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Kennel Club to hold dog health and welfare conference
The conference will be held at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

The conference will be the first of its kind for The Kennel Club.

Yesterday (28 July), The Kennel Club announced that it will be hosting a new Health and Welfare Conference.

The conference, taking place on 25 September and 26 September 2021, aims to create and drive discussion on canine welfare and wellbeing, in order to improve the welfare of both existing and future dogs. 

Intending to bring people together from many different sectors of the canine world, including dog health experts, owners, breeders and breed community representatives, the conference will last for two days.

Workshops, seminars and talks will comprise the bulk of the conference time, and will be held by experts in field, including Dr Dan O'Neill, Dr Alison Wills, and Dr Jacqueline Boyd. 

Welfare and breeder services executive at The Kennel Club, Bill Lambert, commented on the event: “We’re delighted to be hosting this important conference and introducing a new event to the calendar for all those who care about and want to work together to improve dog health and welfare.

“After a year like no other, we hope the conference will bring together a range of experts and communities to re-align priorities around dog health, well-being and welfare, and inspire collaboration across a broad spectrum of topics which will make a difference for dogs both now and in the future.”

On the Saturday, attendees will have the option of two different themed programmes, canine health and breeding, or canine sports science. Running simultaneously, each programme will include talk and workshop sessions on a variety of topics.

Sunday will focus exclusively on breed watch education, focussing in on the judging of brachycephalic breeds for health. The programme will cover bulldogs, pugs and French bulldogs.

Topics covered across the weekend will include how breed standards impact health, key things to consider with regard to heart health, feeding for performance, and eye testing for dog owners and competitors.

Tickets and further information on the event can be found here

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.