If Your Dog Has AKC Papers It Is Not A Guarantee

As I begin this post I have to make a confession, I am a HUGE fan of the American Kennel Club.  I believe they are better than any other organized group at getting information out to the public on responsible dog ownership, promoting the purebred dog, and holding great dog events all year long around the United States.  I have met some remarkable and very good friends through AKC events, and some of my favorite life memories have been at AKC events.  I can't say enough of what the AKC Canine Good Citizen program has meant to the canine being better prepared to be a part of a community, and I am always thankful for the AKC Canine Health Foundation and its advancement to find a healthier life for our best friends.  So you may find it surprising when I say that you won't impress me if you say "My dog has AKC papers". 

Unfortunately, the prestige of the American Kennel Club has led people to believe that the registered papers of a dog with the AKC is a stamp of excellence.  Actually it just means that the sire and dam of the puppy were registered with the AKC.  If the parents are registered the offspring are then allowed to be registered.  So the papers just mean the parents are registered. 

There is no guarantee as to the health, temperament, or ability to perform when a dog has AKC papers.  I have seen some dogs that barely resemble their breed and their owners have assured me their dog was registered with the AKC.  The one thing that I always want to scream about is when someone will tell me they had a breeder that wanted to charge them more for the papers of a puppy and they decided not to do it.  SHAME on that breeder!  A responsible breeder will want to maintain the integrity of the AKC registry and will definitely want you to register your puppy, not try to charge you more money.  So, please don't buy from a breeder that wants to charge you more for your papers.

Don't take the puppy if you don't get the papers.  Don't count on getting the papers if you don't have them in hand when you get the puppy.  Many times a back yard breeder will tell people that they haven't gotten the papers in yet, and hope that you will buy the puppy and fall in love with it and forget about the papers.  Should you send the puppy back to the breeder because you don't have papers.  No, I wouldn't because unless you were wanting to breed or show in conformation then you don't need the papers.  Just don't fall for that line next time.

The breeder that tells you they will give you the papers once you have the dog spayed or neutered is not following a good practice either.  I think a dog that is neutered or spayed is a better family dog for a family with children or are new to dog ownership.  I think a dog that is neutered or spayed will have less health problems.  So, yes I do advocate spay or neuter but not holding onto the papers to make sure you do it.  The AKC already has a way for the breeder to assure that a puppy should not be bred and have registerable litters.  That is by checking the box on the registration papers that says "limited registration".  A dog with limited registration cannot have offspring registered with the AKC.  Responsible breeders that want a puppy to not reproduce can mark limited registration.  The puppy is still registerable and can still compete in performance events like agility, obedience, etc., it just can't have registerable litters.

If you have a purebred dog that maybe you lost the papers and have no documentation to help you determine the breeder, parents, etc., or you have a purebred dog where one of the parents was never registered, which means your dog could not be registered.  You can still get AKC papers to allow you to compete in performance events.  Even if you have a rescue dog that's parentage is completely unknown.  If your dog is deemed to be purebred, looks like a particular breed, and acts like the breed then you can apply through the AKC to get ILP (Indefinite Listing Privilege) or as of February 2008 was changed to the PAL, Purebred Alternative Listing.  Your dog must be spayed or neutered to get a PAL.  You will fill out a very simple form, send two specific pictures of your dog (explanation of the views of your dog required are on the form), paperwork from your vet confirming the spay or neuter, plus the PAL fee of $35.  In return your dog will be registered with the AKC and you can now enter any event other than conformation.  You can compete in agility, obedience, rally, tracking and any other of the many AKC events and get titles and have all the fun your heart desires. 

Now, back to the registry.  While the fact that your dog has AKC papers won't impress me, if you tell me that your dog is registered with perhaps the Continental Kennel Club or the American Purebred Registry or any of those other registries that are out to get your money and help puppy mills make a buck at the expense of the dog and the buyer, I will be sorely disappointed.  There are lots of registries out there that will register any dog of any breed, whether you just made it up, or it is actually your cat who thinks it is a dog.  Really.  They will take your money, give you a sheet a paper and tell you that the dog is registered.  Most of these registries are to help puppy mills sell their dogs.  Pet stores will then tell you that the dogs are registered, and make a big deal out of helping you fill out your paperwork.  Also, back yard breeders that bred dogs that don't have AKC papers will try and make it up to you by registering the litter with another registry.  I have even been told that one of these particular registries was actually picked by the breeder instead of the AKC because they didn't like how the AKC was breeding dogs.  Hmmmm, the AKC doesn't breed dogs.  My guess is that the breeder COULDN'T register the litter with the AKC and decided to turn it into a statement that would make it look like a CHOICE.  No responsible breeder would bother with these immoral registries. 

Beware of dogs that are registered with some of these groups.  Sometimes the litters are from commercial breeders, puppy mills, and from breeders that have been banned by the AKC.  The AKC will ban breeders that are arrested and convicted of animal abuse and neglect.  The will also "unregister" a litter and ban a breeder if the litter is found through DNA tests to not be from the sire and dam stated on the paperwork. 

So, don't think that papers are a selling point.  Don't think your papers are a guarantee of anything other than the dog's parentage.  Don't feel left out if you have a dog that isn't registered, get your dog's Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL).  Don't even feel left out if your dog is a mixed breed, because the AKC is thinking of allowing some events to be open to mixed breed dogs in the future.

My heart breaks every time someone who finds out their 3 month old puppy has hip dysplasia, or their dog's temperament is not what it should be and they state to me with emotion "...but it has AKC papers".  That is why I decided to write this blog post.  I hope you will visit the AKC website before you buy a puppy.  Learn what you need to know about registration papers.  Don't use the papers as a guarantee of anything.  Meet the dam of your puppies, ask important questions of your breeder (go back and read my previous posts on responsible breeders), research health issues of your breed and expect health checks and clearances on the parents, grandparents and many generations back.  Ask these questions on the phone before you see the puppies so your emotions don't get the best of you when you see those little fuzzy faces.  It is up to you to make sure your puppy has been bred with the betterment of the bred in mind, with important health tests done and clearances received, that it is healthy, and you have a breeder that will be there for the puppy and for you for its entire life.  If you don't, then you put money in the pocket of someone who is not doing the right thing and you are contributing to their practice.  They will breed more puppies.  More puppies will have health problems, and more dogs will live lives of pain and ill health, and more families will have heartbreak.  It is up to you.  It isn't up to the AKC.

Till later, woofs!