Here are some highlights from the AKC Delegates Meeting regarding the contract between the American Kennel Club and Petland, a chain of pet stores that sells puppies from so-called "high volume breeders." There are some brilliant comments made by some of the delegates - a few of them gave me chills.
The full text of the minutes is here (PDF file). The discussion starts on p. 19.
My first post on this subject is here, with links to each subsequent update following.
The highlights are after the jump.
These are a few quotes from the minutes that I think are particularly revealing or inspirational. It begins with a quote from Pat Laurans, who I also quoted extensively in a previous post. She is an AKC judge (she's judged at Westminster eight times),
is a former member of the AKC Board of Directors, and is the Chair of
the AKC Parent Club Committee. She's also the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America Delegate.
Pat Laurans: John, education, communication, materials, that’s wonderful. The day that we start seeing them being registered online from the pet shop, where the AKC banners are up in the pet shops, to me that is the Good Housekeeping’s Seal of Approval in a pet shop, and that goes against everything I have ever known or been taught by the American Kennel Club.
Mr. Gladstone: With all respect, Pat, we have been taking their money for 75 years and cashing their checks. (Note: I’m fairly sure this is Steven Gladstone, who is on the AKC Board, but I’m not certain.)
Judy Hart, Delegate from Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America:
The good news is when I’m angry, I tend not to become articulate like Pat does but think in sound bites; so that might lead you to think I will be a very short with this. The bad news is, my flight doesn’t leave until seven p.m.
I have spent over 35 years involved with purebred dogs and this Sport - 100 percent with the American Kennel Club. And don’t think that I’m upset and my voice is shaking because I’m sad or not used to public speaking or something. I am truly angry…I would like to know in this contract that apparently we have already signed — we have been told what’s in it for the AKC; what’s in it for Petland? The AKC stamp of approval on puppies sold through pet shops? Could we have a little expansion on what was in the contract that makes this so desirable to Petland that they will train all of their employees and do all of this accepting of registration and do all of these wonderful things for these AKC puppies? What’s in it for Petland?
David Merriam, Chairman of the AKC Board of Directors:
These people, the pet shops, the commercial breeders of 20 years ago, could do exactly the same thing that Petland is doing today. They can sell AKC puppies, they can advertise that these are AKC puppies, and they can assist, in any way they wish for the sale and registration of AKC puppies.
And they used to do that. What has changed is that we have competitors, and these competitors now are in the pet stores. They’re in the commercial channels. And they say, “Okay, it costs $15 to register a puppy, XYZ Registry will do it for $12, and we’ll kickback three dollars to the pet shop.”
That’s the competition we’re in. And don’t believe that it hasn’t had an effect on our registration. Every meeting, Jim Stevens relates the decline of our registration. If we are going to address this in a serious, honest and a realistic way, we have got to address that segment of the registration. That is the commercial. And that’s simply the answer.
If you want to tell the Board and your fellow clubs that we are willing to go inward, support ourselves, pay the price, then that’s a direction you can go, but I think if we go that direction, the American Kennel Club will not exist 100 years from today.
Ruth Ann Naun, Delegate for the Border Terrier Club of America:
I think the Board must know that there are an awful lot of member clubs that do not see this direction as what we would wish us to explore as ways in which we can go forward in this century to maintain a place for purebred dogs where you don’t have to be apologetic about the product that you are helping families to have in their homes. And there’s got to be a better way than marketing through places that take dogs that come from what we now call high volume breeders.
David Merriam:
It’s not a message that I want to deliver to you. I know it’s not a message that you want to hear. But the fact is if you call high volume breeders that meet AKC standards “high volume breeders,” and you call every other commercial breeder who refuses or can’t meet AKC standards “puppy mills,” we have got to accept the fact, we are taking their money; and, yes, Judy, we are endorsing them with our papers. We are telling the world these people meet AKC standards. Now, you may not like that, but the fact is that we have lived off of that for the last 60 years.
Howard Falberg, Delegate for the Golden Retriever Club of America:
Okay. I have some major concerns with this approach . First of all, I was very impressed with Robin Stansell’s presentation, because it consisted of positive things that we are trying to do to improve participation in our Sport. And I don’t think anybody here argued with and certainly approved of what Robin and his group are trying to do. This is a horse or a dog of a different color. Because what we are really dealing with here is: We are getting away from the approach that this organization has had for over 100 years, where we support the breeding of purebred dogs by responsible breeders. I mean the day and age of kennels where people had literally a hundred or more dogs, it’s over with. It’s a private practice. I was very interested in our treasurer’s report because it was not a bad report. And combined with what Robin was talking about, hopefully it’s going to improve, you know, the kind of registrations that we get. I am scared stiff that that what we are doing now with this proposal reminds me of the Biblical phrase about selling your birthright for a bowl full of rotten porridge. And I don’t think that we should be doing that. And that being the case, I would make a motion that the Delegate body requests that the AKC rescind all possibilities of a contract involving the registration of dogs through the Petland.
(NOTE: This vote was taken and the Delegates did pass the motion, however, it’s simply a non-binding recommendation to the board.)
Sylvia Meisels, Delegate for the Lakeland Winter Haven Kennel Club:
Frankly, I find it offensive personally, as I’m sure many of you do, who are breeders and have been registering dogs all your life with the AKC. I always thought of this as a — sorry, if you don’t like the elitist idea; but an elitist registry, something to be especially proud of. And now having puppies coming out of pet shops in this manner, what do I have left to convince me AKC registration means anything more to me than any other registry? Why shouldn’t I go over to another registry?
Mr. Sprung: You say “now,” we have been doing it for many, many years?
Mrs. Meisels: But you haven’t been doing this through pet shops like this, having them send the registrations in.
Mr. Sprung: Correct, the blue slips were given to the customer.
Mrs. Daniels: (NOTE: I think this is former AKC President Judith Daniels, but I’m not sure.)
Perception is reality.
How many times have we all heard that? And there have been times when decisions have been made sometimes in the Delegate body, sometimes by staff, sometimes by Board, where we come away thinking we have got some egg on our face. I think right now we all feel like we have just been hit with a 12 - e g g omelet. And what I would like to say is a very brief analogy, if you will, to what has happened today.
Before lunch, we passed a Bylaws amendment that allow us protection from legal lawsuits when we keep the enemy out of the body. And I can agree with that reason for that Bylaws amendment. Then after dessert, we find out with a spokesperson from the podium that because we have competitors and because we need more money, and believe me, I understand the need for ancillary lines of income — we were researching them tremendously when I was on staff and we started one of the big ones then. But now because we need the money, we have been told we are going to go to bed with the pet shops, with the enemies, and to me that is indeed prostituting our ethic.
Betty Jo Patrick, Delegate for the Schipperke Club of America:
Earlier today we reviewed and voted on, actually discussed the Article VI, Section 5, of the AKC Bylaws on Delegate Eligibility. And I’m going to read quickly. It says, “No person is eligible to become or remain a Delegate if he or she, Section B, is engaged in trade or traffic in dogs which is engaged in — which includes commercial breeders or brokers of dogs for resale.”
Now, I have a real problem with one rule for us and another rule for you. And I don’t mean to be rude, but I do the rescue for the State of Arizona. And I am the one that gets the dogs and I am the one that tries to find the homes and I am the one that pays for the MPS 3B tests at 80 bucks apiece. And I’m going to say: Petland is not going to take them back when they don’t work out. They come to me. And they’re a mess. And I am angry; very, very, very angry.
Just heard this on the spaniel listserv:
>From: "Dennis Sprung"
>Subject: October 4 Meeting
>Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:29:20 -0400
>
>In the interest of time, I have taken the liberty of advising you via
>this e-mail that our October 4 meeting is cancelled. The reasons for
>this decision are stated in an e-mail (see below) which was just
>circulated to all Delegates and other members of our constituency.
>
>
>
>At the September Delegates Meeting AKC reported that we had reached an
>agreement with Petland in order to facilitate the registration of dogs
>that are already AKC registrable.
>
>AKC's Board of Directors and management believed that this agreement
>would have helped to further the mission of the AKC. Promoting
>responsible dog ownership to new puppy owners, implementing our care
>and conditions policies, and exposing more dog owners to AKC
>educational programs and services would have had even greater reach.
>
>In the past few weeks we have received many comments about this
>agreement, both positive and negative. We have listened to the concerns
>and because this issue has become so divisive, we believe it is in the
>best interest of our sport and the American Kennel Club not to go
>forward with this initiative.
>Ron Menaker, Chairman of the Board
>Dennis B. Sprung, President and CEO
Posted by: lymie | 29 September 2006 at 09:00 AM