Whoops sorry There is quite a lot of organisation involved (especially at Aviemore) so the entries close a while prior to the rally date (Aviemore is a very long time in advance - normally it is a couple weeks).

I can imagine, not a task i would relish lol, lets hope that Sled Dogs Ireland can sort things for next year, I know they work tirelessly (sp) to promote the sport in Ireland and it would have been great if they had been allowed to run.

Aviemore is run by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain. It is their event and nothing to do with the KC. It is their decision who and what they allow to run. For example my unregistered Sibe cannot take part. If the members of Sled Dogs Ireland have the correct dogs and are members of the SHCGB there is nothing stopping them to enter.
The reason for the KC registration (I believe) is to make sure the dogs are fit for purpose. It also discourages people breeding dogs willy nilly and saying they can compete in events (which they cannot)

Gemmsie
x

The Aviemore Rally is organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain. The stated objectives of the club are:

To promote the National Interests of the Siberian Husky as a pedigree breed and to develop constructive breed programmes according to the Club Breed Standard.

To promote regular breed activities and encourage working ability.

To promote an available source of advice on the Breed of a general nature for the assistance of members and for the promotion of good public relations.

To promote a Code of Ethics for the protection of the Siberian Husky.

To promote a set of Working Rally Rules for the protection of the breed and the sport.

The club is not there to offer recreational activities to all dogs, just Siberian Huskies and other recognised sledding breeds. There are other organisations which offer Open classes (classes open to dogs of any breed) but the SHCGB is there for Siberians. It really is as simple as that.

Although Aviemore is nothing to do with the Kennel Club, the situation is actually very similar to those of us who like to show our dogs in Ireland. Although our dogs are KC registered, to show in Ireland, they must also be registered with the IKC. So, if Sled Dogs Ireland are serious about competing at Aviemore next year, their members need to register their (recognised sled dog breeds) dogs with the KC and join the SHCGB. They will then be able to enter Aviemore 2010 with no problems. (It might be worth trying to book accomodation for next year early though as everywhere gets booked up really quickly.)

Mick

Actually Open classes are not open to dogs of any breed, there are set requirements the dogs have to meet before they are registered

You are right, of course! I was thinking of Alaskan Huskies, husky crosses and some of the gundog breeds (GSPs etc). Although it might be interesting to see a team of Chinese Crested running round the trail.

Mick

Well that one will never happen as one of the requirements is that the dog has to be a minimum of 20" in height (if I remember rightly). So unless someone starts breeding 'Giant' Chinese Cresteds ... (that last part is a joke ).

There was a Dobe and our Aussie running at the weekend (along with the types you mentioned above).

How do the GSPs cope with cold? Mine are huddled in front of the fire all winter.

I don't know, but in Europe, GSP's are pretty common in sled dog racing - very fast apparently!

Mick

The Sled Dogs Ireland team are all pure bred Husky (and registered with the IKC), I have joined the club purely to be able to run my dogs with an experienced team, and strictly for fun.