We need your help to stop the injustice by DogNSW

Hi, my name is Ken Hammond AFSM, and as a past President of an ANKC state controlling body, my wife Narelle Hammond as been subjected to the worst injustice, discrimination, bullying and harassment by DogsNSW. DogsNSW has breached numerous regulations of their constitution and terminated Narelle Hammond's membership on 15 September 2023.

In early September 2022, Narelle sold a puppy to a returning buyer who had previously purchased two Australian Cattle Dogs from me, one of which still resides with them, making them part of Team Kombinalong and more than acquaintances.

The puppy was healthy and happy, and we ensured all necessary documents were in order before they took their new pup home, including clear DNA results, BAER testing, first vaccination, and health certificate. Narelle offers lifetime support for all my Kombinalong family.

Two weeks later in late September 2022, the new owner informed Narelle that the puppy had been taken to their vet for a second vaccination, where a murmur was detected. She inquired about the murmur's severity, and the owner described it as moderate, mentioning that the vet would reassess the puppy during the next vaccination and sent the owner some information about heart murmurs via text.

Having not received anything from the owner of the pup, and the owner was putting photos of their pup and their other dog on my private FB group “The Kombinalong Family” Narelle considered all was well.

Mid-January 2023 (three months later), the owner reached out again via text, asking if Narelle could arrange an appointment with her vet for a second opinion, as she had suggested back in September 2022. Narelle arranged an appointment with the vet for a second opinion. Prior to this Narelle had the trainer of the pup contact her early January twice within a week, stating that the pup must have a clear health certificate as the owner was to start training the pup as an assistance dog.

Narelle confirmed with the owner with the date and time of the appointment with the vet, which was not suitable to the owner, rescheduled the appointment twice, and finally the owner via text said, “will make it work”.

The owner contacted Narelle again in the AM two days prior to the appointment to ask for the address, which she promptly sent him the veterinary clinic details with the address via text.

That afternoon, the owner contacted Narelle with a couple of phone calls then via text to state that the pup had dropped dead. Narelle immediately attempted to contact him and his wife to try and establish what had happened and offer condolences. In the subsequent conversations with the vet at the emergency vet clinic, Narelle requested a necropsy to establish the cause of death and was then told this was the owner’s decision and they chose not to have their “pup cut up” even though Narelle offered to pay for all the veterinary costs. As a preservation breeder of 47 years who tests for everything and more with her dogs, it is important for Narelle to know what the pup died of as she have never had this happen before.

The following day, the owner contacted Narelle via text to ask when her next litter was and Narelle responded with the date and put the owner on the list of puppy buyers (Narelle was going to provide the family with a pup no charge as a gesture of friendship and good faith) Narelle received a thumbs up emoji from this person.

Late January 2023, the owner contacted a popular Talk Back radio program on 2GB Sydney, where there is a segment with a well-known Veterinary Surgeon. People ring in with their problems to the Pet Vet. The Vet is a very popular, very professional member of the same state governing body of the ANKC that both Narelle and I are members of. The owner identified himself as “Michael from the Central Coast, who had a Blue Heeler that dropped dead”. He asked advice of the vet stating that a breeder had falsified a document. The Vet said, “is the breeder a registered breeder”. Michael said, “Yes she is”. The vet asked no further questions as to whether the caller had contacted the breeder, etc stating that DogsNSW frown upon this he needed to make a formal complaint to DogsNSW about the breeder. I had absolutely no idea what Mr Cross was talking about and immediately told Narelle to listen to this as she was away showing in Melbourne.

The following day, Narelle received a text message from Michael Cross that stated that he would not be getting another pup as they were picking up a pup next week. However, Narelle will be hearing from his lawyer Peter Frazer as to the loss of their beautiful pup. Please refrain from contacting me and Linda from here on. Narelle responded by asking for Michael and Linda’s bank account details and wished them luck with their new pup.

Mid-March 2023, Narelle received a letter from DogsNSW to state that Michael and Linda Cross had made a formal complaint citing breach of regulations “Falsifying health records Fraud under DogsNSW Code of Ethics XII Section 6(iii) 18, 19(I) and 23.

Interesting that there is no Code of Ethics XII in the DogsNSW regulations. However, there is DogsNSW Code of Ethics XIII.

6.A Member shall breed only with the intent of maintaining and/or improving the standard of the Breed and the health, welfare and soundness of their dogs having regard to the following (iii) that the health, physical welfare and fitness for function of dogs is of prime importance.

18. A Member shall ensure that all persons acquiring dogs from that Member clearly understands their responsibility for the care and welfare of the animal and that they have the time and facilities (ie, adequate fences, sufficient room and proper shelter, etc) to perform their obligations.

19. A Member must provide to all new owners of dogs sold or rehomed by that Member, written details of all dietary and immunisation requirements and/or appropriate publications relating to responsible dog ownership and breed specific information; and (i) (ii) (iii) the breeder must provide a veterinary certificate disclosing any known defects and the impact of such defects on the quality of the long term health and well-being of the puppy being rehomed. The breeder must provide copies of all relevant health testing results of the sire, dam and puppy where genetic testing has been carried out. where Litter Registration Limitations are applicable, copies of Sire’s and Dam’s relevant health certificates must be available at the time of sale or rehoming.

23. Members shall at, or prior to, the sale or transfer of a dog provide to the purchaser or transferee written notice of any medical condition, disease or injury from which the dog is suffering. It is a defence to any complaint against a Member for contravention of this Clause if the Member proves that it was not reasonably practicable for the Member to know that the dog was suffering from the medical condition, disease or injury at the time of sale or transfer. It is recommended that members obtain a receipted copy of any notice given pursuant to this Regulation.

Having received the complaint from DogsNSW and Mr and Mrs Cross who are not members of DogsNSW Narelle then directed DogsNSW to the following:

DogsNSW Complaint Procedure

DOGS NSW will not become involved in disputes between members in relation to the sale of dogs. These are usually private matters to be determined by the contractual agreements between parties. Disputes on such matters should be resolved through NSW Fair Trading/NCAT or the Courts and not by DOGS NSW.

Narelle also advised DogsNSW that she had requested a copy of the alleged falsified documentation and received a photocopy of two pages of a vaccination diary with no identification.

Rather than go into all the trauma that ensued I will briefly timeline

Narelle and I were not present at the first DogsNSW hearing (June 3, 2023) as it had been cancelled and rescheduled, however, due to Michael and Linda Cross’s insistence as they had paid for flights and accommodation from their holiday home on the coast of NSW, the committee continued with the hearing in our absence.

During the second hearing a month later (August 12, 2023) the chairperson did not permit Narelle time to cross-examine Mr. Cross who was not present in person, but on the phone. The chairperson and the committee already had the evidence from Michael and Linda Cross from the previous hearing that we had not attended as it had been cancelled. The chairperson was in a rush, frequently stating that he had eight hearings to conduct that day, which led to a swift progression of the hearing.

Throughout this hearing, the other two committee members did not speak. The day after, Narelle got the committee's report from DogsNSW indicating that it was deemed guilty of document falsification, with no evidence presented, and faced the penalty of having my DogsNSW Membership terminated.

We was in complete shock as Mr Cross had not presented any evidence and Narelle immediately appealed the penalty. The appeal hearing on September 15, 2023, with the Chairperson another committee member on Zoom. The Zoom was unsatisfactory, with technical glitches, frozen screen and difficulty in the audio. This committee dismissed my appeal.

The following 1 year, 4 months, and 24 days until 8 February 2025 consisted of lawyers, barristers, court matters, mediation, plus more than $200,000.00 of Ken’s superannuation, Narelle's mum’s loan and any other $$$ we could get our hands on to pay for this injustice. DogsNSW have also spending lots of members money fighting our legal counsel.

8 February 2025 saw both parties agree to a brand-new hearing. New committee etc. Mr and Mrs Cross did not attend yet again, only by phone. Both Narelle and I considered the committee was much better and appeared impartial. Narelle presented the report from the forensic handwriting specialist, which clearly stated that whatever was on the vaccination certificate was not her handwriting. The committee did not even look at the report. A witness and a stat dec from that witness which the committee did not even look at, who was present on the day when the vaccinations were done by the mobile veterinarian.

It took two weeks for the report to be emailed to me from DogsNSW.

The result. My termination of DogsNSW membership was lifted, however, based on probability that Narelle had committed the crime the committee deemed that Narelle to be suspended as a member of DogsNSW for another 2 years and 6 months. 5 years suspension for selling a dog that was healthy, happy and dropped dead with no evidence of what it died of and someone (not me) falsified a health certificate.

We are shattered as Narelle has done nothing, zero. Narelle immediately appealed the decision and waited for a date of appeal. DogsNSW advised her late on Friday 28 March 2025 that the appeal by Zoom with the unsatisfactory technical glitches, frozen screen and difficulty in the audio will be on 28 April 2025 (2 months and 17 days after the third hearing)

We have had death threats, property damage, attempted baiting of my dogs, lots of horrid text messages and FB messages about all the dreadful things Narelle has done!! Two RSPCA raids, both instigated by Mr Cross.

We share this with you because we endure this nightmare daily. Narelle wake up every day for the past 777 days thinking is this really happening. As a dedicated member of the ANKC, she have been wrongfully accused of a crime I did not commit.

She thinks about her dogs, her four-legged family, whom she and I care for each day, and her breeding program that spans 47 years. Everything is gone! Her All Breeds ANKC/FCI judge's license disappeared! Her breeding partner, Anne Hickey, has six dogs registered with the Kombinalong prefix, but she hasn't been able to breed or show for 777 days now. She is an innocent bystander in this calamity. Narelle has three young, unregistered females and cannot register or breed any dogs under the ANKC/FCI pedigree.

As a qualified retired veterinary nurse, Narelle has always acted with integrity and honesty, offering everything she can and beyond for this dog owner as she does with all her dog owners. She has always been transparent with all puppy owners. Always been upfront with everything she has done. She is the only breeder in the breed that has tested for everything and more in my breed.

DogsNSW have been relentless in their pursuit of Narelle. DogsNSW has opted to prioritize a non-member rather than a devoted long-term member who has contributed significantly to an organization that does not adequately support its members.

There are numerous projects Narelle still needs to finish. However, two of them are currently on hold because she had to use the saved funds to tackle this problem. We failed, and the legal system failed both Narelle and me, affecting all our dogs and our life in the dog world, which has been our passion and reason for living.

I wholeheartedly thank those who have taken the time to read this. Life is too short to linger any longer on this massive miscarriage of justice.

Narelle Hammond was the brains behind the Great Cattle Dog Muster www.greatcattledogmuster.com.au and DogsNSW ripped that away from her after 3 years of hard work.

Narelle Hammond established Canine Construction and Conformation FB group July 14, 2018, and it is open to all purebred dog enthusiasts, including dog show participants, breeders, and licensed judges from across the globe.

The platform serves as an international educational forum for those passionate about purebred dogs, focusing on essential structure and locomotion mechanics. We encourage discussions about both common and rare breeds, inviting breed specialists to share their insights. Current memberhip worldwide 27,000 and growing daily. All the admins are volunteers. For more information join FB group Canine Construction and Conformation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninecandc

We ask for your assistance in fighting this injustice. So far, it has cost Narelle and I in excess of $200,000.00 through the court system.

Mrs and Mrs Cross have now taken court action separately to DogsNSW. The funds will assists Narelle to continue the fight against Mr and Mrs Cross and their false case.