AKC finally mixes things up for dog owners
The AKC, long recognized as America's oldest and most influential dog registry has finally come to the same conclusion that dog owners have embraced for years - mixed breed dogs are just as good as purebred dogs. The registry, starting this April, will allow dogs of mixed or unknown ancestry to compete in agility and obedience sports alongside their purebred counterparts.
Many years ago, I owned an American pitbull terrier, a breed not recognized by the AKC. We were in a "fun match" that allowed mixed breeds to compete alongside the purebreds. A sort of "separate but equal" concept. Since Willie, my pitbull, was a purebred, it didn't occur to me to register him with the show personnel as a mixed breed. That was my mistake. Although the American Kennel Club does not recognize the American pitbull terrier as a breed, there are many other registries that do.
I never had participated in an obedience competition before because I never owned a dog allowed to participate. With the then new rule allowing unregistered dogs to participate, I thought I'd give it a try.
We were entered in the obedience ring where the best possible score was 200 points. We scored a 198. It was the highest score of the day. At the end of the day, two trophies were to be given to the highest scoring dogs. One trophy was for the highest scoring mixed breed and one for the highest scoring purebred (as recognized by the AKC). We hung around for the awards to be given out. Finally, the time came. The trophy for the highest
scoring mixed breed was awarded. A cute little Pomeranian mix was called up to the stage and her handler given the trophy. She had earned a respectable score of 194 points.
Then, the big trophy for the purebred was held up. I patted Willie on the head and was expecting my name to called when, to my surprise, a different name was announced and a lady and her golden retriever went up to collect the trophy. They had scored a 187.
I walked up to the steward and showed my scorecard. She said I should have received the trophy for the highest scoring mixed breed but was not registered as such. I said it was because my dog wasn't a mixed breed.
To make a long story short, we didn't get a trophy that day. I never competed in another formal obedience ring. The whole experience had left me critical of the AKC's somewhat biased view. Sour grapes, I know. But I thought (and still think) that the whole concept of separate but equal was ridiculous. I'm hoping it will be different now. For information on registering your mixed breed for AKC events go to: www.akccaninepartners.org.
Terry Jester is a nationally recognized companion animal behaviorist. To learn more about companion animal training, visit www.rockymountainrawhide.com. For questions about your own pet, call Jester at (970) 568-7585 or send e-mail to arriniranch@aol.com.
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