On occasion, some one will drop off a dog and say, “She has papers.” I will ask if they have contacted the breeder, it usually turns out they were never in contact with a breeder, but rather with just the seller. For most of these people, the puppy sellers, the puppy is a way to make a buck, just a commodity. Giving the new owner a certificate or other paperwork that shows the puppy as being registered with some group makes the puppy more valuable, or so it seems. Actually, the papers don’t do that, the parentage, the lines the puppy comes from, the pedigree makes the puppy more valuable.
If you Google “Dog Registry”, you will find many sites to get “papers” for a dog. Some are breed specific, some are for breeds or variants not recognized by AKC. Some serve a purpose for their breed or group beyond a registration. Some are just a place to buy papers. Those are sites that will gladly take your money so you can say your dog has “papers”.
At it’s core, AKC, The American Kennel Club, is simply a dog registry. But AKC is much more than that, and because their registration has enforceable guidelines, there is a specific value to being in their registry. In addition to the registry, they serve the dog world with a variety of services. They put on a very wide range of events, including most large, recognized dog shows. They offer you much more that a place to get “papers”. However, even those who are in the business of selling dogs for a profit can register litters with AKC if they meet the requirements.
So, AKC registration does not give your dog special powers. Even though the person selling the dog uses tones that suggest the AKC papers are as valuable as an original Gutenberg Bible, they aren’t. However, having a dog registered with AKC will give you the chance to look at their pedigree, their heritage, to see what kind of stock the puppy comes from. Ideally, you will want to see a recurring line of Champions in the line. Not every dog in the line needs to be a champion, but there should be a number of them back through the generations if you expect your dog to represent the breed, to measure up to the standard the judges use to evaluate dogs. Some dogs in the line won’t be a Champion, there may be some variation from the standard that is not genetic, something in their makeup that does not affect their ability to parent a quality pup. There are some excellent dogs that just don’t show well. There are also some champions that later show less than desirable traits. Having a dog with “papers” and quality in the pedigree will increase your chances of having a good dog. Just having “papers’ is just a talking point.
Champ as a young guy.
Just short of 3 months into the new year, we finally have a new rescue in residence. “Champ” comes with “papers”. But when the young lady, Lydia, who had to surrender him handed me a sheaf of materials, she never mentioned that he had “papers”. She was only concerned that she had to give up a great and loving dog. “Champ”, AKC registered, (Does that make him an AKC Champion?), is here but he probably won’t be here too long. All indications are that he comes from a very good place and the decision to release him to rescue is a good one. That is, he isn’t being released because he is or has a significant problem. On first glance, there is one issue to deal with, and it is obvious to the untrained eye. This young man comes in at 27#, my guess is that he will trim down to a 18-19#.
So, his origins, it looks like he came from a local puppy seller, that is someone who sells puppies to make money. Lydia has had him since 8 weeks old. He is now 5 1/2 yrs. old. He is active, eager, healthy and full of himself. He came to us because Lydia got a new job and, after 9 months of looking, she has not been able to find a place with a yard that fits her budget as a school teacher on the Peninsula. She did not feel it was right to keep this young guy in an apartment all day.
One side benefit for me, we have a dog next door that is a young female herding dog. She is a constant barker. My guys just ignore her when she barks. She doesn’t ignore me, as soon as I drive up, I hear the greeting bark. If I go outside, I hear a bark. If I open the back door, I hear a bark. If I try to work in the back yard, I hear a bark. That constant bark bugs me, I know she is just a dog so I don’t yell back but the new dog in the pack, Champ, is willing to give her a piece of his mind. He seems to be working very hard to impress me and to win my approval.
Day 1- the Biggest Loser candidate
We started Champ’s diet with his first meal. You need to understand that when you have a dog that is a food hound, who eats anything moving, if you cut back his volume, he will go after anything edible around. If the other dogs are eating at the same time, he is likely to go after the other dogs’ food if he finishes first. So, his menu is designed to give him a minimal amount of “good” food and a good bit of filler so he does not finish before his pack mates. His diet is 1/8 cup of kibble, two large tablespoons of canned pumpkin, two large tablespoons of non-fat cottage cheese, a large handful of dry rice krispies, and a number of raw carrots. When he faced that dish the first time last night, he wasn’t sure. He immediately pulled two small carrots and spit them off to the side but as he advanced through his meal, he found a large carrot which he happily chewed up. By tonight, he will be eating all of it. He’s a dog, he will eat anything.
Champ will be fed once a day, just like my guys, in the evening . He will get a half of a large dog biscuit when he gets up in the morning and then a strip of dried chicken breast when he goes into his crate at night. He will start to drop off those pounds quickly. Right now, his shoulders look like they belong to a pit bull. Last night, those shoulders made getting through the smaller dog door a challenge. My guys all slip through it easily. He will soon be able to get through it without a struggle. He will eventually look less like the broad shouldered pit bull and more like a slender whippet, with short legs, a harsh coat, a short upright tail, and “papers”.