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Barbara J. Andrews © TheDogPress  01|26|10 - The term “Responsible Breeder” was first used in TheDogPlace, back in the 90’s. AKC picked it up and seemed to apply it to show, private, and hobby breeders who sell directly to “responsible” owners and breeders. Responsible breeders do not ever wholesale litters. They don’t sell to pet shops, brokers, or what they suspect might be a puppy mill. Now we're told "high volume breeders" are needed and to just get over it!

A little historical background: At one time, breeders could withhold AKC registration papers which in itself eliminated puppy mill inquiries and sales.  AKC didn’t like that loss of income so it countered by offering Limited Registration.  That resulted in reports of dogs sold on Limited Registration obtaining full registration status without the knowledge or consent of the breeder. 

There was a brief uprising when we covered AKC’s Petland Contract (1) in 2006.  The Delegates stood fast against dealing with pet shops so the Petland Contract was defeated which in doggy politics, means only that it was set aside to become a “work-around” at a later date.  Rejecting the pet shop deal mollified Responsible Breeders who went back to planning another breeding and filling out entry forms.

Was the AKC’s Administrative Pedigree Research service (2) a coincidence?   We covered that story in August of 2008 and a follow-up clarification inquiry resulted in AKC Silent On Registered Non-Registered Dogs (3) but left little doubt where AKC was headed.  That was before the economic crash of 2009 but it is possible AKC saw the financial future and rather than trim expenses, it made the fiduciary decision to go after more registration income.  “Responsible Breeders” were outraged but it was a done deal.

Now comes PRIME, and for those who don’t understand it, AKC’s Pet Shop PRIME (4) is an online software program to help pet shops manage inventory and register puppies right in the store.  If there is any question about the puppy’s pedigree or eligibility to be AKC Registered, there’s a special number to call and we suppose there’s a quick solution through the Pedigree Research Service.  Can they do it while the customer shops for collar, leash, and goodies?  Who knows? 

Okay, what does this have to do with defining ourselves?  We’ve come a long way baby!  From marketing ourselves as “Responsible Breeders” and a proud part of the AKC Registry, we are now asked to join with pet shops, puppy mills, commercial breeders, and“high volume breeders” to fight bad legislation.  Although comprised of respected judges and breeders, two separate investigative reports charge collusion between AKC's High Volume Breeder Committee, (5) and the puppy mills.  Judge-Delegate Connie Vanacore's efforts to convince us (6) it was necessary is just one of the gallons of whitewash used to blur the line between "us" and "them."

Last year, perhaps priming us for the PRIME program, we began to hear more about HVB and commercial breeders, and what state of the art facilities they have, etc.  All follow the same line, touting that “we” need the puppy mills and the income thereof if we/AKC are to survive.  Such coverage deliberately obliterates the distinction between “us” and “them.”  All that rhetoric got my ears up and nose to the ground, the result being that The Dog Press blew the lid off the secrete pet shop program.  Does PRIME further advance the interests of commercial breeders, i.e. puppy mills, while diminishing the value of a well bred purebred? The answer is obvious but watch for a bombardment of clever press coverage and columns by AKC mouthpieces. 

With show breeders losing good homes to a public increasingly convinced that cross bred dogs are healthier than purebreds, AKC feathered that nest by accepting Mixed Breeds into (for now) limited competition in April 2009.  Thus Designer Dogs and mutt owners can say their dogs are now "AKC registered."  Is that why AKC has never funded commercials or public awareness information that defines why genetically tested, bred-to-the-standard AKC purebred dogs are a better choice?  Mixed Breeds will flourish, the puppy mills will profit and AKC’s hope seems to be that they will then come back into the AKC fold.  See AKC letter soliciting puppy millers.(7) The new approach, registering anything with an AKC registered dog back there somewhere is a strong inducement.

So here we are, approaching the end of the first decade of the new millennium and we have no idea who we are!  The economic impact on private breeders has been terrible.  Many are selling show prospects to pet homes if they can find them.  Online puppy selling sites are flourishing as desperate breeders join up with the “bred in my kitchen” puppy mill fronts. 

The public neither knows or cares about the difference.  Today they think a puppy mill or shelter dog is as good as a fourth generation purebred Champion with performance titles and health clearances.  So how do we separate ourselves from the High Volume Breeder, the Puppy Miller, i.e. Commercial Breeder?  We advertise in show magazines but do pet buyers see the ad?  No.  Do they care?  No.  Does AKC care?  No.  Puppies from our top winning special have no more value than a puppy mill caricature of a purebred.

I don’t know about you but I am a HOBBY BREEDER.  I breed for the show ring.  I breed for health, beauty, and brains, I’m picky about who I sell to.  I don’t care what AKC says, I don’t give ANY kind of registration papers with pets until I have veterinary proof of spay or neuter.  Hopefully they won't breed the dog and get AKC to register the puppies.  Should that happen, I have an attorney standing by. 

I am not a commercial breeder.  This is my hobby and like any artist, I charge enough to partially support my passion.  I like the term puppy mill.  Until recently, everyone knew what that meant.  I define it as someone who sells to pet shops, brokers, and/or anyone who has over 25 intact adult dogs.  What reputable breeder do you know who has more than 25 dogs?  I have six.  I don't worry about Limit Laws.  I don't worry about animal control coming to my house so why would I object to clamping down on High Volume Breeders, i.e. commercial kennels? 

I've supported AKC for nearly 50 years, but I refuse to be brainwashed by AKC's need to recapture puppy mill registrations.  If there were NO puppy mills, hobby breeders COULD fill the demand for quality purebred puppies and the public wouldn't be so turned off on "purebred dogs."  I've been around long enough to know that hobby breeders once fulfilled that demand. More on VA and government loans to finance puppy mills later.  But what about you?  Are you a hobby breeder or a commercial breeder?  How do you define yourself?

Barbara J. Andrews, Editor

http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Editorials/10013-Dog-Breeders-Defined_Andrews.asp

(1) AKC’s Petland Contract

(2) Administrative Pedigree Research service

(3) AKC Silent On Registered Non-Registered Dogs

(4) AKC’s Pet Shop PRIME

(5) The High Volume Breeder Committee

(6) An Argument in Favor of "Petland" Project

(7) AKC's Letter Soliciting Puppy Mills

Related Article:  AKC's Argument For Puppy Mills Responsible Breeders not needed? Puppy Mills perform public service? One reader did some interesting research.