Welcome to the Leonberger Club of G.B.
Official Website
ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the third Corona Virus Lockdown everything is still very uncertain regarding forthcoming 2021 events and shows. The site will be updated as further information becomes available.
Thank you for your patience. Madeleine Jephcott, Secretary, LCGB
Site Last updated 19th January 2021
NEWS
The LPN update from Minnesota :
New contact details and information about LPN1 / LPN2 testing
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/academic-departments/vbs/CanineGeneticsLab/LeonbergerPolyneuropathy/index.htm
Sharon has done two short videos to try and illustrate the point of view that health screening does not necessarily reduce the gene pool, but on the contrary, how screening can help to preserve what is already a fragile and fast declining pool of genetic diversity. I know that there are a lot of arguments flying around and this can muddy things quite a lot and make it hard to see the big picture.
1st The first video tries to demonstrate how knowing where the problems are is better than not knowing in terms of keeping the door open to many doubtful lines.
2nd The second tries to make clear what is really draining diversity out of the gene pool and how screening actually helps to preserve what we have.
The first modern day Leonberger was imported in 1975 and the first litter born in 1981. Celia Peters, Fiona Karolus and Sonja Gorbould were the three people who introduced the breed. There had been a couple of Leonbergers in the post war era but none had been bred from. There were many early disappointments but with perseverance the breed has flourished.
The Leonberger Club of Great Britain held it's inaugural meeting in October 1986 and was granted Kennel Club recognition on 30th November 1988. There were 45 members present at that first meeting and today there are about 500. The number of Leonbergers has risen to over 2000 in the UK with many more thousands world wide.
In the UK Leonbergers finally came of age at Crufts 2002, when the first sets of Challenge Certificates were awarded. The first LCGB Championship Show was held on 9th June of that year. This show was the culmination of many years of hard work by many dedicated people and marked yet another milestone for the breed.