What goes on behind the scenes

For the litter to be AKC registered, records must be kept.

About the AKC, and do my dogs Papers mean they are a good dog?

AKC Registered and Quality
There is a widely held belief that "AKC" or "AKC papers" and quality are one and the same. This is not the case. AKC is a registry body. A registration certificate identifies the dog as the offspring of a known sire and dam, born on a known date. It in no way indicates the quality or state of health of the dog. Quality in the sense of "show quality" is determined by many factors including the dog's health, physical condition, ability to move and appearance. Breeders breeding show stock are trying to produce animals that closely resemble the description of perfection described in the breed standard. Many people breed their dogs with no concern for the qualitative demands of the breed standard. When this occurs repeatedly over several generations, the animals, while still pure-bred, can be of extremely low quality.

What Records must be kept:

All required records must be made immediately when dog is acquired and delivered, and at time of mating, whelping or death. Records must be kept on forms devoted to that exclusive purpose and must be consecutive, accurate, up-to-date and maintained for at least five (5) years after the dog has died, has been sold or has been given away.

a. Records to be kept by owners and breeders.

1. The owner (and the lessee if a dog is leased) shall keep a record of each dog owned (or leased) which will show:

Breed
Registered name and number (or litter number if not registered)
Sex, color and markings
Date of birth
Names and numbers of sire and dam
Name of breeder
Name and address of person from whom directly acquired
Date of acquisition
Date and duration of lease, if any

in addition, the owner (or lessee, if dog is leased at that time) shall keep the following breeding records:

2. Whenever dog is mated to another dog:

Date and place of mating
Names of persons handling mating
Registered name and number of dog to which mated
Name and address of its owner

3. and (if a female) when resulting litter is whelped:

Date of whelping
Number of puppies whelped by sex and by color and markings
Litter registration number
Date of sale, gift or death of each puppy so described
Name and address of person acquiring each puppy so described
Kinds of papers and date supplied
Registered name and number of each puppy registered by breeder

You may or may not know, Gabby was leased by me for this litter. A lease agreement was filled out and filed with the American Kennel Club prior to breeding.

 

V. Leasing a Bitch

Under the Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline (Chapter 3, Section 1) - "The breeder of a dog is the person who owned the dam of that dog when the dam was bred; except that if the dam was leased at the time of breeding, the breeder is the lessee."

If a bitch is leased at the time of mating and/or whelping, a Report of Lease of Bitch form must be filed promptly with The American Kennel Club. These forms may be obtained, upon request, from the AKC.

If a bitch is leased at the time of mating the breeder of the litter is the lessee. If the bitch is leased at the time of whelping, the lessee is the litter owner and the litter may be registered only by the lessee.

Every lease must have a termination date, and both the effective date and the termination date must be entered on the Report of Lease of Bitch form.

If a dam is co-owned, all owners must sign the form.

Note: It is important that the owner and lessee should each have a written copy of the complete lease agreement signed by the other party.
 
I fill out the litter registration application with the Date of birth, number of puppies. Sire’s name and registration number, Dam’s name and registration number. Signatures of owner of sire and dam. (or lessee of dam) Send in the appropriate fees. This does not register each pup individually. I will be sent individual registration forms for each pup that must be filled out. The AKC imposes a late fee ($65) if the litter application is not made out in the timeline they give. The litter registration fee is $25.00 plus $2 per puppy. The individual dog registration will be $15.00. Again, a later fee is charged if the dog is not registered within the year, and it climbs if the dog is registered after 24 months.
 
These are not the only kinds of records that need to be kept. I also keep records of the birth. Weights of the puppies. Color Sex, when the dewclaws are removed. Dates they are wormed, and worming medication used. When shots are administered. When they have veterinary care and check ups. What food they are eating. When Gabby weaned them. Then there are the breeder notes. How the pups look and act.

Back to puppy diary!

(10/8 - 10/9) Countdown, and the pups are born
(10/10 - 10/11) dewclaws, loss of liver girl
(10/12 - 10/13) Bio Sensor pictures
(10/14) A picture album
Week Two
Week three
Week four
Week 5
Week 6
Weeks 7 and 8