REGISTRY,
Breed & kennel Club NEWS
AKC’S PET SHOP PRIME
AKC’s super-secret
Puppy Registration & Inventory Management
Extranet (PRIME) online pet shop software is “designed to add
puppies to inventory, view puppy information, and sell and return
puppies.”
When the Delegates rebelled against AKC’s contract with Petland in
2006, The Dog Press
cautioned against complacency, predicting that a financial alliance
between the American Kennel Club, pet shops
and puppy mills was in fact, not off the table.
©
TheDogPress
12|31|09
- PRIME was
copyrighted in early 2009 but development must have begun at a time
when the fancy had summarily rejected any pet shop deals.
PRIME goes far beyond Petland as it appears to be for all pet shop outlets.
The cost (paid to an outside firm) must have been staggering.
Our researchers were unable to find any mention of PRIME
on the AKC website so the editor called David Roberts, VP in charge of
registration. As in the past, he cordially refused to answer any
questions without the approval of AKC President, Dennis Sprung.
We
called Mr. Sprung who refused the call. The editor then emailed 5 simple questions to Sprung and
Roberts. AKC’s non-response is included below. We can assume
that AKC is not one bit happy that we are revealing the pet shop program
in its entirety. Rest assured, The Dog Press is not happy
about exposing PRIME either but
our readers expect and deserve the facts.
Insiders
can examine the
complete AKC
document
what PRIME does for pet shop & puppy mills
(be patient, huge file, with images) and how
the program works but here is a brief overview for the entire fancy.
Insiders will appreciate the back-story,
The New AKC, a letter sent to “valued breeders” announced special offers, assistance with “registration
paperwork and pedigrees of dogs that are currently not registered
the AKC”, “breeder education/support at seminars and on-site
visits", and other inducements for high volume breeders such as “registration
coupons” and assistance “with the DNA costs.” We
are told show breeders did not receive this letter.
PRIME is an editable, searchable,
online software inventory and transfer application for pet shops, designed to
facilitate locating, registering a puppy, and handling the return of
pet shop puppies. Through user name and password, store
employees can access puppies available at that location and other “authorized
personal” have access to multiple stores.
The
inventory enables pet shops chains to “view/display/sort”
the current puppy inventory and “print puppy forms.”
Users can “return a puppy” or “search for a puppy” as
well as “edit and/or sell a puppy.”
Contrary
to the Delegates vote in 2006, full breeding AKC
registration can be purchased at the store. If not purchased at the
time of sale, buyers receive a “Simplified AKC Dog
Registration Application” for a flat fee of $29.95 which may
be submitted online or by mail.
Customers
have 21 days in which to return the puppy and that too is easily
handled through the PRIME program. Gone is the breeder-instilled
commitment to a new puppy. Gone is the traditional breeder
support. The sales-aid return policy can lead to unnecessary stress,
mismanage, or abuse of puppies.
We were
unable to determine what happens when a puppy is registered and
named at the store. If returned, does it keep the name “Bowser” or
is the next owner allowed to re-name the dog? Remember, after
200 years, AKC recently announced that new owners can change a dog's
name - for a fee. Are pet shops charged the same fee?
Was the new service a secret solution for complications of PRIME
puppy returns?
“Dogs
can also be added to the general inventory by the AKC based on the
AKC’s assessment of the dog’s pedigree.” The store has only
to fax pedigrees (plural) for non-AKC dogs and the AKC staff will
determine if the dog is eligible for AKC registration within two
business days. Now that’s service! Eligible dogs will then
be automatically uploaded to the inventory. More on the
implications of registering non-AKC litters later.
Bearing
in mind that store staff may not know a Brittany from a Cocker, the
online Puppy Registration & Inventory Management system makes it
easy. Puppies can be added to inventory and transferred to new
owners in one step.
The puppy’s microchip number and/or store
number can also be added. It appears that microchips are inserted at the puppy mill
facilities at a very young age. That way there’s no need to keep
puppies in litter lots while being trucked across country. Properly
inserted microchips make it possible to regroup littermates and
ascertain pedigrees from mass-breeding operations.
The
buyer’s names and contact information are entered online,
including website if any,
all of which provides a permanent record of who bought what, the
transaction amount, etc. but we assume credit card and other private
info is adequately protected and not shared with any other agencies.
Opportunity to justify or
further explain PRIME was offered to the AKC President and the
Registration Dept. Vice President as follows in part:
We would prefer to include a response from AKC along with
information on the program. Everyone is painfully aware of the drop
in registration income and speaking for myself and our readers, we
want AKC to continue as the nation’s number one registry. We can
report the news but providing rationale for the program would be
better done by your offices.
1. Was PRIME developed before or after the Petland contract fell
through?
2. Is it currently in effect?
3. Is the software or service available for show breeders?
4. Can any HVB or pet shop access and use it?
5. Where is the PRIME program published on the AKC website?
We received this emailed response from David Roberts,
Monday, 12/28/09
Barbara;
Your questions refer to an internal business matter. Because of
the competitive nature of our business, we are unable to provide you
with confidential information regarding this, or any other business
process.
Sincerely,
David Roberts
VP Registration Services
American Kennel Club
The Dog
Press understands that the American Kennel Club has always
registered puppy mill puppies, and why that must be so. We do not
however, accept the purported AKC financial crisis as an excuse for
actively seeking to corner the High Volume Breeders market. If AKC
were to do as many other large corporations have done, i.e. cut
their
Presidential Salaries, stop discounting to puppy mills while
raising fees for show breeders and clubs, and most of all, promote
the concept of buying a well-bred purebred from a show breeder, the
American Kennel Club and its subsidiary not-for-profit entities
could continue to show a very profitable bottom line.
In the meantime, what AKC once termed its core constituency will
continue to desert the pack. Perhaps that is the goal. If that be
so, The Dog Press should be rewarded for releasing what has been
termed “the hottest story of the year.” If you care about quality
purebreds and the future of the sport, stay tuned, there’s more to
come.
http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/10011-AKC-PRIME-Pet-Shops.asp