dominant

nature of Bull Terriers. They are likely to be required to demonstrate their familiarity with adult

specimens of the breed in a home environment. Sellers should not offer a puppy to anyone in whom

they do not have complete confidence. Bull Terrier puppies should not be sold to homes where they

will be left alone for longer than short periods during the day, or to homes which are not securely

fenced.

No puppy which has any physical defect or abnormality, even though such abnormality may be

regarded as temporary, should not be sold, without the buyer being made aware of the abnormality.

Deaf puppies should not be sold.

Only puppies which, to the best of the owner’s knowledge, are in good health should be sold.

All puppies should have been treated for internal parasites according to a suitable routine and should

receive inoculations appropriate to its age, before sale, for which veterinary certificate should be

provided. It is appropriate here to draw the attention of breeders to the availability of low-cost short-

term health insurance to cover the ‘settling in’ period of a puppy in a new home.!!Each purchaser of

a puppy should be provided at the time of sale with a pedigree of at least three generations, diet

sheet, and information about training, worming and inoculations. Provisions of the documentation

for registration must be considered a priority after sale; any proposed conditions of registration

should be notified in writing to the purchaser at the time of sale.!!

Each purchaser of a puppy should be provided at the time of sale with a pedigree of at least three

generations, diet sheet, and information about training, worming and inoculations. Provisions of the

documentation for registration must be considered a priority after sale; any proposed conditions of

registration should be notified in writing to the purchaser at the time of sale.

No bitch should be bred from until she is mature, and in no case should a bitch be under the age of

one year. Frequency of breeding should have regard to the health and well-being of the bitch and

would usually be no more than one litter in a year.

We recommend that breeders contact their Local Authority to check if they require a breeder’s

license, as this is a legal requirement in some cases.
Health testing should be paramount to all breeders and The Club advises that the following tests

should be carried on breeding bitches and stud dogs prior to mating;

• Doppler ultrasound is a specialized form of cardiac ultrasound. Cardiac auscultation tests

allow for the detection of murmurs. (Both of which are to be carried out by a cardiologist.)

• UPCR for Kidney function

• DNA test for LAD

• BAER test for deafness

Breeding should be aimed primarily at the improvement of the breed. The use of inferior dogs or

bitches should be discouraged and advice to newcomers should be frank in this, as in other respects.

Particular regard should be paid to the importance of sound, equable temperament in Bull Terriers.

No dog or bitch suffering from an inherited abnormality should be used for breeding, and Members

are reminded of their declaration regarding deafness in Bull Terriers. Breeders must recognise their

liability at law in respect of the sale of puppies, which may be found to be suffering inherited

abnormalities.

The stud dog owner should satisfy him or herself as to the suitability of the bitch’s temperament

before committing the dog to service. It is conventional and desirable, that a second service should

be offered two days after the first successful mating. In the event of failure by the bitch to conceive,

one or more free returns service may be offered, but should not be considered obligatory.

Accurate records of breeding should be kept by the owners of both breeding bitches and stud dogs.

Members will, when breeding dogs, adopt as a minimum standard the principles, requirements and

recommendations as embodied in the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeders Scheme. It is strongly

recommended that members who breed, should apply to join the Scheme

All breeders who register their puppies and new owners, who register ownership of their dogs with

the Kennel Club, accept the jurisdiction of the Kennel Club and undertake to abide by its General Code

of Ethics.

Breeders/Owners:

Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate

veterinary attention if and when required.

Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon, who performs an operation on any of

their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a caesarean section

on a bitch, may report such operations to the Kennel Club.

Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard

should be placed in suitable homes.

Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.

Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.

Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the

breed.
Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying

out official duties.

Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective

control when away from home.

Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.

Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help

with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances change.

Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible

ownership when placing dogs in a new home.

Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or

transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest

opportunity, if not immediately available.

Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or to countries where there

are no animal welfare laws comparable to those in the UK, directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given

as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind. Will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club

registration certificates as stand-alone items (not accompanying a dog).

Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead

any person regarding the health or quality of a dog.

Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership, and/or disciplinary action

by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.

The Bull Terrier Club

Code of conduct and ethics