Below follows a letter written to the Kennel Club on behalf of many breed clubs and below that the response from the Kennel Club.
The Chairman
Mr Simon Luxmore
The Kennel Club
London
W1J 8AB
Dear Sir,
I write to you with the full support and backing of the under listed clubs.
We refer to the recent decision by the General Committee of the FCI to change the country of origin of the following breeds, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel and Tibetan Terrier from Tibet to China. We do not agree with this decision and seek for it to be reversed.
We understand that the matter of the country of patronage / development of the breeds concerned is still to be considered at a later date by the FCI.
The views of the Breed Clubs on these matters are as follows:
• That the patronage of these breeds and ownership of each breed standard must remain with the UK
• That the name of these breeds must not be changed
• That the country of origin be changed back to Tibet
We understand that you are dealing with these matters and we seek your assurance that as a matter of urgency the KC will represent the views to the FCI of all the Breed clubs listed below. Also, we would be very grateful it you would inform us of the KC’s position on this matters.
The Breed Clubs wish to offer any assistance, or documentation, to the KC which might be helpful to them in reaching a satisfactory conclusion. Also, representatives of the Breed Clubs can be made available to the KC if consultation is required.
Yours faithfully
Mrs P A Tempest
Tibetan Terrier Association Chairman
03/07/2015
CC: Mrs Caroline Hallett
Mr Frank Kane
Mrs Sheila Jakeman
Breed Clubs Supporting this letter
Tibetan Terrier Association
Tibetan Terrier Breeder and Owners Club
Northern Tibetan Spaniel Club
South East & East Anglian Tibetan Spaniel Society
South Western Tibetan Spaniel Club Tibetan Spaniel Association
Tibetan Spaniel Club of Scotland
Lhasa Apso Club
Lhasa Apso Club of Scotland
Midland Lhasa Apso Club
North of England Lhasa Apso Club
South East Lhasa Apso Club
Lhasa Apso Association of Wales and South West
The Shih Tzu Club
Manchu Shih Tzu Society
Shih Tzu Club of Scotland
Northern Counties Shih Tzu Club
Shih Tzu Club of South Wales and Western Counties
“The announcement by the FCI on Friday confirms that the FCI continues to recognise the UK as the country of patronage of the listed breeds and thereby the breed standards and naming of the breeds remain with us.
“Last week the KC Breed Standards sub-committee considered the change to the country of origin and felt there was little we could do to counter this since Tibet is – apparently – now a part of China and therefore the change would appear to be largely ‘political’.
“Our main concern must be to ensure that no change is made in the future to the country of patronage. We strongly believe that the outpouring of objection from the UK breed clubs, owners, the Kennel Club and from overseas clubs to the changes proposed has resulted in the announcement being made to confirm that the country of patronage remains unchanged – at least at present.
“We have asked the FCI to let us know when the agenda for the next board meeting is announced and we will check that the matter of country of patronage is not included. Should it appear on the agenda we will most certainly let the breeds know so that the clubs can voice their objections once again. There should be no doubt that the Kennel Club will be right alongside the breeds in this.”