01/10/2026
Wellโฆ as usual, ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐. ๐
For anyone wondering what this is about, the Royal Kennel Club has tonight published the attached post stating that a number of upcoming Dog Sports Derby shows are โcurrently not licensedโ, adding the rather pointed words ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต.
They've also turned the comments off, so unfortunately we're unable to provide any context underneath their post. Therefore, for once, we're going to provide our side here.
๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐๐น๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐'๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐.
The ๐ญ๐ฑ๐๐ต & ๐ญ๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ข๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ.
There were also a number of other upcoming show dates that we had already emailed the RKC to tell them we were cancelling.
Interestingly, those cancelled shows ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐'๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐.
So clearly that communication has been received and acted upon.
Yet, rather interestingly, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป'๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ โ which was actually one of the main things I was waiting for before dealing with the remaining dates.
So apparently the emails have been received sufficiently to amend their public Facebook listโฆ just not sufficiently to reply to us. ๐
Our confirmed shows are listed on ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ.
The remaining November/December licence payments hadn't been made because I was waiting for confirmation from the RKC about those dates following a number of other licensing/admin errors that I had already contacted them about.
Again, I was waiting for ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ to respond.
Which is why I find tonight's public post so inappropriate.
Before publishing something suggesting to competitors that we are advertising shows as RKC licensed when they're not, there were quite a few options available:
They could have replied to my emails.
They could have checked which shows we'd already asked to cancel.
They could have checked which licences had already been paid.
They could have emailed again.
๐ข๐ฟ โ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ'๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ โ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐. ๐
And the best part?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
The RKC called because the card for our annual show subscription they have on file had expired and the payment was due today. I said no problem and immediately logged in and paid it.
I specifically asked them: ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
๐ฌ๐ฒ๐.
Not one word about any of this.
So this morning they had me on the telephone, discussing our show account and taking a payment. They had the perfect opportunity to say, โWhile we've got you, Laura, there are some licence issues we need to resolve.โ
Nothing.
Then, a few hours later, rather than responding to the emails they're already sitting on or picking up the telephone again, somebody apparently decided that ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ.
And, rather conveniently, it appeared as everyone was leaving work and nobody was available to answer the phone.
With the comments turned off too. ๐
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ป'๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ.
If you're going to publicly name a business and imply that it's advertising unlicensed shows, surely the absolute minimum would be to make sure the information you're publishing is correct and that you've actually communicated with the business first?
Especially when ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
And we're hardly an unknown customer.
We run a huge number of RKC licensed shows. Many of our licences cost us over ยฃ250, compared with around ยฃ60 for many smaller shows, so over the years we've paid a considerable amount to the RKC.
We've also spent a significant amount of money ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, including supporting the team that has literally just returned from the World Championships. We are right now the current Tea, GB Sponsor.
Which makes the sudden enthusiasm for public communication particularly ironic.
At the end of August, Team GB left our venue and removed their posters without telling us they were leaving. We arrived back the following day, realised everything had gone and ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ to find out what was happening โ despite there still being a contract in place.
After three years of financially supporting Team GB, running a huge number of RKC licensed shows, paying thousands of pounds in licence fees and continuing to support agility, I don't think expecting the basic courtesy of a conversation before publicly naming our business is asking very much.
Anyone who has dealt with certain RKC licensing/admin departments over the years will probably understand some of our frustration. I'm sure we're far from the first people to have spent weeks waiting for replies or trying to get relatively simple administrative matters resolved.
But there's another reason I've decided to write this tonight.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ, ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐.
I'm 37. I started agility at 17. That means I've spent ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ โ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ณ ๐บ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ โ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐.
I've grown up around many of the people in it. Some have known me for virtually my entire adult life. Some I've spent enormous amounts of time with, some I've considered very close friends and, perhaps most painfully, some I thought I still was close to.
This year Ive got used to seeing things written about me on Facebook and elsewhere.
Criticism is absolutely fine. I run businesses, I organise events and I make decisions. Of course people won't always agree with me.
But some of what gets written goes far beyond criticism and becomes incredibly personal.
What's particularly upsetting is seeing people who actually know me joining in with comments based on rumours, gossip or one person's version of events โ much of which simply isn't correct.
And you'll probably notice something about us:
We don't usually say anything!
When people post about us, when other businesses behave in ways we don't agree with, or when things are said about me personally, we don't normally retaliate publicly. We don't publish every disagreement or put another company's business all over Facebook.
We try to remain professional and deal with things privately.
Perhaps that's why writing this feels so unusual.
Today, though, I think we're entitled to give some context.
Everyone loves to post ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ, but it's amazing how quickly that sentiment disappears when people think somebody might be having a difficult time.
There sometimes seems to be an almost uncomfortable excitement from a small number of people at the possibility that something might be going wrong for us.
And yes, I know I'm supposed to ignore it.
๐๐๐ ๐'๐บ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐๐ฟ๐๐.
Twenty years is a long time. When you've known people for 10, 15 or 20 years and then watch them publicly speculate about you, repeat things that aren't true or seemingly enjoy the thought that you might be struggling, it changes how you see people.
People always say that difficult times show you who your real friends are & what people are truly like. There is certainly some truth in that.
Are we perfect? Absolutely not.
Do we occasionally make mistakes? Of course we do.
We run businesses, organise a huge number of events and deal with an enormous amount of administration. If something needs sorting, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐.
But what I won't accept is a narrative being created from half a story when a simple telephone call could have resolved the situation.
And I certainly don't think it's unreasonable to expect an organisation such as the ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐น ๐๐น๐๐ฏ to communicate with a business privately and accurately before publicly naming it to thousands of people.
Particularly when ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด. ๐
So, RKC, perhaps next time give us a ring before giving Facebook an update.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐'๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐
