I don't see why each breed club couldn't begin registering their chosen breed. AKC does have the stud books but they are available to pedigree services, so why not to breed clubs? The breed clubs could set the bar higher and make registration more meaningful. There's a world of difficulties but I don't see anything insurmountable. They could even sponsor shows if they came together and make AKC 'just another registry'.

Actually it was the breeder's who helped stop AKC with some of their ideas:thumbup:in regards to the mills.

Nothing is black & white as I always say. Spend time on the AKC website under the Board and spent time on The Dog Press to try and wrap your mind around many of these issues.

The commercial breeders are pumping out volume's of dogs and the public needs to know this. While I have gotten upset with poor breeding practices on YT the bigger problem is this. People need to be aware and they need to read and understand.

It is BIG business and I have been carping about this for a long time. You have to follow the money, understand organizations, understand politics and understand the law...not always easy. While it is very difficult to understand this is allowed it is even harder to understand why AKC would go this way to survive. We as the public need to be writing letters etc but first have to understand how it all works.

You cannot make emotional decisions based on this information.. They don't so your complaints will fall on deaf ears. Try to bring solutions even if it is telling them they are tarnishing their brand.

I spend a lot of time on their website because of the legislation that is going on and to understand why happens in their board meetings...It is all there..

Shocking article. :(

Disgusting! Just another example why puppymills will never be closed down.
The government also has their hand in puppymills. Thinks of all the $
they receive in taxes paid on each dog that is sold in a pet store.
Two services that can protect innocent dogs but don't because of greed.:mad: This country is so corrupt! Make me sick.

This is exactly why I would like to see more pet owners involved with the AKC.

It makes me wonder if AKC's day hasn't come and gone. If they're getting cozy with Hunte, they're already abandoning their core values.

******************************************

"AKC's Core Values:

* We love purebred dogs
* We are committed to advancing the sport of the purebred dog
* We are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our Registry
* We protect the health and well-being of all dogs
* We cherish dogs as companions
* We are committed to the interests of dog owners
* We uphold high standards for the administration and operation of the AKC
* We recognize the critical importance of our clubs and volunteers

************************************************** ***

Taken from this link...

American Kennel Club - AKC Mission Statement

Until something better comes along, I think we should try to make changes with it. I know that some groups would like to see the AKC completely gone, but what do we have that is better?

Well, off the top of my head, I could think of maybe UKC. Exhibitors could still participate in conformation. AKC is given credibility by being the home of top exhibitors. If they were to leave, then what is AKC? Wherever these exhibitors were to go, the status of that registry would be elevated. Maybe it's time for exhibitors to vote with their feet. How cozy does AKC have to be with Hunte before enough's enough?

My knowledge of th UKC is nil, do they do kennel inspections?

I wonder if another organization could be started that just does inspections, like a ratings agency. It seems to me that getting fees for registration AND inspections is an unresovable conflict of interest. Maybe the AKC should just get out of inspections altogether.

Un-real...:mad:

AKC does kennel inspections for the following reason:

C O M P L I A N C E O P E R A T I O N S
Compliance Operations safeguards the integrity of the AKC
Stud Book, the world’s largest purebred registry. e division
includes Investigations & Inspections, DNA Operations, Case
Management, and Compliance Support.
irteen inspectors conducted 5,334 inspections of
kennels, pet shops, distributors, and auctions in 2009.
Inspectors monitor the care and conditions of the dogs
and kennel facilities, and review recordkeeping and dog-identification
practices.
e division coordinated with state and local governments
on 122 cruelty and neglect cases, and inspectors provided assistance
during several natural disasters, including tornadoes and
flooding in the Midwest.

pg 22 from the 2009 Annual Report

I'm in the same boat, but do plan on looking into them. Maybe others can chime in about that. I do want to show my dogs, but wouldn't want any success I might be lucky enough to have to be under a registry whose ethics I find questionable.

I'm not sure the kennel inspection thing is so meaningful to me. I mean, there are AKC dogs in mills. Most of the AKC suspensions I've seen posted have been due to bad record keeping (which is important) rather than anything to do with the welfare of the animals (more important).

I do think a registry that had a surge in registrations would be responsive to that group rather than taking them for granted....which would lead to more influence on the direction they would follow. I would think that if the top exhibitors were to boycott AKC for a time and show in other venues that AKC could be persuaded to more closely follow the breed clubs' code of ethics rather than fraternizing with millers. If not, there would be another registry that would welcome them and that registry would become 'the' registry. A registry gets its credibility from those associated with it, not the other way around. The top American dogs are AKC and that's where it gets its reputation from. Those same dogs would give another registry credibility in the same way.

I would love to know if this is going on in other countries also with their top Kennel Clubs. Is this a universal problem?

Here's the link for the original article that is referenced in the link Cindy posted in her OP.

High Volume Breeders Committee ...Five Years Later by Gretchen Bernardi

Gretchen Bernardi is Treasurer of the Mississippi Valley Kennel Club and has also been a judge at AKC events.

American Kennel Club - Mississippi Valley Kennel Club - CLAYTON - MO - 1628

If you google her name, you'll find many events where she was a judge. Just posting this in case anyone wondered about the source of the info.