Long delays as breeders try to register new litters

The Kennel Club has struggled during the pandemic and gundog owners have had to wait weeks to get pedigree puppies registered

- Matt Cross

Gundog breeders have hit out at the Kennel Club (KC) after experiencing long delays and other problems trying to register puppies.

Among them is cocker spaniel breeder Diane Brown, who told Shooting Times: “We don’t breed a lot and we only sell to good-quality working homes, but we have been waiting since March to receive papers for puppies we sold,”she said.

The problems have stemmed from a new web-based registration system called myKC. Industry insiders have described the system as a ‘disaster’ and ‘totally botched’. While some breeders have been unable to get registration documents for their litters, others have been inundated. One said the postman had delivered more than 40 registration letters, none of which were litters she had bred.

And gundog breeder Peri Burchmore told Shooting Times: “I bought a labrador puppy last April and didn’t receive papers for her until October. The breeder was a family friend, so I trusted them enough to collect her without. I also ordered replacement documents for a Welsh springer that I bred in November. I received nothing [from the Kennel Club] despite my payment being taken. I called the KC on numerous occasions to chase them and eventually got them in March. I ended up receiving six copies.”