AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day 2024 is on Friday, September 20, 2024: Breed registries, the AKC and stance on animal welfare? ?

Friday, September 20, 2024 is AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day 2024. American Kennel Club - AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day AKC Responsible Dog Owner

The Gwinnett article seems to forget that the AKC is a non-profit organization, calling it a "brand name" and comparing it to a commercial oil company. I also disagree that the AKC's revenue problem is due to some "new awakening" in the population to adopt rather than buy puppies.

Spend a week in this forum, where people are constantly asking what to name their new "Maltipom" that they bought off the internet, or wanting to know where to buy a "cheap teacup puppy", and you KNOW where the revenue has gone -- to the crap registries who cheaply and simply register any dog whose papers show up in its mailbox.

Cheap and simple the AKC is not. So the commercial breeders and "Designer" dog people have gone elsewhere. It really is that simple.

I have seen no change in the demand for purebred dogs -- in fact, there are *far* more people buying poorly-bred versions of my breed based on looks and then dumping them in purebred rescue a year later than there were 10 years ago. If only they would adopt from a shelter, instead of making the ignorant, uninformed choice!

The bottom line is this: The AKC is suffering from a severe revenue problem. While the pound puppy people may cheer on its demise, what they don't seem to understand is what will die with the AKC if it goes down; as I said, it is a non-profit, with many programs in place.

* If the AKC goes down, the CHIC Health Database is in danger.

* If the AKC goes down, all of the money they donate to canine genetic health studies goes with it

* If the AKC goes down, many purebred dog owners will no longer have a voice in legislative matters -- the AKC currently provides a lot of clout against BSL and MSN laws.

* If the AKC goes down, people will no longer have venues in which to prove their dogs worthy of breeding -- thus, those of us TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING will suffer

* If the AKC goes down, their companion animal education services will go with them. Their responsible pet ownership programs will vanish.

* If the AKC goes down, the Companion Animal Recovery program will also fail, resulting in the euthanasia of more animals -- dogs who end up in shelters and cannot be reunited with their owners due to no permanent ID.

* If the AKC goes down, the only alternative will be the CRAP registries, who are for-profit, and who do NONE OF THE ABOVE.

If the AKC goes down, all of the educational programs, legislative support, and financial support of health studies will go with it...not to mention the companion activities and conformation competitions that the organization develops, sanctions, and supports.

The Pound Puppy People may cheer this day -- that would be incredibly selfish of them. If they love dogs, they should be concerned about this.

I don't agree with everything the AKC does -- but its positives far outweigh its negatives. It would be nice if the shelter people could get off their high horses and recognize ALL that the organization represents.

10 POINTS!! HELP!?!?!Irresponsible dog owners(strong reasons?)?

While you have a good strong thesis, I'm afraid that I don't think your ideas will work for several reasons.

First off, who will interview potential dog owners? Is this going to be a government agency? Realize that this will take a lot of money and a lot of time and that taxes will have to be allocated for this new agency. How many people are going to be willing to vote for a new bureau simply to interview dog owners? If this is private agencies, where is the money coming from? Shelters and breeders already DO interview prospective dog owners (responsible breeders do anyway) but there are still plenty of dogs coming from private sources that are given away indiscriminately.

Second, their exist laws that protect animals from abuse but for most cases the penalty is laughably non-existant. Would you enact harsher penalties? I for one would enact a death penalty for people who train fighting dogs. I would have a 25 year to life sentence for people found at dog fights. However, I realize that this isn't realistic, so instead I'd settle for harsher fines and longer jail times.

Third, very much like point number one... who will keep this database of reputable breeders? Many AKC chapters and breed clubs already DO keep a database of breeders they consider reputable. You also need to consider that mutts don't come from a breeder and would therefore fall outside of this database.

If I were you I would focus less on having new laws or bureaus to enforce responsible ownership and more on the laws that already exist. I would wright about how penalties need to be tightened and raised and enforcement needs to be a more regular occurance. And remember... at the end of the day you can't regulate personal responsibility effectively.

which dog breed would be a better choice for my situation ?? ?

When you talk to the breeders, discuss the breed traits of each of the breeds you're interested in. As you learn more about their breed traits, you'll probably find one stands out above the rest as a better match for you and your personality and your life style. This is what should determine your choice. My opinion of what's the best choice is irrelevant compared to your understanding of your personality and the dog's breed traits.

I can tell you that an aussie is a very alert, high energy dog and quite trainable. They were bred to work with a handler and they are herding dogs, so they want work to do.

You can allow your dogs to exercise each other if you have enough room in a fenced yard for them to all play together. You can also teach your dogs (Aussie especially) things like frizbee toss and catch. That's a fun game for you and great exercise for the dogs. Also, you can enter frizbee toss competitions !

OR - you can get some equipment and teach your dogs agility which is another great competition as well as wonderful, fulfilling exercise for your dogs. -!-