A lady who is trying to sell me a golden retriever puppy says that they are APR certified, not AKC. Legit????

Question

She's charging what you would expect to pay for an AKC registered dog.

Answer 1

No. There are only two legitimate, accepted all-breed registries in America: the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the United Kennel Club (UKC).

All others are generally viewed with suspicion. This is because the majority of them were created so that puppy mills and other bad breeders weren't accountable to keep good records.

AKC and UKC don't demand a lot. Don't don't need to be tested before they're bred. Dogs don't have to be champions. They don't even need to be the right color for their breed. But breeders do need to keep accurate records. AKC (I'm not sure about UKC) periodically DNA tests dogs to see if breeders are keeping accurate records. If they're not, they can't register dogs with AKC.

These breeders don't want to be held accountable to anything. They just want to breed breed breed to make money. So they go out and create their own registry so that they don't have to meet any standards.

Not all alternative registries were created for this evil purpose, but none are generally accepted, so I wouldn't advise you buying a purebred dog in America that isn't AKC or UKC registered.

APR is America's Pet Registry (http://www.aprpets.org/main/index.php) or American Purebred Registry (http://www.americanpurebred.com/). I wouldn't recommend you getting a dog from either.

To find a quality Golden Retriever from a breeder, check out the Golden Retriever Club of America. Most breeders with national breed clubs breed good dogs. You can also access the national rescue through there.

Answer 2

My first question would be is the breeder claiming the pups are registered with the American Purbred Registery (APR) or the American Pet Registry (APRI)? I'd also ask her why she choose this registry instead of the more recognized and universally accepted AKC?

The difference between APR & APRI is that the APR is designed for dogs that CAN NOT be registered with AKC as they do not have the right documentation. Some examples are lost their registration privileges. Some of the reasons this has happened are: 1. The owner bought a puppy, the seller had not registered the pups. 2. Sellers dog was purebred, but either was unregistered itself or had "lost" papers. 3. The breeder sent the registration in too late and it was canceled. No matter what the reason was - this is a sign that you may not want to work with the breeder.

The APRI is more above board - but only SLIGHTLY so. In my opinion fall down in two areas: It does not DNA profile any of their registered dogs - ever. They claim this is because the technology is too expensive. I feel that this make is easier to register puppies that may not have the right pedigree. For example the AKC requires any dog that is going to be "frequently bred" (ie. more than 3 times a year or more than 7 times in a lifetime) have a DNA profile done, so that pups registered to this line may be randomly tested to ensure their lineage is valid. This means that puppy mills have difficulty "overbreeding" their animals and trouble registering any suspect litter. The second problem I have with APRI is that they do not offer a "limited registration" for animals that do not meet the breed standard, who are being sold as "pet" quality or who are found to have medical conditions that should be bred. This means that anyone can purchase a lesser quality APRI registered pup and go on to breed it and register the pups - even if they are likely to develop health problem or are ineligible for competition. The AKC offers a "limitied registration" for purebred dogs who can not compete, have health issues etc. and should not be bred, so that they can ensure the purebred lines remain of the best possible health and so that the breed standard can be maintained.

If you are not concerned with the issues I have mentioned (pedigree or showing), then I would recommend buying a crossbreed or an unregistered retreiver, as this will cost your far less for the same quality of dog.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Even if the dog was registered with the AKC it doesn't necessarily mean anything at all. An AKC registration alone never justifies a higher price.

The AKC registers dogs on paper without ever seeing that the "purebred" dog is of any quality conformation-wise, temperament-wise, or is at all healthy.

Many, many, MANY people take advantage of this and use it too make money on selling poorly bred dogs, which in most cases they have spent little or no money on, to the masses of pet lovers who do not know any better.

Think of how many proud parents of AKC chihuahuas you've seen with chis that look like they're 10 lbs and on stilts or claim have special "teacup" chihuahuas.

The system is very flawed.

It would do the U.S population much good if they were to remodel their system after that of the ARBA which has registrars actually inspect every rabbit that is registered. It may seem like an impossible, intimidating task yet the ARBA does it everyweekend at rabbit shows all over the country. As a rabbit exhibitor myself, I find it an very easy, smooth process, and it actually means SOMETHING to have your rabbit registered with ARBA

On the other hand, there are many dogs bred by people who are great breeders that have no AKC registration. Working dogs are a perfect example of this. Many people have working dogs that are very valuable but they are only registered with a working dog registry or their dogs are mixes but have a definite well-bred bloodline.

It sounds like you should not purchase a dog until you know what if have this registration is important to you or not. Regardless of whether of not you want an AKC registered dog you should know how to spot a GREAT breeder.

As an exhibitor of high quality animals I can tell you what to look for.

Check out national and state breed clubs/sport clubs on the internet. You find links on the AKC website.

You can contact the breed or sport club secretary and ask for a recommendation for a good breeder. She will very likely know someone in your area. The show world is very small. She can suggest a few breeders with good reputations that may also have litters.

Contact them and find out if they, in fact, do have litters or when they are planning for one. Find out about their dogs, what their strengths/good qualities are and what the breeder would like to improve in them. Ask what health tests they do and what those test mean (you should already know the answer to that question). Ask them if they can give you the name of another good, active breeder that you can use for a reference check or another source for a good litter.

Expect a contract. This may include details on showing or co-ownership if you plan to show your dog in conformation or limited registration and spay/neuter details if you want to compete in AKC obedience trials, for example.

Get official AKC application papers partially filled out by the breeder to register your puppy in your hand before you walk out the door when you go to pick up your puppy.

Also expect life-long support 24/7 for you and your puppy (questions any time) from the breeder, and healthy looking pups and parents.

DON'T expect a poop-free environment. Puppies poop. It is what they do.

Do not leave with a puppy if all of these criteria are not met or you feel unsure or uncomfortable at any time during the process of purchasing a pup. Just tell them you changed you mind or need more time to think about it and LEAVE.

Answer 4

Don't bother. APR will register almost any dog. The AKC hold the highest standards for dog breeding and even requests genetic testing to be done in order to register the litter. If it's not AKC registered then don't bother. It's probably just a backyard breeder who doesn't know what they are doing.

Answer 5

Its a junk registry. She may not have gotten the dogs papers from AKC, or the breeder of her dog sold it under a spay/neuter contract and she was not suppose to breed it, or she had her AKC privledges revoaked from that registry for not following procedures or other violations, the dog was stolen, or the sire or dam or puppies aren't purebred goldens (just look like it) or some other reason she isn't registering with AKC or UKC. If she is asking AKC prices...go to a reputable AKC/UKC breeder and get a pup that has had sire and dam health tested for OFA hips and heart, CERF for eyes, brucellosis, have correct litter registration papers, pedigrees, shot and worming records and more.

Answer 6

APR stands for American Pet Registry. Its a bogus registry used by people who's dogs never had a reputable clubs registration, or were sold pups with limited registration meaning the offspring from their dog can't be registered.

Steer clear of this woman and find a reputable breeder who can prove pedigree, shows the dogs to prove they are of breeding quality and only breeds dogs who pass health checks first.

Answer 7

http://www.americanpurebred.com/


American Purebred Registry has been in the business of registering purebred, full-blooded dogs and cats since 1979. These animals through no fault of their own have lost their registration privileges. Some of the reasons this has happened are:
The owner bought a puppy, the seller had not registered the pups.
The owner lost contact with the seller before the papers were delivered.

Sellers dog was purebred, but papers were lost, even though the dog was bred to a registered dog, the pups could not be registered.

A P R
P.O. Box 111
League City, TX 77574






The owner sent the registration in too late and it was canceled.

Original papers were lost and the owner had no idea how to order a duplicate copy or the information to order it with.

Answer 8

APR is the American Pet Registry. It's like an additional registery service. In order for the breeder to register the litter, the parents must be registered. APR actually offers dual registration - so you can be AKC and APR.
I'm not sure how a dog qualifies to be a 'breeding' dog. I do know, however, that the APR offers free registrations for your puppy - the breeder has to pay the litter registration fee. They also plan to offer DNA testing in the future, free of charge, but they don't yet.
I don't know that a puppy with APR papers only is legit. You might ask the breeder where the parents were registered before APR. (If they were??)
Here's a link to their site to learn more.
http://www.aprpets.org/main/modules.php?name=FAQ&myfaq=yes&id_cat=1&categories=America%27s+Pet+Registry+General+Questions#1

Answer 9

APR and CKC (Continental Kennel Club NOT Canadian Kennel Club) are commonly used by puppymills and will register anything that "looks" like it might be purebred.

They are also commonly used by people who wish to breed dogs who were sold with AKC limited registration. (ie: the breeder sold them as pets not suitable for breeding)

So, basically registeries for dishonest people.

Answer 10

It's a mutt registry not worth the paper it's written on. Her dogs are not of a quality to register AKC so she gets these mutt papers to sell to the gullible. Congrats on having the sense to check this out.

Pass her by!