The American Kennel Club lightens up, slightly
In a stunning reversal of more than 100 years of formality, pomposity and being generally uptight, the American Kennel Club announced yesterday that it will allow owners to rename their dogs -- under certain conditions.
This opens the door for a dog with a show name of something like "Ch Farnsworthy's Fabulous Felicia of Framington" to be renamed, and compete under, something like ... Max, or Bud, or Biff, or Scrappy.
Imagine the horror of dog show purists when a highly coiffed poodle trots down the runway at the next Westminster dog show -- announced not under her former fancy five word name, but instead as "Daisy," or "Fat Ethel," or "Miss Booty."
The change in AKC rules allows owners of AKC registered dogs to change the official name of their pet provided the pet was born in the U.S., has never been bred, and has not won any awards at an AKC event.
“We have a lot of interest from AKC registered dog owners looking to rename their dogs,” said David Roberts, AKC’s Assistant Vice President of Registration. “In most cases, the dog is a beloved pet and the owner would like to pick a name that has special value to them."
Any name change must comply with all AKC requirements, and it costs owners $25.
The American Kennel Club -- though we sometimes make fun of it here for its adherence to "purity" and "standards" when all dogs are actually mutts and resulted from mixing breeds -- has many excellent programs that do good things for dogs.
A non-profit organization, it was founded in 1884, maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC, according to its mission statement, is dedicated to upholding the "integrity of its registry," promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for "type and function" (as opposed to the fun of it.)
Comments
Cool idea. Your example, however, wouldn't work. The "Ch" in front of the name means the dog is a champion, and has by definition won awards at an AKC event. Under the rules, this theoretical dog's name couldn't be changed.
Posted by: Jenny Hawkins | March 29, 2008 11:25 AM
As a breeder this is disappointing news. Many hours are spent searching for a stud dog, having the proper health testing completed, getting an AKC Championship title, whelping the litter and taking care of the puppies - prior to placing them in a loving home (show or companion). The "Kennel name" on the show puppy gives the dog its heritage and the breeder a sense of pride for their hard work. If owners can purchase a show pick puppy and then delete the breeder's kennel name from the dog's AKC registered name, what does the breeder have left? It would be like a professional athlete with a sponsor that gets no recognition for their sponsorship. I can see this forcing breeders to sell their show pick puppies on a co-ownership so that the breeder's kennel name cannot be removed later.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 2, 2008 9:43 AM
As an employee at a small pet store, I think this is a good move. I have seen many times when a person has purchased a new puppy, named it with there personal name, and only then decided they "just couldn't keep him". The new owner of the dog is now the owner of a name that belongs to a different family. ( My Great Dane's name was "Whit's Abby Mae". I got her from a girl named whitney after she had outgrown her house.) If I would have been able to change her name, I would have been pleased...
Posted by: Brian | April 2, 2008 1:31 PM
Silly! If you have ever watched and listened to Westminster on TV you would know the dogs have always been known by names like Max, Rufus, Indy, and Daisy. And you could always change a dog's name. My Eli came to me with the name Shaq (his previous owner was a basketball fan :-). It only took him a few days to answer to his new name. The rule change has to do with the registered name, which must be unique, so there will only be one Max, or Biff, or Scrappy. It's like the kid named William George Phillips-Smith III, but everyone calls him Buddy.
Posted by: Lydia | November 6, 2008 12:04 AM