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AKC Director Interferes With Parent Club Ballot

Chihuahua Club Of America Membership receives letter from AKC Board Member / CHF Director Steven Gladstone telling them to vote against Chihuahua Breed Standard revision re merle.

Jan 10, 2008 | TheDogPress Staff

Would an AKC Board Member dare to use the AKC letterhead (and AKC email address) without approval? People are puzzled because Steve Gladstone is an AKC Board Member, also Director of the AKC Canine Health Foundation, and an astute litigator.  He is also a breeder with convictions, just like everyone reading this...

Is Gladstone, as one of our writers said, a "loose cannon" within the fancy? If Steve Gladstone used his position with AKC to influence the vote, and he did so without AKC's knowledge and approval, then we are told AKC must disassociate itself from Gladstone's action.

Steve bred Cardigan Corgis, a breed which carries the blue merle gene. No one would disagree that Steve Gladstone is a dedicated dog man. It has been suggested that it is a personal belief more than a genetic debate.

Mr. Gladstone is a member of the Bar Association. In order to go on the AKC Board, he gave up a successful practice, part of which was representing individuals and breed clubs against the AKC. Most would agree that he has done a fair and equitable job serving the dog fancy and the American Kennel Club.  But above all, Steve Gladstone is a dog person, just like us, with beliefs and concerns all dog breeders deal with.  Sometimes we are right, sometimes we aren't.

Will the AKC/Canine Health Foundation be further damaged by a Director who defies published science and research (see below) on matters of genetic health defects? Is the blue merle gene harmful to the dog itself or is it just a color that is connected to a genetic defect?

AKC/CHF needed no more controversy on the heels of a lost $544,000 lawsuit and serious internal conflict resulted in 2006 Board resignations.

In the interest of fairness TheDogPress presents Mr. Gladstone's letter which speaks for itself.  We also bring you communications between Gloria Lambert and AKC Executive Secretary James Crowley, reaction by the Chihuahua Club Of America, and because this is an international genetic issue affecting all breeding programs, opinions from the Chairman of the Chihuahua Breed Club in England and from the president of the Australian National Chihuahua Council.

We were able to reach Mr. Gladstone's cell at press time. He was on the road but stated that since he will be voting on the revision if it should pass and come back to AKC for final approval he would postpone comment.  He sees nothing wrong with having used his position at AKC to influence balloting results.

Mr. Gladstone believes that his opinion as a Director will in fact defeat the proposed revision and told this editor that is why he sent the letter.  Steve is correct in pointing out that he was elected as a Delegate and sits on the Board because his opinion is valued.

He agreed to elaborate for our readers but we decided to forego his gracious offer of an interview which he said could be done when he returned to his office.  Mr. Gladstone has represented this editor and others in the sport before being elected to the AKC Board Of Directors.  We are grateful for his support of the fancy but felt this subject was best left alone.

Read Steve Gladstone's letter in its entirety and then come back to related links below.

Click to read Entire  2-PAGE Letter