By Lisa Peterson

My neighbor, looking to purchase a Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier puppy from a breeder, asked me recently, “What does having AKC papers mean?”

“Good question!” I told her and tried to explain what it does and doesn’t mean and how the American Kennel Club purebred dog registry is changing.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of purebred dogs since 1884. It is made up of more than 500 member clubs and maintains a registry for purebred dogs and sanctions a wide variety of breed and performance events held by the member clubs.

But back to my neighbor’s question. When a litter of puppies is born, if both parents are registered with the AKC then the breeder can apply for a litter registration number. Once the litter is registered, then individual puppies can apply for their own number in the AKC registry. This allows dogs to be entered in AKC-sanctioned events and offers “proof “ of purebred parentage.

Over the years the public was educated to look for “AKC papers” as a sign of integrity and quality among purebred dogs. If the dog didn’t have “papers,” then you couldn’t guarantee it was a purebred. But over the years with the advent of the puppy stores in the malls and the problems with large commercial “puppy mill” type operations just having AKC papers no longer guarantees anything except that the puppy is registered with the AKC. And it assumes that the people doing the applying for the AKC numbers are telling the truth about which dogs are the actual parents.

According to the AKC’s website (www.akc.org), the AKC “records the parentage of over one million dogs annually, but is not itself involved in the sale of dogs and cannot therefore guarantee the health and quality of dogs in its registry.”

I explained to my neighbor that looking for a reputable breeder that conducts health and temperament screenings of the parents is more important that just having AKC papers. Finding reputable breeders can also be obtained by visiting AKC’s website.

Because some breeders have abused the registry over the years, AKC is making sure their registry is sound. To date they are not in the business of policing the health of purebred dogs sold with AKC papers, however, they are debating the issue as you read this.         

With the advent of DNA technology, especially in regards to canines, the AKC can now at least verify the parentage or puppies through DNA testing and enrollment. According to the AKC, “The Board of Directors redefined The American Kennel Club’s leadership role in the world of purebred dogs by being the first all breed registry to require DNA profiles for stud dogs routinely siring litters. Effective for litters whelped on or after July 1, 2000, every sire producing seven or more litters in a lifetime or producing more than three litters in a calendar year must be ‘AKC DNA Certified.’ These DNA profiles will be used for genetic identity and for parentage verification, and, thus, will be used to advance issues relating to the integrity of the registry.”

While the puppy buying public still needs to be diligent about finding reputable breeders they can now know that if they buy a puppy fathered by a frequently used sire that his parentage can be verified.

Some critics may feel that this is just another way for AKC to make money off the dogs. AKC feels differently. It states, “This program is designed to directly increase the integrity of the AKC Registry, by ensuring that DNA Profiles are available for those dogs with the greatest impact on the Stud Book – Frequently Used Sires (FUS). As directed by the Board, excess funds generated by the FUS Program will be used to fund future registry integrity programs.”

So for my neighbor who wants to know what “AKC papers” means, I can tell her it has a level of integrity unmatched by any other registry in the world thanks to DNA.

AKC’s DNA Operations offers DNA Parentage Certificates to the puppy-buying public as proof that your puppy is a purebred with specific parents. The Certificate displays the DNA genotypes on file for your AKC-Registered purebred dog and his/her sire and dam, and indicates that his/her parentage has been verified. The certificate offers another link to your dog’s pedigree information, and adds more value to his/her AKC Registration, according to the AKC.

For more information contact: DNA Operations & Educational Services, email: dna@akc.org or phone: (919) 816-3508 or fax: (919) 816-4255.

 

Lisa Peterson is the Public Education Coordinator for the Newtown Kennel Club, the AKC Delegate for the Norwegian Elkhound Association of America and owner of Peterson Pet Sitting. She can be reached at 270-1732 or elvemel@usa.net