Page 51 - 2024 02 Summer

AKC Delegate

Report

March 2024 by Margaret DiCorleto, Delegate

I attended the AKC Delegates Meeting in Newark, NJ Canine College https://www.akc.org/public-education/
March 11 and 12, 2024. resources-for-clubs/akc-canine-college/ which benefit
judges, groomers, breeders, and the general dog-
I spoke briefly at the All-Breed Clubs committee owning public. Media presentations including AKCtv
meeting about the Best Practices-Legislation document , AKC Good Dog TV, and AKC ESPN continue to be
that has been updated and will be released at the expanded.
June meeting. Club members should be aware of
CCCI’s involvement in opposing a recent NH bill There is a new offering from AKC called AKC Rx.
that would have criminalized the sale and breeding of The goal is to offer easy and cost-effective access to
brachycephalic dogs which included Chows. Back in prescription and over-the-counter medications for
January, I was contacted by AKC asking for help from dogs and other pets. The medications will be processed
Parent Clubs in defeating this radical bill. Cathy Clapp and filled by Allivet. Some proceeds will go to AKC
and I began drafting a letter to send to the legislators charitable initiatives such as the Humane Fund, Canine
and Cathy developed some excellent short videos to Health, Government Relations, and the Museum of the
further support our opposition. We received excellent Dog.
guidance from AKC Government Relations (Stacey
Ober) in formatting our response and keeping us up The vote on Article XII, Sect. 1 of the Charter and
to date on the proceedings. After a postponement, Bylaws which makes the process of administering oaths
hearings were held and ultimately, on March 13, the easier and uniform when a club is dealing with formal
committee recommended that the bill should not complaints was approved.
be approved. Bills such as the one proposed in NH The vote on the proposed amendment to Ch. 12, Sects.
illustrate the need for vigilance at the local and state 1 and 4 was approved. This amendment will delete the
level so that anti-dog legislation does not get passed. requirement for publishing in the show catalog the
The animal rights people have not gone away. complete address of judges, exhibitors, and owners and
replace it with name, city, and state.
I attended the AKC Bylaws committee meeting for the
discussion of the registration of non-standard colors The next major vote will be in June. The proposed
that several breeds are facing. The issue is complicated. amendment to Article VII, Sect. 1 of the Charter and
AKC is working with the Parent Clubs of the 5 breeds Bylaws of AKC would remove the two consecutive term
that are having the biggest problem, French Bulldogs limit for AKC Board of Directors.
being top on the list. Currently, Puppies can be shown
in the 4-6 month puppy class even if they have a
disqualifying fault or an unacceptable coat or color. This
is confusing for exhibitors. Several people spoke about
the importance of maintaining the integrity of the stud
book and the effect that registration of improper colors
and coats will have/has had. The AKC and some foreign
kennel clubs have reciprocity for pedigrees. There was
discussion of the use and limitations of DNA testing.
We were reminded that color alone does not mean
impure breeding; registration is based on pedigree not
phenotype. This is going to be an on-going discussion.
At the general meeting, there was a report on the
success of the Orlando show which had over 5,000
entries and Meet the Breeds in NYC with over 30,000
attendees. There are many courses available at the