The Bearded Collie Joint Breed Liaison Committee (JBLC) was formed in 2009 following a recommendation from the Kennel Club that all breeds should have such a body and appoint a Breed Health Coordinator. The Committee comprises an independent chair, secretary, the Breed Health Coordinator and two representatives from each of the UK Bearded Collie Clubs (Southern Counties Bearded Collie Club, Bearded Collie Club, Bearded Collie Club of Scotland, Eastern Bearded Collie Association, Midshires Bearded Collie Club and North of England Bearded Collie Club).
The SCBCC representatives are Sarah Ritchie and Lynn Dumbrell.
The Breed Health Coordinator’s role is to facilitate the communication and collection of data on the breed health. The Coordinator for Bearded Collies is Elizabeth Ayrton BVSc MRCVS. If you have any health related questions regarding your Bearded Collie, or would like to contribute health information, please email Elizabeth.
The constitution of the JBLC, approved in 2014, can be found here. Whilst originally intended that the business of the JBLC should be largely about the health of the breed, the Committee also considers issues that while initially not necessarily appearing to be health related, could have a far reaching effect on the health and welfare of the breed.
The JBLC would also encourage all Beardie owners to upload, and keep updated, information on their dogs to the BeaCon Open Health Registry database. It is important that information on all Beardies, whether healthy or with issues, is collected so that a true picture of the breed can be formed.
The latest documents and statements from the JBLC can be found below and current health initiatives can be found in the list of useful links at the top of this page.
JBLC Annual Health Survey 2020
Stud Dog Checklist (a checklist of the type of questions a breeder can ask potential stud dog owners)
Information to help in selecting a sire (an article explaining the above checklist and covers points to consider when selecting a stud dog)