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by Tina M. Barber June 2005
Most
consumers expect to get a super healthy *rare* puppy that was
not over inbred, or "ruined" by "back yard breeders" out to make
a fast buck by mass producing AKC pups. For that reason they are
willing to pay a lot more money, for these super quality "rare
breed" pups they think they are getting.
However, in many cases they have just been
duped by one of the biggest scams to hit the canine world in
over a decade!!
Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware--Wall
of Shame
New 'rare breed' clubs and "registries" seem to be popping up
faster than weeds on most country lawns!! After all,
it's an income venture that is hard to resist!! Most
housewives can't find an easier way to make thousands of dollars
each month, while sitting home watching TV! Yet, they can
search out their local newspaper ads for an unspayed female dog,
then breed her to a friend's dog that resembles some
unknown/rare breed and then sell those pups for thousands of
dollars!! How can they possibly get registration papers on
such mixed breed dogs?? EASY!! They can use one of
the dozens of organizations that have already been established
for this purpose, or they can just issue their "own"
papers from their home PC! Anyone can claim to be
a "registry" and print off papers!! There are NO laws that
would prevent them from doing this! If they can set up a
website promoting their "chosen breed," even better!! All
they have to do is pick a popular "rare breed" name and they can
set up shop! If you own a dog, any mix will do! Just look
at some pictures of various "rare breeds" and you will
probably be able to find one that slightly resembles your dog!!
It's a lot easier then people realize! Until proper legislation
is passed to prevent such abuses, it's strictly a buyer
beware market!
If you don't take the time to
investigate, you could be duped into paying thousands of dollars
for a mixed breed puppy!!
Some facts that all future puppy purchasers need to know!
The
AKC is the largest all-breed registry. Any breeds
that have not been officially recognized, but meet the criteria
can enter into the FSS program. If the breed has been
breeding true for over a decade and has a stable registry with
sufficient representation, they are accepted. However, if
the breed has not met the requirements, it's not considered a
'rare breed' but a "breed" (new type) STILL under development!!
There is a *big* difference between these 2 classifications!!
Real rare breeds are normally FCI registered, unless they have a
representative breed club/registry that was formed by the
person/group that started importing them into the USA/Canada!
Occasionally such groups will disagree with each other, and
"spin-offs" may be formed. This is extremely detrimental
to the future survival of any particular breed, and in
most cases the parent club ends up applying for recognition to
the FSS
in order to maintain some semblance of credibility.
Please
note this quote
from the AKC
site:
The AKC
is very clear
regarding their requirements for acceptance!!
<<
The AKC only considers adding new breeds to
the FSS® or its registry upon request. The breed must be
recognized by an acceptable
foreign or domestic registry.
The FSS® is not open to "rare" breeds that are a variation of an AKC registrable breed. This includes and is not limited to differences such as size (over & under), coat type, coat colors, and coat colors and/or types that are disqualifications from Conformation Events by AKC breed standards.>> http://www.akc.org/reg/fss_details.cfm
Breeds
that are still
under development, and therefore do not meet the criteria listed
above, should not be considered as *rare* breeds, because they
are only progeny of specific mixes that are being used to set a
particular type, that will hopefully breed true within a few
decades. Nevertheless, organizations like
ARBA and the
NCA have
given such dogs undeserved credibility by listing them along
with other true breeds that have been established centuries ago,
but just recently discovered and imported into the USA.
Even though there may be a small number of representatives in
the USA and Canada, as their numbers increase, most of them have
gone over to legitimate registries for full recognition.
For this reason, ARBA and NCA, along with many others like them,
have lost many show entries, and have therefore opened their
doors to any mixes that claim to be "new rare breeds" ;(
<<Some
registries will allow the registration of designer mutts,
sometimes called "new rare breeds", for breeding purposes. Puppy
buyers are sometimes fooled into paying hundreds of dollars
for a "registered" mutt. Being a registered mutt does not make a
dog any different from a similar one sitting in a shelter, and
it certainly does not turn a mutt into a purebred. Any
registration can often cause the price of a mutt to skyrocket,
when the paper it's printed on may only be worth using for
housebreaking.
>>
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/kc.htm
However,
ARBA and NCA are not the only such entity. Just in the past
year many others have managed to spring up in order to cash in
on the unsuspecting consumer!! Most claim a lofty ideal of
protecting ancient and rare breeds, but are still willing to
accept any mixture that is willing to pay them those hefty entry
fees!! Some of them will even issue "registration" papers
for "breeds" that don't even exist!! Just like the generic
registries (that the puppy millers are flocking to) are willing
to do! Anything for the almighty dollar?? You be the
judge!
Another
such show organization is known as "Rarities" and their website
claims that they are only interested in the preservation of
ancient and rare breeds. However, if you take a look at
the breeds that are listed on their website, you will also find
several without FCI numbers!
http://www.raritiesinc.ca/herding.htm
In other words, the "breeds" that are lacking a proper FCI
standard number may NOT be recognized by any legitimate
organization! The only way that you can determine their
validity would be to check the breed listings on the AKC and UKC
websites!! Other breeds that have managed to "slip in" the back
door need to be carefully investigated!!
Never accept everything you read on the Internet!!
Investigate your chosen "rare breed"
carefully, ask for data that can honestly validate the entire
breed's history for several decades! Scam artist are very good
at using common "smoke and mirror" techniques to present "half
truths" to the unsuspecting consumer!! If you are ready to
pay thousands of dollars for a special family companion, make
sure that you will be getting your money's worth, not just
a puppy mill pup that is being misrepresented as a "rare"
breed!!
Don't forget that these self proclaimed "breeders" are fully aware
of the public's distaste for puppy mills and pet shops!!
That is why they invented these 'rare breed' scams!! Every
time someone hands them thousands of dollars for one of those
poor pups, they are encouraging this travesty, that will only
add more death sentences to innocent dogs that never asked to be
born!!
Knowledge is power!!
Take some time to read
Puppy Producers: What Are They?
At this time there are already dozens of small self proclaimed
'registries' that are willing to issue a paper to anyone that is
willing to pay for it!! None of these places care about
maintaining proper genetic documentation on any particular
breed! Most only require a hand written pedigree and a
check or money order!! One of these places even managed to
register a mans
kitchen table!! The dam was "oak wood" and
the sire "chain saw" .. thus producing a tailless pet with 4
legs!! I have always wondered how the judges would have
dealt with a kitchen table rolling around in their ring!!
BUYERS BEWARE!!
I
am
not going to share examples of the shenanigans that is going on
all over the Internet regarding many of these "rare" breeds, but
I would like to use my breed as just one example of the false
information that is being portrayed as truth, because it is
found on some "respected" website that claims to provide
unbiased information!
For example, this quote may be found
on the Dog Breed Info Center®'s
website's article about Shiloh Shepherds:
<<A
lady
had been breeding German Shepherd Dogs since the 1960's.
She was active in conformation shows as well as Schutzhund, etc.
In the 70's she set her standard back to the old style, very
large type Shepherds. She spent the next decade pursuing her
goals for the old style Shepherds. In 1990 she separated
her breed from AKC and started to maintain registry records as
Shiloh Shepherds. The International Shiloh Shepherd
Registry, Inc. (ISSR) was incorporated in 1991. Due to
disagreements within the ISSR other splinter registries were
formed. The ISSR refuses to acknowledge these other registries.
The ISSR continues to send threatening emails to the Dog Breed
Info Center®'s website insisting these other registries should
never be mentioned, however the simple fact is they exist.
Taking into consideration the threatening tactics they have used
against this web site for simply mentioning a fact, it is no
wonder others felt the need to start their own Shiloh
registries.>>
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shilohshepherd.htm
While
this website at one point in time
provided an HONEST representation of my breed!!
http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/ Just compare the breed
history description listed on this one, with the silly nonsense
that you just read on the other one!!
<<The Shiloh Shepherd is a breed under
development since 1962 by Tina Barber of
Shiloh ShepherdsTM Kennels. The breed was developed as an intense "re-creation" and variant to the German Shepherd Dog, to preserve the original qualities found in the old world style German Shepherd with soundness, temperament and health of utmost importance. >>
Even
the "registry" statement is TRUE and extremely factual!!
<<
Important Note:
The ISSR was the original breed registry formed in 1991.
However, in 1998 the International Shiloh Shepherd Dog
Club/Registry (ISSDC/r) was formed and then relinquished in late
2001, only to be re-established again in 2004. Other registries
have also come and gone since this time, and then re-establish
themselves once again. It must be noted that, with the Shiloh
Shepherd breed still under development and such a close relative
to the German Shepherd Dog, and because there is very little
information regarding these other registries, the importance of
learning about the breed and the Breeder before you buy cannot
be stressed enough.
It is
strongly recommended that the breeding rules and regulations for
all registries be reviewed. Intense inbreeding, as well as
outcrossing with, or within, the Shepherd family of breeds may
not only be extremely detrimental to the future welfare of the
breed, producing sub-standard quality puppies with major health
risks, but can also allow for back-yard breeders and puppy mills
to easily cash-in and exploit the breed. >>
Furthermore, there is a separate
listing for "rare" (non-FCI) breeds that are still under
development!
<<Breeds
Under Development
— This listing includes those "breeds"
that have not yet gained recognition by the major breed
registries listed above. The listing includes breeds considered
to be "under development" of which some are often referred to as
"exotic", "designer", or "hybrid" breeds. Many of the
"under-development breeds" have not as yet reached a sufficient
genepool expansion in order to meet the requirements for
recognition within one of the major breed registries. Therefore,
for several of these new breeds, the breeders have established
their own registries whereby data is collected until such time
as sufficient entries qualify them to close their stud books and
acquire full recognition. They may also be recognized by some of
the alternate all-breed registries. For more information
regarding Breed Registries, please
CLICK HERE.)
The details
provided
for each of these breeds is for
information purposes only, to help those who may be interested,
learn more about the "breeds" before making any decisions. It is
strongly recommended that thorough research into both the
"breed" and breeders be done prior to bringing a new dog into
your home. While this is important for any breed of dog, for
these "new" breeds, the amount of information available may be
limited and, therefore, thorough investigation into the history
and background is imperative and much care in investigating the
registry(ies) to which the dog(s) is recognized is also of
utmost importance as, in many cases, the certificate issued is
based solely on the information provided by the owner with no
proof of accuracy required. For more information on finding a
breeder, please
CLICK HERE.
In addition, see
Is That A Labradoodle?
and
"Oodles of Doodles" and "Lhasa Poo"
— Two must read articles regarding the latest in cross-breeding.
>>
http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/breeders.htm/otherbreeds 2005.
If more webmasters would do this, I
honestly believe that a lot of people might be saved from future
heartbreaks!
Once
the public was properly
informed, the puppy mills started to fade out, and now most pet
shops no longer sell puppies!! Let's all work together to
end these new "rare breed" scams!! Investigate your breed,
and the breeders affiliated with its parent breed club! Refuse
to pay outrageous prices for "designer" mutts that should never
have been born! Once their owners discover the health and
temperament problems they are about to face, often these poor
unfortunate creatures just end up in a kill shelter! Don't let
this happen to your family! Just say NO to the money grubbing
BYB, and support the true dedicated breeders that work hard to
provide you with a wonderful companion!
Investigate before you Invest!!!!
|Puppy
Producers: What Are They? |
Registries: What Are They?
| Learning Center |
Caveat Emptor--Buyer Beware |
A Simple Registry and Club Comparison |
Tina Speaks on Critical Issues |
Shiloh Shepherd
or LHGSD |
Don't Fall 4 The Fraud |
Million Dollar
Question |
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