Daily News for the Showing Fancy

Club News

A TDP Exclusive

Mrs, Patti Strand, High Volume Breeders Committee Chairperson  

Part Two

TDP: I have to ask the question uppermost in everyone's mind and that is, why does AKC need money from the puppy mills? Admitting the inequities of taking money from commercial breeders while offering very little dialog, why not just let them go their own way?

PS: “Believe it or not, it isn’t a money issue for any of the members of the committee. AKC has many sources of income besides registration fees. The purpose of our committee, as I said before, is to have an open discussion with the dog fancy about what AKC’s relationship should be to the large scale breeders that register dogs with AKC and to make recommendations about AKC’s current and future policies relative to them.

This question goes right to the core of AKC’s mission. Do we best support our mission by encouraging breeders to leave whose practices we disapprove, even though we know that they simply move to other registries with no standards in place and continue breeding; or, do we continue to work with large scale breeders within the framework of AKC requirements to insure further improvements?

Based on our actual programs and services for purebred dogs, AKC should be recognized as the undisputed leader for all issues related to purebred dogs in America. The problem for AKC and one reason for this committee is that it is impossible to lead on any issue until there is a consensus about what should be done. Until AKC’s constituency reaches consensus about this issue, we can do little more than react to outside forces. In an age of mass communications, if you do not define yourself, you can be sure that others will provide the definition for you.

If we really don’t believe that we can or should maintain a responsible relationship with large-scale breeders in our registry, it would be more honorable to just say so and let everyone get on with it. If on the other hand we consider it within AKC’s mission to promote the best interest of all purebred dogs, then we should stay the course, pushing for improvements that benefit all dogs in our registry. Whatever we decide, we need to make a conscious election for that position and work towards it. A few people have suggested that we should just keep doing what we have in the past. Because the people who suggest this are nearly always the same people who oppose communicating with large scale breeders, what they are really recommending between the lines is to continue the practice of taking their money while ignoring their requests for customer service. Obviously this position doesn’t move anyone to a better place. For the record, no one on the committee endorses this ”head in the sand” (we don’t know why they keep giving us money) approach. Such a position lacks integrity and makes the AKC look like a bunch of phonies and hypocrites. Another reason why this approach doesn’t work is because it puts the decision in the hands of outside forces and leaves AKC waiting for the next shoe to fall. The point is, we need to reach a clear-cut decision, which enables us to lead from a position of strength and integrity.

TDP: What would you say to the show breeder who studies genetics, conformation and health, spends countless hours and a great deal of money producing the best possible specimens, Proving stock in dog shows and yet gets exactly the same piece of paper from AKC as does the commercial breeder who does none of that?

The committee has talked about tiered registration systems, gold stars and several other methods of recognizing breeders who adhere to high standards of conduct. We are also discussing ways to promote the values and expertise of breed enthusiasts on the website, in brochures, articles and television. A lot can be done by developing informative position statements and definitions. As useful as labels are, however, they are also limiting. One thing the committee is very clear about is the need to recognize actual behavior, not just labels. If someone calls himself a hobby breeder but has irresponsible practices, what he calls himself shouldn’t gain him special recognition.

Despite the fact that AKC does more for dogs than any other organization in the world, AKC has often been the target of TV and magazine exposes. AKC gets picked on instead of the 2nd rate registries that do little for dogs, in part, because AKC’s name is big enough to bring headlines to a story that would not be covered otherwise. Often, the kennels portrayed on these shows are illegal operations that would not pass AKC's current inspections. Unfortunately, we have to recognize that the repeated airing of these shows has colored the public’s view of AKC and dog breeding generally. Because of this, part of the committee’s work will be aimed at improving the public image of responsible breeding by showcasing the many elements that go into doing it right: breeding to a standard of excellence, proving ones stock in the ring, working with breed clubs, screening for health issues, placing puppies responsibly, etc. To accomplish this, the committee will be surveying parent clubs in the near future for what they believe to be the hallmarks of responsible breeders in their breed.

TDP: Suppose someone is found guilty of falsifying registrations and the dogs involved have their registrations revoked and the guilty person is suspended. If the person still has possession of the AKC papers and pedigree can they just register the dog with another registry, domestic or foreign, and continue right on breeding dogs? Is that true?

PS: “Yes. There are tons of fly-by-night registries that will happily snap up their papers for a fee. We can’t dictate to other registries how they should operate.

“The committee has several goals they are working to accomplish. First we are performing an assessment of our policies to see if they are working effectively. During the assessment we are identifying and defining a number of key issues ranging from DNA and microchips, to health and humane issues and marketing, public relations, legislation and education. We want to know how our policies and procedures impact the world of purebred dogs. After we’ve made this assessment, we will compile our findings and make recommendations to the AKC Board of Directors. If nothing else emerges from this committee, we will all have learned a great deal more about this subject. What’s really revolutionary here is that we are dealing with a taboo subject in a very public manner. As you know, this has not necessarily been the case with AKC and I can’t tell you how stifling it is to progress not to be able to talk about important subjects openly.

PS: “They have nothing to fear and everything to gain from the work of this committee. The committee members all believe in the values of the hobby breeder and want to promote those values. One of the reason we formed the committee is because in some ironic way, by not dealing with this subject, other groups with different agendas have been able to lump all kinds of breeding together in a way that harms public opinion of all breeders. What is most important is that whatever we do, we do it thoughtfully, deliberately and in a way that enhances the integrity and the reputation of AKC and its constituency.

“I truly believe that the overwhelming majority of our core constituency would be delighted if they could attend our committee meetings and get the full picture of what we are doing. Since they all can’t attend, I hope they will write the committee with any questions or concerns they might have. Interested parties should write hvkc@akc.org

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