Let the puppy-buying public beware--- there is a common misconception about registration papers for purebred dogs. When purchasing a purebred puppy, a buyer has likely done their research to find a breed that suits their needs in terms of temperament, appearance and activity level. However, when it's time to make arrangements for the payment and transfer of the dog from seller to buyer, one will often hear terminology like, "AKC registered," "registered purebred," or "papers included". These statements are not the same.
The Problem
Over the past six months, the American Kennel Club (AKC) has seen a significant increase in the number of complaints about buyers being misled by sellers who promise them "AKC papers." Whether the seller deceived the buyer by claiming that an alternate registry is the same as AKC, or that AKC papers would be mailed at a later date, the buyer is left frustrated and disillusioned by the puppy buying process. Many irresponsible breeders, puppy mills and pet stores try to deceive potential customers by promising that a puppy will come with "papers". The buyer, believing that "papers" mean AKC, is later heartbroken to find that his/her dog is not eligible to be registered with the AKC. Even more disconcerting, the buyer is left uncertain about the genetic makeup of the dog.
There are currently more than twenty canine registration organizations, offering various standards and membership criteria. Some require a dog to be purebred according to AKC standards, meaning a dog must be bred from members of a recognized breed over many generations, and others will register a dog with little or no proof of its lineage. In some cases, a buyer could make arrangements to purchase and pay full-price for what they believe to be a purebred dog, when they are in fact receiving a mixed-breed.
What's the Difference?
The American Kennel Club is the only not-for-profit registry for purebred dogs. When a dog is registered with the American Kennel Club, the owner is provided with bloodline confirmation and health lineage documentation. The registration certificate is essentially a certificate of a dog's identity, providing recognition and official documentation of the dog's place in breed history. The dog's pedigree traces its parentage back three or four generations.
The only way a person is guaranteed to purchase a purebred dog, with all of the characteristics and traits of the breed, is to purchase an AKC-registerable dog.
The Solution
When buying a purebred dog, buyers should seek a reputable breeder. If you are buying a dog that is supposed to be registerable with the AKC, it is your responsibility to obtain complete identification of the dog or you should not buy the dog. It has long been common practice to explain the inability saying, "AKC hasn't sent the papers yet." If a breeder is doing his paperwork in a regular, careful manner, there is ample time to obtain the necessary "papers" from AKC prior to sale of any puppy. When "papers" are not available at the time of delivery, it is a red-flag warning sign to exercise extreme caution. Make sure that your registration papers have the official AKC seal.
Great article. I agree with everything except" "The American Kennel Club is the only not-for-profit registry for purebred dogs." That is not true. The Contentintal Kennle Club IS a for-profit registry, but there are others who are not deemed one of the 'fake' registries which also register pure breds, although the AKC may be your best choice, they are not the only.
The AKC is also not fool-proof from fraud. I personally witnessed a case of major fraud against them. A neighbor had a male and female lab that he bred. He also had an unregistered dog that resembled a lab. His male died and he never informed the AKC. He just substituted the 'lab look-a-like' in it's place and continued breeding. There is no telling what kind of bloodlines are in the puppies he is selling, yet they are AKC registered labs. I have reported him 3 times and he is still breeding with that same dog. That further goes to disclose their statement of "The only way a person is guaranteed to purchase a purebred dog, with all of the characteristics and traits of the breed, is to purchase an AKC-registerable dog." I'm sure that, for the most part this is true, but it's as if they are excluding themselves from the practice of fraud and no registry in the world can exclude themselves from that.
I'm glad to see someone acknowledging the issue of fraud on these animals because it is running rampant, but no one is excluded from the practice of fraud anymore. We just all have to rely on our own research and gut instinct.
One theing I really hate seeing is when someone is selling Labradoodle puppies and the ad says "AKC papers included". I see this all the time on puppyfind.com. What they are doing is including a copy of the parents AKC papers (the pure bred poodle and the pure bred labs) because the labradoodle cannot be registered with the AKC. This is a very mis-leading statement for those who do not know. As big of a fan of mixed breeds as I am, I will never condone lieing to sell the puppies.
Very good info. I agree Ansy. A breeder has to register the litter with AKC and then the papers for the pups come back to the breeder to give with each sold pup. The new owners then have to fill out the pups papers and send them into AKC with a fee to register the pup. I just did all this with my new pup and my mom has always done this. I have heard another good registry is APR and that they are better and cheaper then AKC. I personally will register my litters with both.
