I am contacting you as a breed that has benefitted from at least one DNA test that was developed by the Canine Genetics Centre and that is currently included as either a Good Practice or Best Practice DNA test under the Kennel Club’s new Health Standard.
I apologise if you have seen this message already, on social media or elsewhere. But it is an important message, I want to make sure as many BHCs as possible hear it and not everyone uses social media.
The Friends of the Canine Genetics Centre regular giving scheme was set up in November 2024, to simplify giving for our regular supporters and help provide a regular, dependable income from donations to help support the Canine Genetics Centre.
On Wednesday 19th June I gave a short presentation outlining how, if we can increase the number of Friends of the Canine Genetics Centre to 1000 we will cross a very important line:
- the whole Canine Genetics Centre will be secure until 2028, AND
- the core team and resources, including the DNA collection, will be secure for the foreseeable future.
You might know that we have secured significant funding, from Wisdom Panel and the Jean Lanning Foundation, which has improved our funding situation considerably.
Nevertheless, there are outstanding running costs that are not currently met.
So we NEED to get to 1000 Friends to keep the core CGC team safe. Several of the team only have contracts until October 2025 — that’s only 3 more months — and if I do not have funding to cover their salaries they will be made redundant. So 1000 Friends are not simply ‘nice to have’ — we NEED them.
I have never, in over 25 years, had to tell a breed that we cannot store their important samples, or undertake research to develop a DNA test they need, due to lack of core resources. But this will change if we cannot meet our running costs.
In January 2024 I asked for £1,500 from each breed community to keep the Genetics Centre running for 12 months. Now I am asking for the equivalent of 5 people from each breed community to commit to donating £5 a month to the Canine Genetics Centre — to keep its core resources safe for the foreseeable future.
We have come a long way — but we are not there yet.
Please consider becoming a Friend yourself and please do whatever you can to share this message within your communities. That might mean asking Breed Club secretaries to share the message with their members or posting on your breed specific social media platforms.
Even if you are not able or decide not to become a Friend yourself, please do whatever you can to make sure that as many people as possible who own, breed or simply love Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have the opportunity to hear this message and become a Friend if they wish to do so.
With my best wishes
