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Puppy Profits: Checking up and clamping down

BY OMER GILLHAM World Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
10/24/07 at 3:48 AM



For more: Search a database of U.S.D.A. inspection reports, watch videos and a slide show and read the other stories in the series.

Related stories: Pick of the litter

Puppy Profits: State laws lack bite



The American Kennel Club spends millions to inspect kennels and verify bloodlines.



The nation’s largest dog breeding organization has disciplined at least a dozen dog breeders in Oklahoma since 2006 for lying about pedigrees, refusing access to inspectors and other practices, records show.

The American Kennel Club spends millions of dollars each year inspecting kennels and ensuring that bloodlines remain accurate and true, said Lisa Peterson, spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club.

Between January 2006 and May 2007, AKC fined and suspended 15 Oklahoma breeders for sloppy records or for lying about the pedigree of their dogs, according to minutes of the group’s disciplinary committee. AKC also fined AKC kennel owners for unsanitary conditions at their facilities, records show.

‘‘Our inspectors look at kennel conditions and at paperwork that is accurate and true,’’ Peterson said.

‘‘The fines and suspension can be significant for those falsifying records.’’

AKC is the nation’s premiere dog registration group. An AKC registered dog with accompanying papers can increase the price of a litter by thousands of dollars.

In 2006, AKC registered 870,192 dogs and 413,957 litters, linking their names to the AKC Registry and Stud Book, which records lineage and bloodline.

Breeders registering their animals with AKC are responsible for maintaining accurate pedigree information about their animals, Peterson said.

Peterson said AKC is vigilant to identify breeders who try to falsify registration papers. The club spends $6 million annually on kennel inspections and verifying the bloodline of AKC animals through DNA testing and through its stud book.

The club has 14 inspectors who conduct inspections of breeders registering animals with AKC. Last year, the inspectors made 5,000 visits to AKC breeders. The inspections include 360 kennels and hobby breeders in Oklahoma, said Stacy Mason, an AKC inspector and field representative assigned to Oklahoma. Many of the visits were unannounced inspections of problematic kennels, Mason said.

‘‘I would say that a majority of the breeders are conscientious, but if we get a report of problems we will show up unannounced and ask to see their facilities and paperwork,’’ Mason said.

Numerous Oklahoma breeders have advertised their animals as AKC registered when they were not purebred animals or their paperwork was false, AKC records show.

AKC fined Jerri Kerr $1,000 and suspended her privileges for one year for submitting litter applications that contained false certification information.

The effective date of the suspension was Sept. 11, 2006. Kerr lives in Forgan in the Oklahoma panhandle.

Kerr said she was unaware that the AKC information was inaccurate.

‘‘I purchased some Italian greyhounds that were already bred and when I sold their litters AKC contacted me and said the certifications were false,’’ Kerr said. ‘‘I don’t have a kennel and I don’t breed dogs for sale anymore.’’

Breeder Lisa Grey of Wister was fined $500 and lost her AKC privileges for six months for submitting two litter registrations that she knew or should have known contained false certifications, AKC records state.

Grey’s suspension was effective Feb. 10, 2006. Grey said she did her part to ensure that the dog’s papers were in order.

‘‘I sold the dogs and I know the sire and the dam but I have no control over what puppy the buyer tried to register with AKC but they came after me,’’ said Grey, who raises Chihuahuas.

Dr. Brian Green, a New York veterinarian, said he has examined Oklahoma dogs that don’t appear to be representative of purebred lineage.

‘‘Some of the breeds I see coming from Oklahoma and Missouri into New York are not show-quality dogs,’’ Green said. ‘‘It is obvious that some of these breeders are buying $50 mutts and reselling them for $1,000 or more.’’

Green is a veterinarian at Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital in New York. He said he routinely examines Oklahoma puppies that qualify for New York’s puppy lemon law.

Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club has a stud book with the names of the finest show dogs and champions that ever lived, Peterson said.

An AKC registration means that the dog has a pureblood sire and dam that is documented through previous generations, Peterson said.

Reputable breeders provide accurate paperwork and lineage information to those purchasing a puppy from them, Peterson said.

‘‘Some breeders can be deceptive,’’ Peterson said. ‘‘If they advertise AKC puppies, don’t leave the breeder’s business until you have the AKC application papers in hand. Don’t expect them to mail the papers. They will put you off.’’

Tammy Moree is a reputable USDA breeder located in Claremore. Moree owns River Valley Kennel and raises AKC registered boxers.

She passed a recent AKC inspection in good form.

‘‘I work hard to keep my kennel and the records in good shape,’’ Moree said. ‘‘I am also kind of picky about who I sell my puppies to. I want to be sure they go to a good home.’’

Headquartered in New York, AKC is the only dog registration group that employs inspectors and conducts random inspections of breeder facilities.

Meanwhile, 17 states have puppy lemon laws that allow the consumers to obtain a replacement dog or receive some sort of remedy from the business selling the animal.

AKC is not the only dog breeding group trying to enforce standards.

Founded in 1984 as a private dog registration group, the American Canine Association reports 40,000 breeders registering dogs with the organization. Headquartered in Phoenixville, Pa., ACA recognizes and registers more than 400 breeds.

‘‘We have had breeders trying to fake it but we catch some fakes when we crosscheck their records with the AKC stud book,’’ said ACA president Bob Yarnall Jr.

‘‘Breeders are like any other line of work. You have good and bad police or lawyers and you have good or bad breeders.’’

‘‘I would say 95 percent of breeders are good and they are willing to do things right if you approach them right,’’ Yarnall said.

Yarnall said ACA receives numerous complaint calls from unhappy consumers. He said the number of calls made to ACA is minuscule compared to the number of dogs registered with ACA each year.

‘‘We get inundated with complaint calls every day about animal conditions and alleged animal defects,’’ Yarnall said. ‘‘But most of the complaints don’t go anywhere because the callers are unwilling to put the complaint in writing.’’

ACA spends about $800,000 annually for education events, dog shows and seminars to help breeders improve facility conditions and to raise healthy dogs. It also has an investigative unit that follows up on legitimate complaint calls that raise questions about the legitimacy of an ACA animal’s bloodline.

Yarnall said the dogbreeding industry is positioned to grow.

Designer dogs — a cross between two breeds — are the latest fad, he said. Hot breeds include morkies, a Maltese and Yorkshire terrier cross; goldendoodles, a golden retriever and a poodle cross; and labradoodles, a Labrador retriever and poodle cross.

‘‘These designer breeds are coming into more popularity,’’ Yarnall said.

‘‘They used to be called a mutt but now they can cost more than $1,000.’’



Omer Gilham 581-8301
omer.gilham@tulsaworld.com



Puppy buying tips



The Tulsa World interviewed industry experts to gather the following tips for consumers who want to purchase a dog from a breeder:

  • Search the database of breeders’ and brokers’ compliance inspections by the USDA on the Tulsa World Web site, www.tulsaworld.com/USDAreports. While you want a breeder with no violations, a few violations are not always indicative of a poor breeder.


  • If the breeder advertises AKC puppies, contact the American Kennel Club to determine the breeder’s status. Since 2006, AKC has fined and suspended 15 Oklahoma breeders for sloppy paperwork or for submitting false certifications.


  • If you find a breeder through the newspaper or other source, ask if the breeder is registered with the USDA and if the breeder has USDA violations. Ask how many violations and in which category, i.e, sanitation, facility upkeep or veterinary care.


  • Hobby breeders with a small number of breeding animals are not required to be registered with the USDA. If you find a hobby breeder, ask for references and call previous customers to discuss their experiences with the hobby breeder.


  • Secretive breeders with a large number of small breeding dogs are a warning sign.They are usually not USDA registered.These breeders tend to have 20 to 100 dogs housed in inadequate housing.


  • Once you locate a breeder, notice if the dogs are kept in maintained pens. Do the animals appear healthy? Are they protected from the elements?


  • Some breeders will invite you to their kennels but they will not allow you to see their facilities for fear of contamination of their animals. In some cases, this can be legitimate. In other cases it can be an excuse to keep you from seeing the breeding animals or pens. Most legitimate breeders will offer you some hand sanitizer and allow you to see the facilities and handle the animals.


  • Ask about vaccinations and worming of the animal and what dog food he or she feeds to help you determine the attitude of the breeder toward the animals.


  • Some breeders will not let you see their facilities. If they suggest meeting you in town or somewhere else to drop off the puppy, consider finding another breeder. iIf a breeder will not let you see the facilities or handle the animals, ask to stand in the kennel doorway. Remember you want to see the condition of the kennel or breeding area.


  • Ask about the puppy guarantee.There should be at least a one-year guarantee on congenital or other defects. There should be a guarantee of two or three weeks on contagious diseases such as parvo.


  • Ask about dog registration papers. Oklahoma breeders use several pedigree registration groups that include the American Kennel Club, American Canine Association and America’s Pet Registry Inc. Look up these groups online and read about them. AKC has the most stringent program, which includes 14 inspectors who inspect kennel conditions of AKC registered animals.


  • If you purchase a dog from a breeder, try to have the registration papers in hand before leaving the premises. You may not get them if you trust the breeder to mail them.


  • Report poor kennel conditions or suspicious activities to the local authorities or the humane society.




If ordering a puppy on the Internet



  • Ask if the person is a breeder or if the person is working for a commission. Some online dog dealers are actually middlemen who obtain puppies through other breeders. Ask for the names of the breeders supplying the puppies. Once you have the breeder name, look up his or her USDA record on theTulsa World’s database if applicable.


  • Ask for references and follow up on the references.


  • Ask about the puppy’s picture. Is the puppy on the Web site the actual puppy you are purchasing? Some online dealers use stock photos of a given breed that may not represent the animal they send to you.


  • Ask for pictures of the facilities and the animals. Have the breeder e-mail the pictures.


  • Ask about dog registration papers and when they will be sent. Ask about the health and temperament of the sire and dam, the parents of the animal.


  • If you decide to buy a puppy online, take the puppy to a veterinarian for a vet check within 48 hours.


  • If the puppy will be delivered via airplane, ask the breeder if he or she is preparing the animal for flight by giving it vet-recommended supplements. Not all puppies arriving sick from an airplane trip are defective or poor quality. An 8-week-old puppy can be affected by the flight but will recover.


  • Don’t pressure the breeder to wean the dog or send the dog before it is 8 weeks old. If you can wait until the puppy is 10 weeks old or older, it will be better for the puppy and you when you receive the animal.


  • If you are ordering a teacup or miniaturized version of any animal, understand these puppies are fragile to begin with. The airplane fl ight can be extra stressful on the puppy.


  • Shop for your puppy in the summer. Dog prices are seasonal and very low during May through August.
Associated Images:

Image

These cocker spaniel puppies enjoy a playful moment at Happyjack’s Family Pets in West Siloam Springs.

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