The puppy-buyer contacted the Kennel Club who confirmed that the puppy is KC-registered but said there was nothing they could do. Even though the new owner has a sales contract that proves unequivocally that the dog is hers, the Kennel Club is unable, apparently, to furnish her with the dog's KC registration certificate. The KC also refused to write to the breeder - telling the new owner that they had no duty to do so and, instead, she should seek recourse through Trading Standards.
The rather astonished puppy-buyer pointed out to the KC that there is a clause in the Kennel Club's Code of Ethics which asks that a breeder "...will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available."
The puppy-buyer also pointed out that, at the foot of the KC's Code of Ethics, it states:
"Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate."
The puppy-buyer asked if the KC could, therefore, put some pressure on the breeder who has clearly broken the KC's code of ethics.
And back came this reply:
"The code is the KC saying how we would like people to behave. If people choose not to abide by the code then we cannot take action. We do not plan to discuss the matter of the certificate with the breeder - your recourse is through the normal legal channels. Due to the current volume of work in the office I cannot give further priority to your messages and any future email will have to be dealt with as written correspondence and you will need to allow at least 28 days for reply."
How to win friends and influence people, eh?