RULE CHANGE, NAME CHANGE, NO SMALL CHANGE!

Want to rename the puppy?  No problem.  The AKC Name Change Rule Change complicates pedigree research and prevents show breeders from tracking dogs or show wins. 

August 2008  Staff -  So why does AKC provide this wonderful new name change service? Because allowing buyers to change the name forces breeders to register and name each puppy in a litter in order to protect their breeding program?  Could be.  At $25 per name change, that could amount to $millions in previously lost income. 

If breeders don't individually register each puppy, new or subsequent owners can change the name, including removal of your unregistered kennel name. If however, you have registered and named each puppy, AKC promises to get your permission before allowing them to rename the pet puppy. 

Only dedicated breeders who have a kennel name to protect will care.  And care they will when their kennel name starts showing up on non-related puppy mill breeding stock! 

AKC's "Name Change Rule" should have been front page news in March but amazingly, The Dog Press was the only publication that thought it interesting.  We presented the official press release (see below) but it wasn't until we connected the rule change with AKC's decision to allow Registration of Non-Registered Dogs (ref #1) that the circle was complete. 

Here's how it works.  In case you didn't register your kennel name and each puppy in every litter, anyone can "get the papers" through AKC's new "Administrative Pedigree Research Service".  Even if you sold the puppy as a pet and withheld the papers so it couldn't be bred.  (Right.  We used to do it that way.)  They can then sell the dog to a breeding factory or they can breed it themselves.

It doesn't matter if you withheld papers!  It probably isn't stretching imagination to say someone could go to a breed rescue or shelter, adopt what looks like a purebred dog, say they lost its papers, provide a dummied up pedigree (available online) and get AKC registration papers.  Has it been done?  No one will ever know because AKC does not require any proof of purchase, or breed, or of quality.  Just a pedigree. 

Okay you register every puppy so it doesn't concern you.  Think not?  Unless you paid AKC for a registered kennel name, with the name change rule, any puppy mill can add your well known kennel name to increase progeny price and salability.  Remember, Hunte has a huge foreign market.  Still not worried?

Did you know that puppies have been falsely registered as sired by big-name champions?  (ref #2) Easy enough,  Whole litters have been fabricated using AKC registration numbers right out of show catalogs.  Yep.  That too.  But who cares?  In the overall scheme of things, health, genetics, quality; none of that seems to matter to today's AKC. 

Here is AKC's new ruling that they are pleased to announce and even happier to provide. When you have read it, scroll to the end for gold links and to get the FARF pup to help you explain it to your friends because they won't believe you otherwise.

March 2008 - New York, NY- The American Kennel Club® (AKC) is pleased to announce a registration rule change that now allows owners of AKC registered dogs to change the official name of their pet. Dogs are eligible if they were born in the U.S., have never been bred, or have not won any awards at an AKC event.

"We have a lot of interest from AKC registered dog owners looking to rename their dogs," said David Roberts, AKC's Assistant Vice President of Registration. "In most cases, the dog is a beloved pet and the owner would like to pick a name that has special value to them. The new rule allows owners to change the name when transferring their AKC registered dog, or to request a name change at any time."

Previously, a policy was in place that only allowed the owner to change a dog's name if the dog had been individually registered by its breeder and the request was accompanied by written permission from the breeder. The new regulation reads:

"The name of a dog registered with The American Kennel Club will be allowed to be changed provided the dog was whelped in the United States and in cases where the breeder(s) first individually registered the dog, their written consent would be required. A dog name containing a Registered Kennel Name cannot be changed without the written consent of the owner(s) of that Registered Kennel Name.

However, no change in the name will be recorded by The American Kennel Club after the dog has produced or sired an AKC registered litter or received an award at an AKC licensed or member event.

Any name change must comply with all AKC requirements."

The service fee for a name change is $25. The Dog Name Change Authorization form is located online at http://www.akc.org/pdfs/ADCG01.pdf  The completed form can be faxed to the AKC at: 919-816-4261 or mailed to the address on the application.

(The release is followed by the standard tag line to which we have added bold emphasis as a reminder of AKC’s stated purpose and service to the fancy.)

The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 20,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the Dog. For more information, visit www.akc.org  

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