Your Labradoodle welcome here … kinda
By Gina Spadafori
January 25, 2008
Tip of the blog to Dog-Li-Ness for noticing the American Kennel Club dipping a toe into the possibility of offering a club for mixed-breed dogs:
The American Kennel Club, desperate to boost their revenues, is considering starting a new club for mutts (possibly named the All American Dog Club), so they can collect registration fees from even more dog owners. The club would give members access to a website that would include “fun features” like forums, contests, games and advice (the kind of stuff that’s already available all over the web) a free initial vet visit, and a free trial period of pet insurance (so they can then sell you some of that, too!). In addition, the AKC says members would be able to earn Canine Good Citizenship certificates (already available to all dogs, whether registered with the AKC or not) and compete in AKC Rally-O and Agility.
I trotted happily and honestly through the survey — I’d actually like to have all dog-owners join us in the fight against breed bans and mandatory spay-neuter legislation, and to have more money to fund health research. The AKC seems to have the bully pulpit to do that. But then I got to this little tidbit, about two-thirds through the survey:
One possible advantage of the proposed All American Dog Club would be to allow mixed breed members to compete in mixed breed classes offered by AKC clubs at AKC events. AKC is considering the following format for mixed breed competition at AKC events:
–Purebred and mixed breed dogs will compete for different titles (do not compete head-to-head).
–Mixed breed dogs will be able to earn AKC titles, but will not be eligible to compete at the highest level of AKC competition.
Excuse me? You’re going to take money for entries, but not let a mixed-breed agility dog go to the AKC Nationals? Phooey!
Back up the truck here. I see the possibility of the AKC becoming a strong and counter-balancing voice to animal-advocacy groups that don’t speak for the majority of pet-lovers (groups like, uh, PETA, who thinks extinction is the answer for all pets). But the AKC needs to truly embrace all dog-lovers and their rights, not just look at them as an untapped market of saps they can squeeze more dough out of to keep the present ship of state afloat. They mostly looked the other way for years when it came to puppy-mills, until the millers realized one bit of paper with some fancy scroll on it and an official-sounding name was about the same as another, and made up their own official-sounding groups, tossing the AKC off the gravy train.
And then, the “hybrid” fad, which meant the puppy-millers didn’t need to bother with paper at all. Just feed the hype and collect the credit card numbers.
So where are we now? The AKC needs to shore up its revenues to keep its dog-show delegation happy. But instead of creating an apartheid system that’s really little more than an ATM for the dog-show crowd, the AKC should really up its game.
In short: Behave like the not-for-profit you are, not the Wal-Mart you aim to be.
Get dog-owners of all kinds involved — really, really involved — in dog sports, legislative advocacy, local creation of dog-exercise areas, health research and much, much more. Swallow your pride and dump the business consultants. Be an advocacy group — PETA knows there’s big money in that! — and push for a better life for all dogs and all dog-owners.
That includes welcoming all dogs into all non-breed-specific sports. I got a German shedder-brainy collie mix here who’d just love to take on the pedigreeds on the same playing fields. Why should my flatcoated retrievers have all the fun?
You want him to join your party? Let us play. Really play. Do more than take my money and give me a patronizing pat on the head.
Your brainy boy is welcome in ASCA agility and obedience. He cannot compete at the ASCA Nationals since only ASCA-registered Aussies are eligible for that (even AKC-only-registered Aussies cannot play at ASCA Nationals).
Of course you know he can play in NADAC, USDAA, CPE agility and APDT Rally O and MBDA events, too.
AKC is a trip in tonedeafness. Even the way they handle their ILPs is tacky. Take the money, send a plain-paper note back with the ILP number. Hey, no charge to change ownership on the dog (as opposed to fees to change ownership on a dog with full registration). ASCA treated me a lot better when I got an LEP (Limited Exhibition Privilege, similar to ILP) for my shelter-rescue Aussie. Certificate looks similar to full registration certificate and eligible for everything except conformation and Nationals Most Versatile Aussie competition.
Comment by kabbage — January 25, 2008 @ 10:29 am
Putting aside the second-class-canine-good-citizen status, and separate-but-equal drinking fountain approach, and the Negro Leagues for performance mutts (No World Series for you, Jasper, don’t wanna show up the poodles), and the we-must-control-all-things-dog-or-trade-in-the-Lexus-for-a-Chevy imperative …
Can you imagine what would go on in a “fun” online forum moderated by the minions of 51 Madison Avenue?
What is there to talk about that wouldn’t offend them?
Seeing how fast and savagely they shut down their internal critics in the old analog AKC, I’ve got a pretty clear image of what would pass as “approved” speech in the online mongrel ghetto.
I’ve always encouraged the owners of mutts, non-AKC breeds, and AKC-registered dogs to *all* patronize any available open-to-all sports venues, such as USDAA agility.
If a person is *really* competitive, shouldn’t he or she want to test any dog’s mettle against an open and level field of other competitors? May the best dog win!
Comment by H. Houlahan — January 25, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Good one H I wished I hadn’t been drinking coke when I read it! (dribble dribble dribble!)
When I take my rescue BC x on AKC hallowed grounds to watch agility, people always ask me where i got my Canaan dog. More than a few times I was tempted to get her an ILP…As a Canaan Dog! The reason? There are AKC events in maine and I don’t want to travel much.
If she could be an all american and be seperate but almost equal?
NO FREAKIN WAY!
I have mixed race kids and that really rubs me the wrong way.
this is why my pure bred collie is not yet registered!
Nancy
Comment by nancy — January 25, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
The last defendant has been sentenced, and the Vick dogs are now meeting the public. I’m so happy for them, I could plotz. Photos, videos, etc., all over the intarwebs. I’ll be updating my blog with Vick dog info all weekend, from the looks of things. God bless Bad Rap.
Comment by Luisa — January 26, 2008 @ 10:43 am
I only think that mix-breeds should be able to compete at the AKC Nationals if they are in a mix-breed class. And all ILP/PAL dogs need to go in those classes too. I’ve seen some pretty poor excuses for a purebred (IOW, obviously a mix to anyone who knows the breed) ILP’d and competing against purebreds. And when they keep a pedigreed purebred out of the competition, there are bound to be disgruntlement.
That said, the AKC just can’t seem to get out their own way, can they?
Comment by Deanna — January 26, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
Deanna, are you talking about Performance events (Obedience, Agility, etc.)? If so, why do you object to mixed breed dogs going “nose to nose” against purebreds in these events?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — January 26, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
>And when they keep a pedigreed purebred out of the competition, there are bound to be disgruntlement.
But why? What makes the pedigreed purebred more worthy of winning, if they’re not the better dog on that day?
The idea of mixed breeds and non-AKC breeds (which is my case) as Lesser Beings makes me terribly sad. They’re all *dogs* after all.
Comment by katie — January 26, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Deanna, in agility and obedience, dogs compete against dogs of other breeds all the time—so obviously it’s not their qualities as representatives of particular breeds that’s being judged. It’s their specific accomplishments that’s being judged—and if a purebred isn’t the best dog on that particular day, why should the purebred not lose out to a mix or ILP/PAL dog who is? What grounds for “resentment” is there, except a feeling of entitlement based on Who, rather than what, the dog is?
If the purebreds are genuinely better, in a practical sense, they’ll win. If they’re “better” only in the sense of being more worthy because they have the right bloodlines—sorry, that’s not an attitude I can take seriously.
(Pedigree matters in conformation events because it’s all about judging breeding stock for the purpose of perpetuating specific breeds. That’s quite a bit different from performance events where specific breed is not relevant, and many of the dogs competing are speutered anyway.)
Comment by Lis — January 27, 2008 @ 10:08 am