Page 21 - Chow Life - Spring 2018

the sport even though they are one must ask why there is such In response, DNA technology was
all still undefined. This has only widespread support for DNA offered as the savior of the AKC
encouraged the animal rights testing and the other health studbook. As a new technology it
groups to move forward with their protocols given the small fraction of was considered the tool by which
expectations for the label called the breeder's who actually use them. those suspected of cheating would
"the responsible breeder". It is even This has yet to be explained but it be caught and punished. It was also
more dangerous than the earlier seems fair to say that the animal during this period that the animal
labels mentioned because this label rights movement will continue rights movement linked their ideas
has more closely been linked to to ask that all breeding stock be to several undefined labels which
the breeders, their pups and the screened and tested. In time they the breeders had made popular.
use of clinical protocols such as will demand health and parentage Their strategy has worked only
x-rays, health certifications and testing of every litter. As their because undefined labels can mean
DNA testing. These protocols will agenda begins to unfold nothing many things to different individuals.
become the mechanisms by which short of a massive educational Most importantly, they make
they intend to measure breeders. program will be able to slow down everyone feel good about their
The animal rights movement the effect it will have on the dog own beliefs. Over the past 15 years
believes that all breeders should world. Notice in Figure 1 how AKC the breeders and the pubic have
screen and test all of their breeding registrations have slowly been been conditioned to accept this
stock as the first step to producing reduced. In 2004, of those who approach.
the pups they will sell. While most purchased an AKC registerable pup What was not anticipated was
breeders’ support being labeled a only 44% registered them. Experts how the animal rights movement
"responsible breeder" they fail to agree that the reason for this would create two problems for
see that they will be expected to decline is not simple; but the facts the "responsible breeder" to solve.
screen and test all their pups. Since show that this has been a nine-year The first problem they called
the AKC has already collected steady decline and it expected to "pet overpopulation" which they
DNA on more than 350,000 dogs, continue. linked to limited registrations
one would think that the breeders (Figure 2). At the same time they
would have learned more about Figure 1 Individual Dog Registrations also encouraged the use of spay/
how the parentage tests works and
how the DNA health tests can be
used in their breeding program.
The truth is that very few breeders
can explain the DNA parentage test
or how it is being used to preserve
the integrity of the stud book. One
would also expect that because of
the widespread support for DNA
health testing more breeders would
be using the 35 plus DNA health
tests that are already available for
screening diseases. The record
shows just the opposite. Most
breeders do not use the DNA
parentage test unless it is required
and only a small percentage are
using the DNA health tests, x-rays
or other clinical protocols as a way
to eliminate or manage the carriers
in their pedigrees. The under-
utilization of these technologies
in an environment of widespread
acceptance confirms that indeed
the dog world "may be asleep at the neuter contracts. Both ideas were
wheel". This encourages the animal To understand this dilemma immediately popular and both
rights groups with their strategy to and the use of undefined labels we produced a negative impact on
change breeding practices. need to examine events that had purebred dogs, particularly
To better understand the already emerged by the early 1990's the gene pools of the 35
when the high volume breeders
dynamics of this gathering storm, were thought to be out of control. breeds seen in Table 1.
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