AKC registration of mixed breed dogs

[Novel]

You think ridiculous, right? Well, in April it was proposed at the AKC Board meeting to allow the registration of mixed breed dogs in a separate registry.

From: http://www.akc.org/pdfs/about/board_minutes/0406.pdf

Originally Posted by AKC April Board Meeting

New Business
During New Business, a number of issues were discussed and subjects raised including:
• A review and possible enhancements to AKC’s Inspection program.
• The concept of a separate mixed breed enrollment.
• How to improve communications between AKC Delegate Committees and the Board and staff.
• The scope and format of the Delegate minutes, e.g. should there be actual minutes or a full transcript?
• The Drafting Dog event proposal.
• A Master Class for Juniors.
• Should titles be included on litter certificates?

What do you all think? Obviously conformation showing is out, or maybe not... What do you think are the AKC's motivations? Is it for the best of the dog? or would it be further promoting the whole fad?

[poodlesmom]

Personally I'm against it. I can see all the "doodle" breeders just lining up!

If they want to do something for mixed breeds they could sponsor sporting events such as obedience, agility, rally, etc. for spayed/neutered mixed breeds. I know at the school we go to there are many owners of mixed breeds who would love to be able to participate in events such as this even though they would be just for fun. They work just as hard at training as those with purebreeds do. This could be an additional source of funding for the AKC and they could earmark a percentage for donations for something dog related.

[protodog]

Would the dogs have to be spayed/neutered, or would the AKC register intact mutts? Many other groups, including the UKC, ASCA, NADAC, and USDAA, allow spayed/neutered mutts to register and to compete in companion events, but the dogs must have proof of spay/neuter. I'm in favor of the AKC following their example but not in favor of allowing intact mutts to compete.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I agree with Poodlesmom.

What do you think are the AKC's motivations?

Money.

[Novel]

You can already register your unpapered dog through AKC with the ILP (indenfinite - listing privelege (sp?)) All ILP dogs must have a vet cert saying they've been altered, So, I can only assume that these would be intact dogs.

Crossfire, unfortunately I have to agree. I think the AKC doesn;t want to miss this gravy train, and are willing to sell out the purebreds and everything purebred breeder's work so hard to illegitimatize.

Again, with any sort of "recognition" of mixed breeds, I wonder if it's attention where we would best be "ignoring" the behavior we don't like. Works for dogs right! I've seen some pretty mixed looking ILP dogs in obedience. I know you have to send pictures with your ILP application, but, I'm sure the AKC doesn't expect these dogs to look all that pure, and I wonder if anyone has ever been turned down because their dog didn't look like a specific breed?

[protodog]

Originally Posted by Novel

Again, with any sort of "recognition" of mixed breeds, I wonder if it's attention where we would best be "ignoring" the behavior we don't like. Works for dogs right! I've seen some pretty mixed looking ILP dogs in obedience. I know you have to send pictures with your ILP application, but, I'm sure the AKC doesn't expect these dogs to look all that pure, and I wonder if anyone has ever been turned down because their dog didn't look like a specific breed?

Can't answer you there, but I can tell you that I never bothered applying because my dogs don't look like purebreds.

I wholeheartedly agree about not registering intact mutts; doing so is a terrible idea. However, I think not allowing the spayed/neutered mutts to compete ends up rewarding and punishing the wrong people. I could spend $200 on a BYB AKC dog and have access to all of the AKC companion events, but if I choose to be responsible and instead spend that $200 on a mutt that either comes pre-spayed/neutered or I have the dog spayed/neutered, the dog and I don't get to compete. Yes, I could spend more money on a well-bred dog, but not everybody has that kind of money. So, if I don't have a lot of money, the AKC will reward me for going to a BYB and punish me for adopting. That's backwards.

I should probably mention that I, personally, will never go to a BYB and know how to save money for the things I really want. But I've known several people without a lot of money who went to BYBs instead of to shelters because they wanted to be able to participate in AKC agility.

[britishbandit]

Nope, I don't like it at all. One of the things those designer breeders DON'T have (at the moment), is the choice to register these dogs (at least through the major Kennel Clubs, I'm not talking the Continental or United here...lol). Now I know first hand how much the general public know about registration around here. Where they get it from, who knows, but some people consider "registered" to mean "titled"?? Also some of the already aweful BYB's get away with high priced purebreds because their dogs are registered. The belief that simply because they are registered, gives some kind of false impression that these dogs must have been "most definately" worthy of breeding. Oh yeah, how so? Those pedigrees with nothing to prove but some "unknown" names maked on a piece of paper. Of course, because it "looks good" right? I just feel that with people being able to register mixed breeds, it will only boost these bad breeding practices to become even worse than they already are.
Like the overpopulation of dogs isn't already out of hand, lets get on out there and make it worse.
Why does everything always have to be about money? Makes me sick!

[elegy]

Originally Posted by Novel

You can already register your unpapered dog through AKC with the ILP (indenfinite - listing privelege (sp?)) All ILP dogs must have a vet cert saying they've been altered, So, I can only assume that these would be intact dogs.

you cannot ILP a mixed breed dog or a non-akc breed dog. and, yes, there are people who are turned down. i know specifically of people who have been turned down when trying to ILP pit bulls as amstaffs. if this were for ILP registration of any speutered mixed-breed dog for participation in dog sports, i would 110% support it, as i think it's obnoxious that the akc excludes them.

i have very little respect for the akc, but i really can't see them allowing mixed-breed dogs into their registries.

[Raised By Wolves]

My personal standing is to reduce the entire pet popultion and promote the adoption and rehabilitation of the dogs, who have already been born.

Every puppy born, whether purebred, mutt, or, "new breed wanna-be", adds to both the dog population, and the statistics.

That said, to say that we have enough breeds, and never have an open mind to a combination of lines, which might truely benifit someone in a particular situation, (which is why breeds became specialized to begin with), is to say "We are done and there is no area for improvement in a journey with a key component of mankind's relationship with the dog".

What turns me off, is the trendy, fadish angle of marketing these...er, ah... "mixes", and the high price tag they fetch as an almost "Goucci" item.

Want a puggle? Wait awhile and then find yourself a gem, (along with a lot of wonderful mixed breed gems), at the local shelter.

I see cute, trendy dogs as "impulse" or "ego" buys for some folks. Eventually, once many of these dogs are passed off to a shelter, adopting a "pugglygoldenoodle", will be a "good" thing in order to help a dog, who had no choice in the matter. I'm sure there will be an abundence of these dogs in the coming years.

I have a rule regarding all dogs and our humane responsibility to them: Once they're born, they count.

AKC registration? I would much rather see more primative breeds such as the Tibetan Mastiff and the Catahoula Leopard Dog, recognised first!

[PawNclaws]

I can't imagin AKC allowing mutts to be registered. My guess is for the money.... Lets hope the AKC board actually reads responses they receive and change their minds on NOT letting this happen.. This whole designer dog thing is getting completly out of control ; its uncalled for..

[bigdoglover]

I agree with Sonja and Poodlesmom.

[linnie]

so what they are trying to do is register these crossbreed as a breed????
i so totally cant see how that would benefit the dog world at all.
And it certainly would be a punch in the face to all the truly dedicated breeders who have worked so hard to make thier chosen breed healthy.
Or am I totally reading this wrong???

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I feel the same way, I look at this as a slap to the face of every reputable breeder out there that has worked so hard to keep their breed of choice as it should be.

I have nothing against dogs of mixed heritage and as has already been said, "once their born they count" but what purpose other than AKC gaining a registration fee would it serve to register mixed breeds? AKC has many quality programs that I remain proud of but in all honesty the registry is beginning to slide downhill at blurring speed. It seems that they have started what continues to be the downfall of many registries, the all mighty dollar and in my opinion, if they continue down their current path it will be the pure bred dog that suffers for it in the end.

[SJS]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but aren't most of our purebred dogs the result of selective cross breeding? Like the Doberman?

[Ritz459]

Yep, they wre bred with selective cross breeding and they were developed for a purpose that no other dog could fill. We have so many breeds right now that just creating more mutts while there are so many in shelters in rediculous. As a matter of fact, even breeding a pruebred dog just for companionship isn't doing a whole lot of good either. Now showing and working your dogs is one thing, but breeding a litter of 10 Golden Retriever puppies and then selling them to be "pets" isn't right.

And I think that the only thing that registering crossbreeds would be accomplishing would be for people who breed them irrisponsibly to have a selling point...."It is AKC registered so it must be a breed!" *gag*