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2016 British Sieger Event

Press release from the British Association for German Shepherd Dogs and the German Shepherd Dog Breed Council

The British Sieger Event Working Party, which consists of representatives of the three organisations responsible for the administration and running of the Event, met on November 1st. This meeting was to review the recent and very successful Eleventh BSE and to discuss preliminary plans for the Twelfth Event in 2016. The three organisations concerned are British Association for German Shepherd Dogs, the German Shepherd Dog Breed Council, and the German Shepherd Dog League of Great Britain.

At the meeting a statement from the GSDL was read out. In this statement the GSDL declared their intention to withdraw from future British Sieger Events. A letter on the same subject from the GSDL to BAGSDs had been sent prior to the meeting but the GSD Breed Council had not been informed of the League’s intentions and, as there was no Working Party delegate from the GSDL present, the Breed Council’s delegates were unable to obtain further clarification. However, the membership of the GSD League have been informed by letter that the League intends to work only with BAGSDs, which is, to say the least, rather surprising, considering the fact that the GSDL is a member club of the GSD Breed Council.

Before the British Sieger Event came into being the late Dr Malcolm Willis, along with other representatives of the GSD Breed Council, met with the Kennel Club to ask for permission to organise such an event and were given permission by the KC to do so. As a consequence of this meeting and the subsequent KC permission, the GSD Breed Council has been involved in the organisation from the very beginning. The late Frank Gater who was President of the British Association for German Shepherd Dogs and other representatives of that organisation and the GSD League (as part of the WUSV Working Group GB) also obtained KC permission and therefore BAGSDs has also been involved with the British Sieger Event right from the start.

BAGSDs & the GSD Breed Council wish it to be known that the door is open for the League to return to the tri-partite organising of the British Sieger Event but if they do not wish to do so then BAGSDs & the GSD Breed Council will continue to work together to ensure that the BSE 2016 is as successful as 2015.

Issued on 7th November by Bob Honey (Chairman of British Association for German Shepherd Dog) and John Cullen (Chairman of GSD Breed Council).