Question about CHIC Numbers and Yorkshire Terriers of Calaryn

[WalnutHill]

I stumbled upon this website today: Health and Testing

Don't know anything about them or anything. i didn't even take a deep look in to the website. But, here is my question:

The site says their dogs are OFA and CERF examined. it is my understanding that, even retroactively, if a Yorkie is in the OFA database for luxating patella and has a CERF exam on file, then the dog automatically gets a CHIC number (we are in the process of getting ours right now). Anyway, none of these dogs are on the CHIC database, so I was just wondering if I am missing something about the process, or is the website fibbing?

Right now there are only 9 Yorkies in the country with CHIC numbers: Canine Health Information Center


The site also mentions showing biewers at a show in a class called Best In Show Rare Breed Puppy ... What is that? here is the link that says that Shows

Am I totally out of the loop on all of this stuff? I've never heard of that before.....

[WalnutHill]

And, I freely admit that I am a complete moron on most things, I am probably going to be really embarassed that I asked this stuff, but, I am trying to learn. : )

[bchgirl]

There are 322 yorkshire terriers in the OAF database. To earn a CHIC number you must be a member of the parent club of the particular breed. If you aren't a member of YTCA...you won't earn a number either although your dogs may be OAF certified. To find a particular dog...you need to know the dog's registered name.

This breeder's biewers are OAF certified and have been given a CHIC number...again because she was a member of the parent club.


Biewers are shown in rare breed club circuits. The puppy mentioned competed in best in show but was bested by another breed. To earn showing in BIS...he won 1st, then best in breed, then best in group.

[WalnutHill]

Ahh, the Biewer thing makes a big difference, I didn't look at the website very good. : ) OKay, so Biewers are shown in rare breed clubs because they aren't an AKC breed? THat makes sense.

AS far as the chic numbers there are 6 Biewers with CHIC numbers. Canine Health Information Center I also didn't know that they were a CHIC breed.

Can someone clear this up for me. I was under the impression that the parent club merely makes the rules that dictate the testing that is required for a CHIC number. In the case of a Yorkie (And Biewers) the requirements are OFA database submission and CERF certification. Why would a health foundation want to collect information about health issues only from dogs that are bred by member of the parent club? THat would pretty much make no sense what so ever.

[bchgirl]

It is the parent club which initiates the desire for their breed to be included in this program....not the other way around.

[WalnutHill]

Right - but wouldn't the purpose be to learn more about how common diseases are inherited, if they in fact are inherited. How could you learn anything with only a few dogs to learn from. Wouldn't the parent club and the foundation want to have as large a pool of genes as possible?

[bchgirl]

It's simply a database. The site isn't "researching" anything...it's just providing information. AKC rules don't allow for parent clubs to dictate the dogs MUST be tested....any participation is voluntary.

Certifications are just as easily searched on the OAF site...

OFA: Search OFA Records

[WalnutHill]

OKay, let me try this again - inclusion in the CHIC database is not a requirement by anyone. Your dog doesn't even have to be AKC registered for inclusion. Participation is voluntary, but the parent clubs of each breed effectively "tell" CHIC what tests are required to get a CHIC number.

The point of the database is for informational purposes, because the information is public domain, but, the intent behind consolidating the information is to make the information available to breeders, scientists (and, yes, the general public) in an effort to help reduce genetic issues with pure bred dogs. That's why the numbers are linked to lineage.

Certifications on the OFA site are easily searched, but the CHIC database consolidates the OFA information to give people a more concise view of each dog, not seperate tests one at a time (The 332 results on a search for Yorkshire Terriers on the OFA database aren't individual dogs, but individual results for tests submitted to the OFA, many of the entries are multiple tests on one dog).

I have seen nothing anywhere saying that a dog has to be owned by a member of a parent club in order to get a CHIC number. For Yorkies, it is my understanding that the only REQUIREMENTS for a CHIC number (which in itself is not required by anyone) are:

Must be a Yorkie
Must be permanently identified by either microchip or tattoo
Must have been tested for Luxating Patella and the results submitted to the OFA
Must have a CERF examination on file

That's all I can see as the requirements for inclusion in the CHIC database, nothing about the owner of the dog being a YTCA member.

I did an open search on CHIC for "Pellerd" and got no results, same search for "Calaryn" and got no results. I repeated the searches on the OFA database and also got no results. I repeated the search on the CERF database and got no results. of course, I may be missing something (like I said before, I can be a bit dense sometimes).

I am just trying to find out for sure how the certification works. We are getting our CERF exams next week, which, to my understanding would mean that our dogs would then be given a CHIC number (within about 4 weeks of CHIC getting the results of the exams).

[WalnutHill]

Just a little update:

We got our CHIC numbers! yay.

CASSANOVA PINOCCHIO
MISS MATILDA IV
MR MCKEEVER
PENNY OF WALNUT HILL
ROSEANN OF WALNUT HILL