Supporting Breeders & Handlers of Working Dogs

[Katelynn & Gang]

Okay,

 

We?ve chewed over ideas about what to do about this whole AKC thing.

 

Many people have pulled ideas out about grading breeders and their dogs for buyers to look at. Kind of a good idea but no one really seemed how we ?could? go about it without stepping on any toes.

 

So, as well all know, I sit around for hours thinking about how to stop the AKC or put dents into their plan of mass make over for our breed. Here is my idea. I think it is great and I do not think it would step on anyone toes or make the ABCA lose registries.

 

Every year, the USBCHA has the Nationals. Here we see the very best Border Collies in the US (and World). Their breeders have taken the time and effort to make sure they can work to a correct standard for our breed and they also made sure they went into homes where they would be proven to their very best level of work.

 

Here we see handlers and breeders that breed puppies that will, from the work they prove on the ISDS type field, produce puppies with the ability to work. The future of the breed will benefit from this type of handlers and breeders.

 

So, why not make a list of breeders (be it the handler, the dog?s breeders, or both) for buyers to look at and contact? If someone has produced puppies that made it to that level, we should some way show our appreciation and suport for them and what they are doing for the breed.

 

Sort of like the Hall of Fame, only more wide scale.

 

Just a small idea.

 

Please feel free to pick at it or pull it apart if you can think of something else.

 

Katelynn

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Not all great breeders make it to the Finals, for various reasons. And, believe it or not, not all finals competitors are necessarily conscientious breeders ipso facto.

 

But the "recommended breeders" idea is one that is kind of going around right now. One idea is simply to make a list of qualifications that would exclude the really awful breeders (limit on number of litters, some basic health tests, no dual registration, only breed to produce working stock, etc). Then the breeder would have to disclose information about how they select breeding stock and what kind of work their dogs do. any breeder that signs on to these qualifications would go into a national database available to those looking for a good breeder.

 

I like the idea of such a program because it would help promote the "little guy" breeder that is (should be?) the backbone of our breed.

 

This is not something the ABCA would do, this is a breed club sort of thing, ie, US Border Collie Club.