Dog owners are being encouraged to take a ‘dog’s eye view’ photograph of their four-legged friends as part of this year’s National Canine Health Testing Week (21st to 27th November).
National Canine Health Testing Week is one of the Kennel Club’s annual initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of breeding and buying puppies from appropriately health tested and health screened parents. During the week, dog breeders and puppy buyers will be provided with information on which health tests and screening schemes may be relevant to their dogs, tools to assist breeders in making health related breeding decisions and information for puppy buyers to ask the right questions before buying a puppy.
The awareness week is a platform to publicise statistics, information and health related resources that highlight the value of health testing both purebred and crossbred dogs.
During the awareness week the Kennel Club will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme by launching a social media campaign asking owners to show their support of eye testing by taking and sharing images of their pets, using the hashtag #DogsEyeView on social media.
For 50 years the Eye Scheme has been helping breeders produce dogs with healthier eyes, and it now screens around 13,000 Kennel Club registered dogs each year. The #DogsEyeView photos are intended to emphasise how a dog sees the world and to demonstrate the impact that healthy eyes can have on a dog’s quality of life.
To take a #DogsEyeView photo, the Kennel Club is asking people to take a picture of their dog from behind, with the ears, head or whole body in shot, to show the dog’s view. The photo could be taken low to the ground and should emphasise how a dog sees the world. The dog could be looking at a stunning view, going for a walk through the woods, meeting family and friends or doing an everyday activity. Photos can be funny, serious, or poignant, and should be posted on social media using the hashtags #DogsEyeView and #NCHTW.
During the week the Kennel Club is calling for #DogsEyeView photos to also be posted to the Kennel Club Facebook and Twitter pages any time between 21st and 27th November 2016.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “National Canine Health Testing Week is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of health testing. We use it as a platform to share information with dog breeders about the latest developments in testing as well as raising awareness to puppy buyers just how important it is to ask to see health test results when looking for a puppy.
“We are hoping that the dog’s eye view photos will provide a fun way to highlight a more serious message and are looking forward to seeing dog owners share their images.”
As well as the #DogsEyeView photos, the Kennel Club will be using social media to:
- Launch a new “Breeding Advice” section on the Kennel Club website
- Update breeders and owners on the latest developments in health testing
- Encourage the appropriate use of health tests and screening schemes
Although National Canine Health Testing Week is largely about appropriate health testing, it also stresses that there are many other important factors for breeders when choosing two potential mates, such as genetic diversity, temperament, and the dogs’ family history.
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