AKC Administrative Research Registration Service: BREEDERS BE AWARE! - Page 2

Tina,

The name change rule protects breeders who first register a dog to themselves.  If you (as the breeder) register the dog to yourself, the new owner must have the breeder's permission to change the name.  If the dog has not been bred or shown, and the new owner has the breeder's permission, the new owner may change the name.  If the dog was NOT first registered in the name of the breeder, the new owner does not need the breeder's permission to change the name.

The program with the AKC to grant basically anyone AKC papers who can prove their dog has AKC ancestry is the Administrative Research Registration Service. That's what its called on the letter I got.

Yes, as of this past July (lots of changes has been made with the AKC concerning registration since my last litter), it cost me $68 to register those 4 pups (used to cost me $33 before they implimented all these new programs to 'help' breeders). I asked my clients for input on what they named their puppies and used their suggestions, but I officially registered AND named the pups. I got AKC purplish-blue certificates for them just like I have on my other GSDs this time-no Blue Forms.

I am shocked that, upon doing a Google search for this information on the official AKC website www.akc.org , nothing comes up on the AKC's official website concerning this Administrative Research Registration Service. WHY don't they have something about this program on their website??? Am I the only one who thinks that quite odd?

I provided the name, number and email address of the AKC person handing this ARR program: David Roberts at (919)816-3672 and email is dwr@akc.org. You may be able to contact him direct and request your own copy of the letter direct from the AKC if you wish.

And yes, I also agree 100% about how clients shouldn't be able to just up and change the name of a dog without the breeder's knowledge. I've NEVER had a client NOT buy a dog because they merely didn't like the dog's name! If they liked the dog, they didn't really CARE what his/her name was. I not only register my litters and name my pups officially plus tattoo them, but I also add in the contract that I will NEVER authorize any name change for that puppy/dog to anyone, and if I check with the AKC and find its been done without my knowledge, or a forged authorization from me has been used to change the name of the dog (how is the AKC gonna know the difference?), then I will promptly provide a copy of the contract (signed/dated by both parties-me and the client) and specs therein. From there I will request complete revokation of the registration rights if they will go along with it. I don't like dishonest dealings!!

I tell ya, they've created MORE ways for unethical people to take advantage of good breeders who don't produce enough litters to get such paperwork and be aware. I happened to have 2 litters born roughly 7 mos apart, which constituted for me having 2 litters in one year by the AKC, thus I got the letter or else I wouldn't have been aware of these things, either. I write about such things in our GSD quarterly newsletter for my dog club to make sure my fellow breeder-friends are aware as well. Good people working hard to train, show, title, etc their dogs who only have occassional litters may not be aware of such programs, and they NEED to know this stuff is out there and exists! Contracts need to be altered accordingly in order to protect yourself and your puppies. I'm defender of good ethical breeder-people, and I hate it when good people are caught off-guard by such things.

Here's a really good news story that was written earlier this month that helps explain why this latest AKC program could affect you: http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Editorials/0808_AKC-Registers-Unregistered-Dogs.asp 

And more reading: http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/08-AKC-Allows-Name-Changes.08.htm

http://www.caninechronicle.com/Features/Bernardi_08/bernardi_708.html

http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=20936

I am currently in correspondence via email with the person over this Administrative Research Registration Service, David Roberts.
In his first email reply to me concerning my concerns over these programs and their true effect for breeders, he was quick to inform me how misled we breeders are concerning the entire program. He said that they have rules/regulations to go by, and that if a puppy/dog is from an existing litter, then they will contact the breeder first before granting the registration. He hoped this dispelled my concerns. It didn't.
My reply was to question further how he could call it breeder misunderstanding if no such rules/regulations were ever even mentioned in the original letter? Why wasn't such told up front, and why blame us for something they didn't clarify? And why doesn't the AKC have info on this special important program on their official website?! We have a right to be concerned, even with their supposed rules in place. I also asked him how they would know it if by chance someone is trying to register a puppy/dog with a different birth date than an already-AKC registered litter-how would they be able to know the applicant was just being dishonest?
I also informed him firmly that, under no circumstance, should any registration be granted out of ANY of MY females or males that I personally own without my notification from any of their programs, period. If the puppy/dog deserved registration papers, then they were given at the time of sale. If the pup/dog doesn't have AKC papers from me, then I have them safe in my files because I was never properly paid or compensated for the dog/pup. Not too hard to figure out!

I will update this link IF/when I get any reply from Mr. Roberts.

For those of you wanting to see the actual document:
PM me with your address and I can snail mail a xeroxed copy to anyone wanting a copy of the original documents on this ARR program that I have.

David Roberts will not answer my direct questions concerning this.
I asked him why it isn't info on their official website so that people can read it themselves and find out what's behind the Administrative Research Registration Service program and have a voice/input-? No explanation.
I also asked how in the world they will know if a dog who's being applied for registration hasn't been STOLEN-? No direct answer. People can lie about birth dates, etc. and since single-pup litters do happen, how are they gonna know whether or not its legitimate? I already know the answer-they won't know. 
I asked if the AKC coming up with these programs was to get another piece of the financial pie with all the dog registering/breeding that's going on currently. Sorry, but it sure looks that way to me. And of course, no reply to that, either.
I also explained to Mr. Roberts this:
"People with quality breeding stock aren't sitting around hoping and waiting for a program like this to come around to help them with their breeding stock like suggested in the letter. I know of no breeder-friend (stretching from Florida to Maine and out to Illinois and Massachussetts-I am in Ohio) who has breeding stock on their premises without AKC papers already-I have been talking with them and ASKING about such. Either our stock has been purchased or gained with proper AKC papers or are AKC registerable because the dog is an import with proper foreign papers at the time of sale, OR we don't get the dog. Period. None have said the Administrative Research Registration program would benefit them in any way. But, that's us."
He doesn't really seem to want to correspond with me further on the issue; he sent to me the FAQ attachment and said he hoped it answered my questions (which it only partially does). He didn't offer for me to contact him further if I still had questions.  He can't answer the questions I've done posed direct anyhow, or else he would've done already done that.
The mentality will potentially become, why pay someone full price for a nice pup out of titled parents? If you can somehow get them to send you the pup without full payment or for less $ on spay/neuter contract, then once you've got the dog, can apply thru these program and get papers, and to heck with the breeder and the spay/neuter agreement-and the breeder won't even know unless they check for it with the AKC from time to time on their litters. I don't agree with that being a possibility now, but it obviously now is. And there's something wrong with that. And of course, this is JMO.

AKC is no longer corresponding with me concerning explaining this program further. I got sent the FAQ sheet and that's that. They're done, and have left many good questions unanswered.

I strongly advise breeders who AKC register their puppies to be aware of these changes the AKC has been making and adjust their contracts accordingly.

A slight digression:

What do you think of "offspring" registration? Just $10 per pup--owner the breeder.

If the new owner wants a different name, would the procedure of name change actually cost more in sum total? Will there be a change of ownership fee?

I will call AKC to find out, but does anyone have any opinion?

HighDesert,

This is what I do now-I use the AKC paper application where I both register the litter AND name the puppies. However, I give my clients the right to input the name they would like for their puppy prior to me registering the litter-they are not forced to accept a name I put on the puppy. I pay the $25 litter reg fee, then $12 per pup to do this. It keeps anyone from being able to change the name on the pup/dog without my written permission, which my health/hip guarantee contract clearly says I will never give such approval.

BEFORE these new AKC programs: registering a litter of 7 to get AKC Blue Forms was $25 plus $2 per pup ($14)= $39.00

AFTER there new AKC programs: registering & naming a litter of 7 to ensure new/subsequent owners can't change the name: $25 plus $12 per pup($84)=$109.00

If an AKC Blue Form is given by the breeder to a new owner at purchase, then the new owner is going to be the first owner on record when they send in that blue form-not the breeder. The new owner thus has the right as the first owner on record to change the name of the dog under new AKC rules/regulations for $25.00 per change whenever they please-without the breeder's knowledge. If the dog has been shown OR bred, then the name can no longer be changed. The only way to prevent name changing without breeder's knowledge is for the breeder to both register the litter and name the pups so the breeder is also the first owner on record. The AKC claims this $25 name change option helps breeders, but I haven't yet figured that one out.

We also tattoo our puppies prior to them leaving our residence with their AKC papers, so all the more reason why we do not wish for the names to be changed. It could turn quickly into a clerical nightmare for breeders trying to keep track of things. And how are breeders to keep their Litter Records straight if people can be changing the names of puppies on a whim? I would think they have made the breeder's job tougher in a sense.