AKC Update 2, or Why Pat Laurans is a Goddess to Me Now

I'm reading the minutes from the AKC Delegates Meeting. (My original post about this starts here, with links to further updates as you go through the posts.) 

Basic summary from John Lyons, the AKC's Chief Operating Officer:

The Board reviewed the details of a potential agreement with Petland at the April and July, 2006 meetings. At the Board’s direction, staff moved forward to develop an agreement with Petland.

So what does this agreement mean, and what is the purpose behind it? The agreement establishes a means to promote AKC registration. The purpose is simply to encourage the AKC registration of AKC registrable dogs, that is, puppies that have come out of AKC registered litters.

Today, many of these AKC registrable dogs are registered with other registries or not at all. Educating Petland associates about the value and importance of AKC registration will highlight the differences between AKC and the for-profit listing services.

As Petland associates prepare to send a puppy home with a new owner, they will highlight the value and importance of registration. If the new owner decides to register, Petland will facilitate the process by providing data necessary for registration to the AKC: Litter registration number, color, sex, marking, microchip number and the name and address of the new owner.

In addition, the new owner will pay for AKC registration in the store. The new owner will complete the registration process by submitting the name of their new puppy on line or via paper. Just to clarify, as a result of this project, AKC is not providing discounted registrations to pet retailers. From this agreement, AKC benefits by being able to reach more new dog owners. Petland sees a real value in the programs and services AKC has to offer to dog owners.

Patricia Laurans 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. She makes me proud to be a breeder. In fact, what she said in response makes me want to give her all my money:

I would like to call attention to every single Parent clubs’ that I know of code of ethics that says we will not sell to pet stores.

I would like to call attention to the fact that, from my humble belief, we are selling our birthright for a few shekels.

I would like to call attention that this is a club of clubs and that we are your constituency. We are the groups that are asked to help out with medallions, to work at shows, to educate the public, to make our clubs and our events more friendly so we can help increase registration on a volunteer basis.

I would like to make note of the fact, and pardon me, I feel we are prostituting some of our values, I feel we are going against what I believe most of the members and member clubs would want to see happen, and I feel that we should have at least had some sort of way to give you our thoughts before contracts were signed, sealed and delivered. You said, and I supported the fact, that we don’t want to let the enemy in. I question the fact right now if the enemy is already here. Thank you.

I also heard from David Frei of the Westminster Kennel Club, which issued this statement:

The Westminster Kennel Club continues to firmly believe and advocate that the best source for a puppy or adult dog for your family will always be those responsible breeders who produce puppies with the goal of improving the health and physical traits of that breed. To accomplish that, responsible breeders continuously study their pedigrees and breeding stock, do health checks on all of their dogs involved, properly raise and socialize their puppies, and stand behind their puppies. Responsible breeders are proud of their dogs and participate in activities and organizations that further their knowledge of their breed and their dogs.

As we have for many years during our televised broadcast, The Westminster Kennel Club will continue to make the following announcement: "If you are planning to add a dog to your life and have come to look over the best of the best, please note, no dog you have seen here (yesterday or today) came from a pet shop, or was the 'product', if you will, of a puppy mill. If you want a dog, go to the people who care - the dedicated specialty breeders who have made dogs like those you see here - a lifetime effort. Talk dogs with dog people who care and understand."

I'm still reading, but my overall impression is that, while usually things aren't as bad as they seem when you find out all the facts, this one appears to actually be worse.

[UPDATE: Lots more delegate commentary here.]

Comments

"As Petland associates prepare to send a puppy home with a new owner, they will highlight the value and importance of registration. "

What can that mean? There is no value or importance to registering an altered pet that doesn't participate in performance events. They don't even send you a nice pedigree unless you pay extra. And between explaining "it's important because you might want to do obedience or agility, although you could get an ILP anyway or participate in non-AKC events" or explaining "you have to register your dog if you want to be able to breed it and sell the puppies as AKC puppies" which one sounds more like something that would convince a person paying $1000 for a dog in a petshop?

[Christie]

You mean... THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES?

[Alison]

Shocking, I know.

I actually think it's worse than no clothes. They had no clothes when they were engaging in willful blindness to puppy mills and collecting the money from fraudulently registered dogs while selling the idea that AKC registration meant quality.

Now they're actually going to be indirectly pushing the idea of buying a dog in a pet shop for the purpose of breeding AKC puppies.

They've gone from no clothes to Fugly. They are wearing leggings and a vest and a backwards baseball cap.
They are the Olsen Twins.

It's horrific.