Breeder Code of Ethics

Breeders of all litters listed on the KBT Foundation website must agree to the following Code of Ethics.

Procedures for enforcing the Code of Ethics are listed below.

Breeders need not agree to this Code of Ethics to be listed in the Breeder Directory.

When breeders agree to this code, they are recognized with a next to their name in the Breeder Directory and are included in a Special List of Breeders.

This code has been adopted by the Board of Directors of the Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation at its regular Board meeting of December 12, 2002
The Code was amended at its Board Meeting of November 6, 2005. Changes were made in Articles 2, 3 and 10 as well as the Enforcement Procedures and Penalties.

Breeder Code of Ethics

Article 1
Breed only those specimens that conform to the Kerry standard. When contemplating breeding a litter or providing the services of a stud dog, strive toward maintaining breed type and producing dogs of exceptional quality, temperament, and condition.

Article 2
Use for breeding only those Kerries that are healthy and free from serious congenital and hereditary defects. Do not use any bitch or stud dog that is known to have developed such a health problem or has produced a puppy with any serious inherited defects detrimental to the offspring and the overall well-being of the breed.

Article 3
The best interest of the bitch must be considered. DO NOT use a bitch for breeding prior to reaching 2 years of age or older than 8 years of age. Do not produce litters in more than 2 out of 3 consecutive heat cycles, nor produce more than 5 litters in her lifetime. Breeding beyond the limits set above should be approved by a veterinarian. Males can be bred at 1 year of age.

Article 4
Do not sell puppies to pet shops either outright or on consignment, or supply puppies for auctions, raffles, or other such activities. Refrain from selling to persons whose intention (either known or suspected) is to resell or use the puppy in a breeding program not complying with this Code of Ethics. Use a written screening instrument (such as a questionnaire or application), and a written contract to prove that you have made an effort to safeguard your dog.

Article 5
Promptly apply for registration of the litter in your country. Include a signed registration or registration application, and a four-generation pedigree with the sale of every dog. Any exceptions to these requirements, or valid restrictions or limitations imposed as conditions to the sale, must be agreed to in writing by both parties at the time of sale. It is strongly recommended that a written agreement accompany all sales, and is imperative when selling puppies out of the area.

Since the optimum time of transfer of a puppy to its new owner is dependent on the health, vaccination status, and stage of development of each individual puppy, a breeder will ensure each puppy is transferred at an age at which it will experience minimum risk to its temperament and physical health. No puppy should be transferred to a new owner if it is less than 8 weeks of age.

Article 6
Provide buyers with assistance and support in the setting of ears and in learning proper grooming. If the buyer is not located in your area, make arrangements with another person who can help the buyer.

Article 7
Provide with each sale a record of dates and types of immunization given, immunizations required, and veterinary health records. No puppy should be sold without either temporary or permanent protection against distemper-hepatitis, and parvo. Puppies should have a veterinary examination, and worming if required, before sale.

Article 8
Maintain accurate and complete records of stock, matings, pedigrees, show records, and transfers as required by the official Kerry Blue Terrier registry in your country (AKC in USA, CKC in Canada, and FCI in Europe). Breeders are responsible for conducting research on their pedigrees to ensure correct ancestry, accurate spelling of names, and correct registration numbers.

Article 9
Do not engage in false or misleading advertising or other misrepresentations with respect to your own breeding. Do not malign others by making false or misleading statements regarding another breeder's dogs, breeding practices, or person. Do not word advertising to attract undesirable buyers nor encourage raising dogs for profit.

Article 10
Assume lifetime responsibility for the best interest of every dog of every litter you produce. Make every effort to insure that the dogs you produce receive appropriate care, training and treatment. Accept full responsibility for the rescue, placement, including expenses, of any dog bred by you, including those sired by your studs.

Enforcement

The Foundation will not actively check the breeding activities of a breeder. However, when a complaint is received or when we suspect an ethics violation, the following procedures will be followed.

The Foundation will gather information about the complaint and present this information to the breeder in writing, within four weeks and by registered mail. The breeder is given two weeks to respond in writing. The documentation may include: puppy application, contract, emails, etc.

Both the complaint and the breeder's response are presented to the Board of the KBT Foundation. The decision of the Board is final.

Penalties

The KBT Foundation Board may impose any or all of the following penalties:

Ban the breeder from the KB-L Newslist.
Remove the breeder from the Breeder Directory and all other directories on web site.
Remove all pictures from the Photo Gallery and elsewhere on the Foundation web site.
Report breeder's activity to the clubs the breeder belongs to.

These penalties may either be permanent or for a specified period of time.

The Foundation Code of Ethics is Serious

The Code of Ethics of any AKC affiliated dog club is not worth much. The AKC encourages clubs NOT to enforce their code of ethics. (The AKC removed this suggestion from their web site.) A club's code of ethics is only a suggestion, an "educational tool" or a statement of values.
Secondly, in the opinion of our Board, the club's code of ethics is too weak; too many "shoulds" and not enough "shalls".
The Foundation Code of Ethics includes penalties that can be imposed on violators. When a breeder signs the Foundation Code of Ethics, the signer gives the Foundation authority to impose penalties, which are all spelled out on this page
Rules without consequences are worthless.
Signers of the Foundation Code of Ethics are breeders who believe in the welfare of the Kerries and ethical dealings with their puppy buyers. It does not mean that our system is fool-proof; it is only one more tool for puppy buyers to distinguish the good from the bad breeders. Instead of posting a "black list" of unethical breeders, the Foundation took the high road and posts a list of breeders who signed a tough Code of Ethics and are willing to uphold it.

Your questions or comments about this Code of Ethics are always welcome.

Sign Now

If you do not understand your responsibilities, please ask for a clarification before you agree to it.

I agree to the above Code of Ethics and I understand the enforcement procedures and the penalties.
(Clicking on the above line will generate an email to the Foundation. Feel free to add any comments. Make sure you click "send.")

If you prefer, you can print the Code of Ethics in .pdf format and mail it to the Foudnation at the address printed on the form.

After we receive your email, the Foundation will gladly post your litters and studs on the Foundation web site. You will also be listed in the Breeder Directory with a .