- Written By Leslie Riley "Blueboy Chihuahuas"

With all the different dog registries popping up eager to register anything with four legs, it can be very confusing to the average person seeking a nice puppy because many people have no idea just how badly they are being fooled into thinking they've bought a registered purebred dog. Often they have, but not always.

We have the American Kennel Club (AKC) which has been around well over a century now. The AKC holds the stud books on over 150 breeds of dogs. For years there was no other choice, if you wanted a purebred with papers the AKC was it. The AKC implemented a DNA program and made DNA for all frequently used sires mandatory. The DNA testing proves if a sire was the father of a litter (or puppy) or not. The cost to DNA stud males is $40.00. It seems about the same time AKC began mandatory DNA testing is when many of these *Alternate* registries began popping up. Some examples are American Pet Registry Incorporated (APRI) and the Continental Kennel Club (CKC) (should not be confused with the Canadian Kennel Club, also CKC, which is the Canadian equivalent of the AKC).

Years ago being a breeder meant you had a passion to further the integrity of the breed you fell hopelessly in love with and that you worked hard and honestly toward that dream. Registering your dogs and puppies was done by accepting the breeders word as being the truth on the papers that were filled out for each litter. This honor system worked well for everyone until the demand for purebred dogs exceeded the supply and people started showing an interest in breeding for money and profit rather than for the betterment of the breed. Once farming puppies entered the dog world, tons of integrity and honor went right out the window ... the old saying "money is the root of all evil" held true once again. There are breeders breeding for money and profit, and even worse, some of those breeders are cutting corners to increase their profit margins. They do this in many ways such as low quality food, poor or no veterinarian care, and registering through an *alternate* registry.

To give you a couple of examples: the CKC doesn't charge anything to register a litter of puppies, and APRI charges about half of what AKC charges. The AKC charges $25.00 plus $2.00 per puppy (a litter of four Chihuahuas is $33.00). Now honestly, when you're selling a litter of four Chihuahua puppies at, say, $750.00 each, how is $33.00 to register the litter considered so much money that you'd risk going to an alternate registry that has less integrity? It's not, but you'll see breeders saying that's why they left the AKC and went with an alternate registry. In reality they left AKC not because of the money factor but fear of being caught in the act of being less than honest with their breeding program, because they know that at anytime the AKC could ask for DNA proof (at the breeder's expense) of which stud sired the litter and they would loose their rights to register with AKC if caught, and a possible fine and/or suspension of AKC privileges.

The AKC not only has DNA testing, they have inspections for breeders who breed over seven litters a year, they sponsor dog shows and many other dog related events. All breeders registering with AKC must follow their rules. One AKC rule that irresponsible breeders have a hard time abiding by is the one that states AKC breeders are not allowed to sell to a broker (pet stores) or in litter lots. If you break this rule the AKC will pull your right to register for one year up to life depending on the severity of your offense, just as they will if you maintain poor record keeping, fail to properly identify your breeding dogs, if your dogs are in poor physical condition or if your dogs live in dirty housing. "Selling to a pet store? Ahhh" you say, "but I've seen AKC puppies in pet stores." You're right, and I'll address that in Part 3 of this series titled "The Breeder".

The AKC can be a pain in the butt, for example if you don't fill out the paperwork exactly or if something doesn't match they'll send it right back to you as denied. AKC is not very customer friendly but it's the one registry trying to maintain some integrity among breeders. In this country the AKC is the best any good breeder has, it's not an easy registry and I, for one, like it that way. By comparison the other *alternate* registries have no inspectors, no DNA, some have no fee's, and no sponsored dog shows and your 're not required to provide proof (of your dog's breed) to register your dog with many of them. In other words if it looks like a Sheltie but the breeder say's it's a Chihuahua then it will be registered as a Chihuahua. The *alternate* registries are very user friendly, thus they get their nick name the "Hassle Free Registry ". Sorry folks, I'll take the hassles, the inspections, the DNA, I enjoy the dog shows. I always buy AKC and would never consider a puppy from another registry except maybe duel registering with the Canadian Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club (UKC) if I was showing outside the USA, but in this country there's only one true registry, the one that started it all, The American Kennel Club. (AKC).

It's your money, but wouldn't you like to know that the puppy you spent your good money on came from a breeder who isn't afraid of being inspected or asked for proof of DNA when in question, a breeder who is made to stand up and be held accountable? Why would anyone want to go to a breeder that didn't care enough about their puppies to go the extra mile to prove their puppies' parentage, who left the AKC for *greener* pastures because AKC' s fees cut into their profits and the DNA testing put them in danger of being exposed as less than reputable and honest? When I spend good money on anything I want to know I've gotten the best value for my money and supported ethics that I feel deserve to be supported at the same time.

Buyer beware... remember it's your money, your choice and your new puppy. You're in charge, you're the buyer ...please buy responsibly!