Has the AKC been good for dogs?

[Patrick]

I'm curious of your thoughts. I was previously acquainted with a breeder who DESPISED the AKC and said it's been incredibly harmful to the German Shepherd Dog, as well as others. So I'm curious as to what our members here believe. Do you believe the AKC organization has been good for dogs?

[centrop67]

Let's try a little experiment in strategy for this question. The first step would be to identify the top ten strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

I need to put a little more thought into my lists before posting, but I encourage everyone here to participate.

Go!

[TimL_168]

I get why a lot of folks in the pure working dog world don't appreciate the akc. But in its most basic function, it is a registry. And registries are the core of being able to breed sound, healthy dogs.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan. I like doing stuff with my dogs.

[Mark77]

The AKC pretty much ruined the German Shepherd which is why I originally got into Dutch Shepherds and Malinois.

[Patrick]

The AKC pretty much ruined the German Shepherd which is why I originally got into Dutch Shepherds and Malinois.

That's how my old trainer felt. I like the idea of registries, but the standard of the GSD being angulated makes no sense to me. Pictures of GSD's from the 1930's reveal them to have straight backs and smaller sized like Mals & Dutchies.

Perhaps the AKC has been good in some regards and not-so-good in others?

[centrop67]

I was contacted several weeks ago by a forum member who was concerned about the AKC, a recent push to have the Dutch Shepherd recognized as full member of the organization’s registry, and the people behind that push.

I was reserving judgement until I had some time to gather information for myself.

I sat down on the computer this weekend to do some research on this subject.

I am disappointed with what I found.

It’s not uncommon for some of the largest businesses in the world to exploit for their advantage the very thing that supports them without a stake in that thing.

Marriot is the largest hotel company in the world, yet it owns almost none of the hotel properties it manages.

Uber is one of, if not, the largest taxi company in the world, but owns ZERO cars.

The AKC owns no dogs.

The AKC is in the “business” of registering dogs. In fact, 40% of their revenue comes from this activity (See their Annual Report from 2016). That’s $28.8 million of the $78.8 million earned in 2016.

That’s not so hard to decipher when the first sentence of their mission statement is to protect the integrity of their registry.

So who actually supports the growth of that list – large scale breeders.

The AKC actively fights all new dog specific legislation especially when it impacts their breeders. I found evidence of cases where their breeders have been prosecuted for animal cruelty even after so-called inspections performed by the AKC program. This information can easily be found in a NY Times article, and a report published by the Humane Society of the United States.

It’s not so easy to find reports from their inspection program, because they actively hide it.

They’re even against laws that would allow citizens without penalty to rescue dogs left in hot cars. Why? Because dog theft is a “growing issue.” See their website page on Government Relations published January 2017.

I cannot think of a single reason why the Dutch Shepherd should be in the AKC, because I do not own a dog breeding business.

I am not anti-breeders, but I would ask that you choose to consider the welfare of your commodity above the potential profits. I don't see how the AKC supports that.

[TimL_168]

Why can't I get the soap box smiley to work from mobile!?
Couple points:
·Dog theft is a problem in Baltimore. It actually worries me. I slipped up and told my new crackhead neighbor what En is after I had made a mental decision to just tell him she's a mutt. He's asked a few pointed questions that make me very concerned that he might try to make a buck off of her. Side note: socialization training is on hiatus.
·I haven't read the link to the HSUS piece you included, but my knee-jerk reaction is that HSUS is, at its core, my enemy of their own proclamation. But I do have an open mind, and I'll read it.
·All that said- I totally get what you're saying and I'd agree. The only real advantage I might see is a pedigree registry.

[centrop67]

Why can't I get the soap box smiley to work from mobile!?

The secondary list of smilies has been a problem since I took over the site. I will look further into correcting the problem.

·Dog theft is a problem in Baltimore.

I don't mean to discount that particular problem, and after re-reading what I said I can see where that might be interpreted that way. I think there's a difference however, in someone leaving a dog unattended in a car and the opportunity to steal a dog. I could be wrong. And, I also find myself being quite careful of revealing the breed of Radar. He is a "Shepherd Mix" to almost everyone I talk to.

HSUS is, at its core, my enemy of their own proclamation.

They're not exactly PETA, but I am sure there's some cross-breeding there. Their report contains some factual information that is relevant.

The only real advantage I might see is a pedigree registry.

The question then becomes does the DS need another registry that does not appear to be in the best interest of the breed? When you consider that a lot of the DS in the US are x Mal or x GSD, how could they possibly create a pedigree?

[TimL_168]

Why can't I get the soap box smiley to work from mobile!?

The secondary list of smilies has been a problem since I took over the site. I will look further into correcting the problem.

·Dog theft is a problem in Baltimore.

I don't mean to discount that particular problem, and after re-reading what I said I can see where that might be interpreted that way. I think there's a difference however, in someone leaving a dog unattended in a car and the opportunity to steal a dog. I could be wrong. And, I also find myself being quite careful of revealing the breed of Radar. He is a "Shepherd Mix" to almost everyone I talk to.

HSUS is, at its core, my enemy of their own proclamation.

They're not exactly PETA, but I am sure there's some cross-breeding there. Their report contains some factual information that is relevant.

The only real advantage I might see is a pedigree registry.

The question then becomes does the DS need another registry that does not appear to be in the best interest of the breed? When you consider that a lot of the DS in the US are x Mal or x GSD, how could they possibly create a pedigree?

I think we have similar vantage points. I didn't mean what I wrote about the advantage of a registry to apply specifically to the DS. I only meant it as a generalization. I think most breeds have a breed specific club that potentially better meets bloodline tracking needs.