David Cavill's Best Bits

We interviewed David Cavill, publisher of Our Dogs newspaper, for our film Pedigree Dogs Exposed, but never used any of the interview - something David has bemoaned several times. So here are what we thought were his best bits. Apart from being publisher of Our Dogs, David is also a judge, breeds Finnish Spitz with his wife Angela, and runs the Southern Counties Championship Show which is where this interview took place in 2008.I 'm afraid we've had to bleep the name of a Crufts winner for legal reasons

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• david cavill
• pedigree dogs exposed
• our dogs
• crufts
• kennel club

[57tictac]

The KC have seen fit to ban matings between father and daughter, the COi of these matings is 25% as you so explained in your line breeding lesson this is the likelihood that both alleles on any given locus will be the same

So why are COis of over 25% achieved in many if not most showdogs following your linebreeding plans allowed and even encouraged by both yourself and the KC The genetic result is the same is it not?

[jemimaharrison]

It's not accurate to say that "many if not most showdogs" have COIs over 25 per cent. But certainly some do - and indeed there are some dogs with COIs double that and higher. Sweden discourages matings that produce puppies with a COI of higher than 6.25 per cent (the equivalent of first cousins); not sure iif that would be appropriate here, but certainly genetic diversity is something still to be addressed by the Kennel Club.

[Retrieverman1]

This man is something. He's like the Kennel Club's Baghdad Bob!

[funkbat]

what a twonk!

[ilah2001]

His comparision to use Stephen Hawkings to justify breeding deformed dogs for the showring is absolutely abhorrent and he should apologise to Mr Hawkings for making such a crass and arrogant comment.

Attempting to justify the the cruel breeding practises of dog breeding is bad enough but that hiked to up to a whole other level. The man is shameless and devoid of basic humility.

[davidcavill]

I should make it clear that I was talking about Finnish Spitz in the UK where the incidence of both liver damage and epilepsy is statistically insignificant - because they have been carefully bred.

[OurnameisLegion66]

I can see why he was left outa the video,its cringeworthy.

[DanmarkMaria]

BOYKOT Crufts!!

[ovcharkasuk]

can you post the whole interview ?? i would love to see it all as would many others

[DerPfaffe]

To be honest David would have done better to keep his mouth shut and thank his lucky stars that he didn't appear in the programme. He needs to learn that after "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" and the aftermath that followed, he is no longer dealing with an uninformed public. He also needs to lose his condescending "we breeders know best" attitude. They quite obviously do not or the dogs wouldn't be in the mess they are in at the moment.

[EireShane]

Is it just me or are so called 'Dog Experts' not allowed to be dog lovers also? I think we all know (or are) ordinary decent people that will do all we can to ensure the well being of out beloved pets, but those who claim to be experts, repeatedly prove by their actions that health will always take a second place to aesthetics. I feel terrible for the dogs, but I can't help feeling relieved that these type of people weren't my parents.

[dorothysdog]

Dog people in my experience pick and choose analogies to human experience to suit their arguments (flawed arguments in most cases). Had Jemima Harrison asked Mr Cavill how distasteful father daughter matings or similar are he would have replied "Ah but you cannot compare them to the morals we hold dear as people - they are just dogs." It's called having your cake and eating it although my guess is Retreiverman1 will have a better word for it.