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What is the connection between AKC, UKC, other breed
registries, and Puppy Mills?
Most people who
breed purebred dogs claim some affiliation with a registry as a seal of quality
for their puppies. Many use that affiliation as a marketing tool, but buyers
often learn the hard way that an AKC puppy purchased from a pet store or a
backyard breeder is highly unlikely to be of the same caliber as an AKC
registered puppy purchased from a reliable breeder.
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What does "registration" really
mean?
It means that the
puppy's parents, grandparents, and antecedents back a specified number of
generations were registered. Period. That's all it means. Registration is
neither a guarantee nor even an indication of quality. Nor does it tell you
WHERE your puppy came from, if you buy it from a pet store. It doesn't
guarantee that the puppy didn't come from a "puppy mill" - you know,
those horrible places you hear about where the dogs live in deplorable
conditions and are bred solely for profit, with no thought to the pain and
suffering inflicted on these poor animals.
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Who is the AKC and what do they do? (the following
is a direct quote from AKC)
"The
American Kennel Club (AKC), a not-for-profit organization established in 1884,
maintains a purebred dog registry, sanctions dog events, and promotes
responsible dog ownership. AKC registration means a dog, its parents, and its
ancestors are purebred, but it does not indicate health or quality."
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AKC Registered and the "Quality" of
your Pet Shop Puppy
There is a widely
held belief that AKC or AKC papers guarantee quality. This is
just not true. The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry body. A
registration certificate identifies the dog as the offspring of a known sire
and dam, born on a known date and NOTHING MORE.
Again quoting the
AKC website: "Papers" DO NOT indicate quality or promise a
healthy dog. Quality in the sense of "show quality" is
determined by many factors including the dog's health, physical condition,
ability to move and appearance. Commercial and large-scale breeders and many
"back yard breeders" breed their dogs for profit, NOT for the quality
demands of meeting a breed standard. When dogs are bred over and over in poor
conditions with improper nutrition and little vet care, the animals, while
still "pure-bred with papers," can be of extremely low quality. (See
"Indy's Story" elsewhere on
our website for another example.)
Too many people
believe that if they buy a dog that is AKC registered, it means that it came
from a responsible, knowledgeable breeder who actually "cared" about
the puppies they were breeding. Don't be mislead.
The AKC
furthermore warns buyers that THEY are responsible for getting the registration
paperwork from the seller: "When 'papers' are not available at the time of
delivery, it is a red-flag warning sign to exercise extreme caution."
Please see:
http://www.akc.org/reg/about.cfm for the full American
Kennel Club explanation of their Registry and how it works. This is interesting
reading, addresses many misconceptions, and also spells out the AKC's
responsbilities, the breeder/seller's responsibilities, and the buyer's
responsibilities.
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A Note on Other Breed Registries:
The AKC, founded
in 1884, is the oldest and largest breed registry organization in the US, but
not the only one. The UKC or United Kennel Club, was established in 1898 and is
the second oldest breed registry in the US.
While some
alternative breed registries were legitimately formed to promote and register
established breeds, including those not recognized by the AKC, several new
registries have been formed by puppy millers whose registry privileges have
been revoked by the AKC or UKC due to complaints about breeding practices.
For more on the
topic of breed registries, and a list of questionable breed registries, please
see the "Chosing a Good Breeder" section of the
"They're All
Keepers!" website.
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 When Breed Registries can actually harm dogs:
Breed registries
not only register the ancestry of pure-bred dogs, they also define what the
dogs should look like, how they should hold their tails, what their temperament
should be, etc. The stated purpose of disqualifying non-desirable traits is to
eliminate them from the gene pools. This is often a good thing, as in the case
of some colorings and markings that appear to be genetically linked with
disorders such as deafness, etc.
A scrupulous
breeder will generally sell animals exhibiting "disqualifying" traits
as pets only, on a spay/neuter contract. However, a puppy miller will either
breed with total disregard for the consequences, or destroy the puppies
(generally by less than humane means). The liver Boston Terrier pictured on the
left is an example: he was rescued as a puppy from a dumpster at a puppy mill
auction! (You can read about him here.)
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