RebeccaAKC

I thank everyone for their comments on this page. I wanted to take a moment to answer some of the concerns from people who are understandably frustrated about unregulated breeders. There is a lot to know about the issue and we hope you will take this oppo… Read more

I thank everyone for their comments on this page. I wanted to take a moment to answer some of the concerns from people who are understandably frustrated about unregulated breeders. There is a lot to know about the issue and we hope you will take this opportunity to learn more about it.

The AKC spends over $6 million each year to inspect our customers, thereby ensuring the integrity of our registry and the proper care and conditions for dogs registered with us. When AKC inspectors find kennels that do not meet our minimum requirements, they encourage those breeders to raise their standards or face suspension of their AKC registration privileges. Proper authorities are also alerted to any cases of animal neglect. You can learn more about our Investigations and Inspections Department by visiting
www.akc.org

Without the AKC’s Compliance program which inspected over 5,600 kennels in 2007, there would be very little oversight of dog breeding in this country as only a fraction of commercial dealers are monitored by the USDA under the current provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (breeders and importers who sell all of their puppies directly at retail currently fall outside any federal regulation, regardless of the volume of activity. The AWA currently covers only breeders who wholesale puppies).

Sometimes the AKC is accused of only being concerned with profit, however you should note that our increasing emphasis on compliance with AKC regulations has in fact resulted in a loss of customers – those who refuse to be inspected, who do not meet our standards or who purposely choose not to register with us in order to avoid coming into compliance -- yet we continue to infuse that department with resources so that we can feel confident that our registry has the utmost integrity. In this way, the not-for-profit AKC has voluntarily given up millions of dollars in income in order to do better by dogs.

If we chose not to register dogs from anyone selling dogs commercially then we would simply be opting to surrender to unfounded criticism rather than take the more difficult path that we have chosen: to raise the standards of commercial dog breeding in this country. Our refusal to register segments of breeders would not discourage breeding. It would result in few breeders being inspected and compel them to use one of the 30-plus other dog “registries” (none of which have any inspections or enforced regulations) that specifically cater to breeders who purposefully avoid the AKC because of our compliance standards.

I encourage you to learn more about the issues and obstacles that affect the welfare of dogs in this country. I have no doubt you will see that the AKC uses our resources in ways which support practical and viable solutions to complex issues and that we work tirelessly to benefit dogs.

We also hope to see you one of the more than 600 AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day events this month!

Regards,
Daisy Okas
AVP Communications
American Kennel Club
Communications@akc.org

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