The Truth About Your AKC Papers - Revealed!!!!!
Sometimes I am asked by a potential owner whether or not my pups are AKC registerable or if they will get AKC papers with their pup. Of course, they get papers, and then some.
However, I will once in a while get the distinct feeling that an owner thinks that their pup is somehow not theirs until they receive their AKC registration form from the breeder. It’s as if the AKC is in charge of property ownership in the United States or something.
Here are the facts about your AKC registration certificate:
1. Having an AKC registration certificate on a puppy is not a proof of purchase of a pup. Your cancelled check or receipt is proof that you own the dog. An AKC registration certificate merely shows that your pup is pure bred and shows who its parents are and that you registered the pup as yours WITH THE AKC. Again, the AKC does not manage personal property rights. It is showing that, per the AKC, you are the owner of the dog, for breeding the pup to another AKC registered dog or showing the pup in AKC sanctioned events. Sorry, that is all there is to it.
2. Having an AKC registration does not mean that your dog is perfect. It really, truthfully means that your dog had parents that were also registered with the AKC. It does not guarantee any quality of any kind whatsoever. If a breeder is advertising that their dogs are ‘AKC’ it only means that your pup is not a mixed breed puppy. Okay, at least you’re getting that disclosure from the breeder, right?
3. Having an AKC registered dog does not fully guarantee that your pup has the genetic or physical makeup to be used for breeding or show, even with a full registration. I provide full registrations to owners when selling them a pup who is conformationally correct at eight weeks of age. That is my personal stamp of approval and is provided to provide a proper sense of confidence in the offspring produced by my kennel, not an invitation to become a breeder. (Most people understand this, by the way…)
4. AKC papers are a nice thing to have. They at least provide the owner with all of the above, but do not replace the fact that this is your personal companion, friend and partner for the duration of his lifetime, which, after all, is why you are adopting a pup in the first place, right?
Best,
Bob
This entry was posted on August 17, 2008 at 11:44 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.
