ILPs – The Diminishing Value of Pedigrees

[This article was first printed in the Canaan Club of Ontario Winter 2007 newsletter - copies of the newsletter are available by contacting Michelle at sufat.sheleg@gmail.com ]

Talk about losing focus…or is it just a sign of the times. It would appear that what a dog does is nowhere near as important as how pretty they are. We have all seen how the AKC is quite content to sell out its small breeders, as demonstrated by the infamous PAWS legislation. Without the board’s support this obsequious piece of “law” would have died an ignoble death and maybe helped quicken the departure of Senator Santorum. On one hand they are “saving” dogs from the hands of all those evil puppy-millers, much the same way that our past government was saving all of us from illegal guns. PAWS requires the onerous registration of litters from the very heart-and-soul breeders of each type of dog, and by focusing the light on them they will be able to stamp out the mills. And this works how? Well, the same way that by registering lawful gun owners in Canada, the criminals will stop using guns. Gives logic an entirely new meaning.

But back to Form over Function, the AKC way. Our canine chums have been enduring our clumsy attempts at civilization for thousands of years. Talk about patience. They probably discuss among themselves how different things would be if they were the ones with opposable thumbs. But we have stumbled along on our hind legs and somehow managed to get ourselves to a point of time where we have lawyers setting our standards and 15-second TV soundbites setting our agendas. Are we off base!!

And all the way along Fido has been there to perform whatever task we have asked of them. Of course this was never enough for us. Despite Fido’s ability to outperform our senses at every turn, we decided that we needed to improve him. So we shortened him; we made him bigger; we grew his nose, or shrunk his face. And if breeding new “qualities” into him wasn’t enough, we then performed surgery on him by chopping off his tail or forcing his ears to stand up…. the floppy ears were also our contribution to him. So in the name of improving his performance in some specified task we make Fido shape-shift. All well and good, right? We now have dedicated dogs for smelling, guarding, running, herding, or being stuck in some Hollywierdo’s purse. But Fido has a job. He has a purpose, right? Well, back to that sign-of-the-times thing. Yes, we do still need some dogs to perform tasks, but we are also in a boom period of having dogs that don’t do anything. Of course there are those pesky tennis balls in the park that keep getting away, but Fido has become little more that a four-legged lawn jockey in most households.

Well, the AKC recognized that it needed to change its original mandate, that of being a Registry for certain approved breeds. People meticulously kept records of sires and dams through the years so that AKC could put a stamp of pur laine on the descendants. That is what a Registry is for, is it not? And people pay good money for a dog that is part of that Registry. It gives the dog legitimacy in the breed, and this verification comes from having some sort of identification on their bodies. By and large tattoos have been replaced by microchips, and dogs are still grateful to us for not implementing branding.

So there is the AKC with all of these dogs registered, and people are examining the registry so that they know whom to breed with whom. And why is this important? Well, in the 1880s when the first meetings of the AKC occurred, shows were set up to represent various breeds that had jobs! The organizers wanted the dogs that were tops in their performance fields to show. This is where the conformation side came in. The dog with the best conformation of his breed would be the one to best perform the task for which they were bred. Thus, breeders sought out the owners of the top male to stud to their females, and hopefully produce litters of future field champions or herding experts.

Back to that sign-of-the-times thing. Fido no longer has a job. Most people do not keep sheep. Hunting is not as prevalent as it once was, primarily because we now forage at supermarkets. Guard dogs are replaced by home security systems. And bull baiting is an absolute no-no. So the reason for the conformation shows shifts. It evolves. And Fido is again not good enough. We start to make him different colours; we make his coat grow; we even start to increase the number of recognized breeds because the North American ones are not unique enough. But suffice it to say that the focus has shifted, and what Fido can do plays second fiddle to how he looks.

And with their $35 You-Name-It-We-Will-Register-It program the AKC confirms this position. They, of course, have a fancier name for it, complete with the requisite acronym. It is the Indefinite Listing Privilege, or ILP. Now for a $35 nonrefundable fee and some good lighting, you can send in photographic proof to the AKC that that little pound-puppy you picked up is a purebred something-or-other. And their skilled judges of canine flesh will give you the big old Nero-ish thumb up or down. Now you say, well surely the people in employ of the Venerable Ole’ Registry will not want to bring recognition to any dogs that will cast aspersions on a certain breed. They will debate, analyze, debate some more, and in the end come up with the correct decision. Yeah right…. for $35 we are lucky if they deign to open the envelope. The AKC wants lots of these ILPs to come aboard. And why is this a good thing for the AKC…money!!!

First off, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that their coin does have a pass side and a fail side. So let’s make the big assumption (you know what assuming does for you) that they reject 50% of the applications. In 2001, the AKC granted divine-right-of-breed-name to over 2000 dogs. At $35 a crack that’s over $70,000. But wait…didn’t we say that 50% of the potential heirs-to-the-throne would be rejected. And their fee was nonrefundable. So the AKC would have added over $140,000 to the coffers just for telling people that the $50 puppy in the pound window was or was not descended from kings. Makes one almost happy to get mail. Ok, so why does this population explosion of the AKC registry make the board members do their happy dances? Because the AKC is also making money from giving out titles to sports that dogs perform. So they have dogs jump and run and chase and herd, and other things that dogs are very good at, and some are better at than others because of, you guessed it, their conformation. Now greyhounds can get recognition from the Venerable Ole’ Registry for chasing simulated rabbits in real fields and GSDs can be titled for herding real sheep in simulated pastures. And the AKC gets money from all of the registrations for these trials.

They are quick to note on the promo page for ILPs that in 2001, the same year they registered over 2000 new “purebred” dogs, they also issued over 2000 new titles to ILP bluebloods. Rough math on that, with 3 legs needed for each title, and maybe 4 attempts to succeed 3 times (these ILPs are quick learning social climbers), those 2000 titles would have generated in the neighbourhood of $240,000. Not bad chunk of change so that these nouveau canine elites could put a letter or 3 after their names.

So now that we have shown that the AKC is really in the business of printing money we can understand their motivation for swelling the ranks. But what do the various breed clubs get out of all this. And more importantly, how does this benefit the Canaan Dog? You were wondering if there was a Canaan Dog angle to all of this, weren’t you?

In the history of the Canaan Dog in North America, there have been a small, but dedicated number that have received the royal tap on the shoulder from the AKC for performing tasks. And the handlers of these dogs are rightly proud of their accomplishments. They have raised the profile and the stakes for the breed in these events. And we are not going to get into things about temperament and aloofness and other such nonsense. We are talking about flat out being the best dogs and handlers in the Canaan Dog breed. Others have made these claims for GSDs, for Golden Retrievers, for Whippets, for Jack Russell Terriers, for Border Collies. Ah yes, Border Collies. The nebulous BCs. The Do-All breed that rises to the top in so many of the sports. It would be so difficult to climb that mountain, to be even in the Top 100 of Border Collies in Agility, in Obedience, in Herding, etc. You could train your brains out and still not be on the first page of accomplishments. But what if you had an unregistered dog from the pound or rescue that they think is a BC-cross, a medium sized black-and-white dog with a relatively wedged head, and ears that were up most of the time. And you come across this ILP program from the Venerable Ole’ Registry and think that getting your pup into this would do him some good. But you are a competitive so-and-so and are looking for an edge. Having him ILP’d as a Border Collie would mean that he would likely never get any recognition, and you want those placement ribbons. But wait….look at this breed….the Canaan Dog. Hmmm, similar physical attributes…fix the lighting a bit….have the pup gaze off in an aloof-ish manner….and those pics and $35 go on into the AKC for their expert approval. And, lo and behold, their wheel of chance that day lands on an affirmative as a Canaan Dog for you! You have sidestepped all of those breeder interviews, the waiting for a litter, the purchase fee, and of course, the proof positive that your dog is a Canaan Dog. All of those suckers with the pedigrees and microchips and purchase receipts are now on the same level as you.

Now I am not saying that this dog is a definite to excel above and beyond other competing Canaan Dogs. I don’t believe for a second that with proper training that the Canaan is inferior to any other breed, and their great versatility makes them competitors in a wide variety of sports.

All I am pointing out is that fair is fair. AKC, CKC, UKC events are for purebred dogs…. ones that can PROVE their lineage. There are a great many venues for “uncertain” dogs to compete. But if you are bound and determined to compete in PUREBRED trials then you must prove that you have a PUREBRED dog. The second that doubt enters the equation the dog should not be eligible. There is a pride that goes with completing a title with your dog. And to have the added benefit of being unique within your breed makes it extra special. But to have it sullied because an ILP dog also gains recognition for that title is just plain wrong.

The Canaan Dog Club of America (CDCA) is no help in this manner. The vast bulk of their "leadership" are only inclined to breed their Canaans and occasionally allow them out of their crates long enough to flinch at the first judge who has the audacity to require the dog to conform to the same standards to which all other breeds are held.

The CDCA even acknowledges these CD-wannabees by putting them up on their performance page!!!!! This is such an insult to anyone who has taken the trouble to learn how to train their Canaan Dog!!

Of course this saves most of them the trouble of actually learning how to train a dog to do something and gives them more time to come up with new ways to blame the dogs for their own insecurities.

Shouldn’t there be some sort of protest vote for this ham-handed programme that the AKC has foisted on the clubs. I see no benefit to a club nor to its legitimate membership by this action. Why would this entice an individual to get a “real” Canaan in the future, as some suggest. If you have sidestepped the system once, surely there are other candidates to be found at the pound. Snap a couple of new Polaroid’s and write a cheque and play the AKC Wheel-Of-Breeds again. To me the great missing demographic of future Canaan Dog owners are the ones that favour performance events. Too much is made of difficulties and too little of the Canaan’s attributes. This is a well-built athletic breed that loves to do things, and I read more articles making them sound like special children that are in need of remedial studies. If the clubs are to be so forgiving of this ILP money grab, then they should vote out the spade/neutered portion and allow these prodigals the chance to compete in the Conformation ring. It is such a sad state of irony that the venue that once showcased the top of the breeds based on their superior working abilities now is the one that is a sacrosanct temple that insists on Proof-Of-Breed. But as a sign-of-the-times, it doesn’t matter what you do, it is how you look.