Im confused, the AKC does not gurantee health or quality of the animal, is this not true?

Question

I believe that simply having your dog registerd with the AKC is over stated. They do not gurantee health or eliminate concerns of genetic problems. The truth is if someone is trying to be dishonest it can be done even using the AKC. I am not a vet but I would guess it is possible for new health problems to exist with an animal that can be passed on when it was not present in previous litters(no history) A dna test can prove that your dog is purebred. The love of your animal and good health monitoring, knowing the parentige of your dog (could that be possible without the great papers of the AKC?) and being honest (works)

Answer 1

You are right to a degree, the burden of proof lies with the breeder not the AKC, is it logical to think they could police the extreme numbers of dogs and breeders. you can only hope that people will be honest and disclose. also through breeding can you imagine the number of genetic mutations that have occurred over the years. I just think we need to do our research and when in doubt don't do the deal. you can always go back to the breeder and make your case and if the breeder is good most times they will make it right.

Answer 2

Right. Akc is only a label. You are responsible for taking the pup to a vet ( ususlly stated within a 10 day period ) to have a full health check. This is usually a guarantee from the breeder. The reason for 10 days? If it had something already from the place you got it from....then it will break with it in that 10 days. Otherwise, any time after that is considered your fault.

BUT, you can take a pic of your pet, if it does not even resemble the breed you purchased, and send it to AKC with a complaint on the breeder. It is effective because they are only allowed to get so many complaints before AKC will not register litters to that kennel or person! REPORT IT!

Answer 3

It is a registry. A closed registry so that not every Tom, Dick and Harry who THINK the dog they have is pure can register it. They cannot however guarantee the health of evey animal registered. That is up to the breeders. You will have good breeders and bad ones. A lot of the puppy mill breeders and BYB are now registering with the Cont. KC, which does WAY less than the AKC does. I highly doubt the CKC has ever suspended anyone.
And there are conditions that can show up in a dog AFTER it has been bred. It is like that in humans also. Until there is genetic tests for all those diseases, we can only take advantage of what is available to us now.

In life, if someone WANTS to be dishonest and scam people, it is very easy. If they know what to say, it is very hard for novice people to identify the scammers. BUT, a lot of people do NOT choose to do their homeowrk before making a purchase...dog or most other things. If more people DID do their research, the scammers would be doing less business.
AKC goes out of it's way to tell puppy buyers what they should avoid, but many do look for that info, or disregard it. When they go to se a litter, all common sense goes out the window and they just fall in love with the cute little puppies. How can any institution guard them against themselves?

Answer 4

I'm not sure about the ACK, but in the UK the KC does not enforce health testing, only "recommends" it.

You can still breed and sell KC registered puppies even if the parents have not been health tested, or if they have but had bad results.

As for offering garauntees - there is no way to do this for many health issues.
Most problems are only partially hereditary. For example, a pup from parents of low hip scores could still get hip dysplasia - but it is less likely. To really ensure the hips of a pup you should check not just the parents hip scores but also the grandparents, aunts and uncles, pups from previous litters etc. Only some things can be totally prevented through breeding.

The safest option is to research the breed and find out all the health problems that can be tested for. Then ask the breeder to show you proof (certificates) that these tests have all been done and the parents are healthy.

KC papers alone are meaningless.

Answer 5

The AKC is nothing more than a registration service, to help keep records of studbooks and pedigrees.

The AKC papers are only as good as the breeder who registered them.. there are breeders who have falsified paperwork, yes (if caught tho, they are banned from AKC)

The same is true for any registration service.

The DNA breed tests are still fairly new and not 100% accurate. There are DNA tests to verify parentage.. it can only proove the mother/father tho.. that doesnt verify the breed.

Its important to do your homework and research the breeder. You need to find one who is showing and working their dogs to proove that they fit standard, and/or can do what the dog was bred to do. You need to find someone who is doing genetic health testing on their dogs. OFA, PennHip, CERF, BAER and Optigen are all valuable tools to test for genetic health problems. Talk to other people who are invovled in show/breeding/rescue for that breed and ask around. Many of them have dealt with other breeders and can give their experience on if they are honest or not.

Answer 6

I am afraid artificial selection of breeds will only bring out more genetic problems .Kennel Club in UK has Hips Scheme to eliminate Hips Dysplasia and Eye Tests for Collie Eye .I have seen many dishonest breeders , breeding from defective parents just because they can charge a lot for their champions' offsprings . Papers don't mean a lot , only to those who wants a pedigree pet .