BBC Radio 4 LW

What's the Point of...?

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Quentin Letts takes a witty but thought-provoking look at some great British institutions

What's the Point of ...: Series 3

What's the Point of...?: Series 3: Episode 4: The Kennel Club

The Kennel Club

Episode 4

Episode 4: The Kennel Club

Series 3

BBC Radio 4 - What's the Point of...?, Series 3, The Kennel Club

Quentin Letts considers the work of the club which regulates the world of pedigree dogs.

Quentin Letts considers the work of the Victorian club which regulates the world of pedigree dogs.

It has a fine dining room and a celebrated collection of canine art. It has a charitable trust and organises the greatest dog show on earth.  That doesn't stop Quentin Letts asking, "What's the point of the Kennel club?"   

The kennel club was founded in 1873  by  twelve Victorian gentlemen who liked dogs and dinners in equal measure, and wanted to bring  some discipline into the world of dog breeding and showing.  It's struggling  to do that today. Some breeders and showers are in open revolt against Kennel  Club health regulations.  Others from the welfare lobby say the Kennel club hasn't been doing enough to tackle the suffering caused to dogs by generations of  inbreeding. 

Quentin enjoys the sunshine, spectacle and order of a dog show in Worcestershire, goes for a walk with a breathless dog  suffering a range of  genetic disorders, and enters  the hallowed halls of the Kennel club Clarges street as he considers whether this British institution still has the teeth needed to improve the lot of dogs in this country.

What's the Point of...?: Series 3

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What's the Point of...?

Series 3

Episode 4: The Kennel Club

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