Travis & Dio the dog wrote:I would like to become a member at a local beagle club in my area but my dog Isnt akc registerd so the club is reluctant to let him on grounds in fear he may find a hot female, which I completly understand as accidents do happen. A member told me that the club would consider making me a member if I were to have the dog fixed and then registered which is also no big deal since I had no plans of ever breeding him. My only question is does it affect their desire to hunt as of now there is nothing he would rather do but Id hate to get him fixed and have him turn fat and lazy on me. I really need opinions on this so everyones two cents is welcome
Those of you that belong to AKC clubs I’m sure already know what I am about to say, simply because your club’s President & Secretary has gone over it with their members. But those of you with no affiliation with an AKC club may not have a clue of changes in the AKC this past year.
As far as your particular question, the AKC has actually addressed this and made provisions for this. Now after living in 6 different states in the last 21 years, and establishing and/or assisted in establishing 11 different Beagle clubs and was a licensed judge and held a variety of different positions within the clubs, I have enough experience to know what I am about to say is “controversial”. But love it, hate it, agree with it or disagree with it… changes come and changes go and some changes are welcome and some are not. I have learned that when you get a group of people together that are “passionate” about any subject, being a Beagle Club, Sports Team, Lodge or even a Church, 100% agreement and peace is hard to come by.
Club members may not like it “or what is coming”, but according to the AKC the rule has been, you can register your dog here: and providing that your dog is spayed or neutered, not only can you become a member of the club, but you can also participate in any “AKC Performance Event”, “EXCEPT” FOR BEAGLE FIELD TRIALS.
But if it were me and I had “grade dogs”, I would participate in the PAL/ILP
http://www.akc.org/reg/ilpex.cfm and/or Foundation Stock Service,
http://www.akc.org/reg/fss_details.cfm simply because like it, believe it, disagree with it… it really does not change anything, change is on the way. Participate in these programs now, by your 4th or 5th generation of breeding, once you’re in the program, your dogs will have full registration privileges. The writing is on the wall, most of the time, money dictates changes made. It is already in effect for the majority of the “breeds”, it will come around to the Beagles too.
I love “tradition”, and I am not a “lover” of liberal change… but without consistency, you have nothing,
Step #1 has already been made towards this change. If incorrect parentage is found because of a failed DNA test and the Sire is “unknown”, it is sometimes not possible to determine the correct parentage of the litter because a potential sire is deceased or unable to be located. In these cases the registrations of the litter and its members and their offspring were canceled. Now, AKC’s “Conditional Registration”
http://www.akc.org/reg/conditional_reg_info.cfm current policy for introducing breeds into the AKC registry requires a three-generation pedigree on each dog. This policy will also apply to dogs when an "unknown" dog is found in its pedigree based on a failed DNA test. An individual dog's registration can be reverted to regular registration status with the completion of a DNA sample verifying parentage of that individual dog and confirming three generations of DNA verified parentage.
Beginning July 1, 2010, if the dog has a DNA profile recorded in the AKC DNA database the dog may compete in Field Trials. They may not participate in Conformation events, and titles previously earned in these events will be removed from the dog’s record. In the fourth generation of DNA-profiled parentage, the registration will revert to Full and the dog may participate in any AKC event.
So in this scenario, if I purchase an AKC pup, and the sire is wrong and unknown due to a DNA test, if I DNA the pup and the next 3 generations out of that pup, those pups on the 4th generation will then receive full registration privileges. In my opinion, there is absolutely no difference between “my pup” and the average “grade dog”, if the same process is completed on both. Soon the AKC will see it the same way. It is slowly moving in that direction.
Eventually, AKC will “invite” the fellows over from the ARHA, UKC & PKC {Beagles & Coon Hounds}. As a matter of fact, open registry is already open for the coon hounds and several other breeds, it will open again for Beagles. There is simply too much $$$$$ involved, or I should say “not involved”.
A few other rules are now currently effective and some of them have been since 1-1-2010.
One new rule states that after the entries are closed, and it is found that there are fewer than six hounds eligible to compete in any class, the Field Trial Committee shall have the option of combining that class either by gender or size into a single class. In other words, if there isn’t enough dogs in any particular class, males & females can compete against each other and the different size classes can now compete against each other. And this is to be applied towards Brace, Small Pack, Small Pack Option & Two Couple Pack.
Another new rule allows: “club officers” to judge their own club’s events, members of their own club still cannot, but “club officers” now can.
Another rule, it was amended to establish a minimum of six months of age before a dog is eligible for entry.
Another new rule applied towards Small Pack & Small Pack Option, specifically Procedure 8-J "Except for trailing deer, which shall be a demerit, trailing game other than announced shall not be considered a demerit, nor shall any hound be demerited for failing to pack if the pack has been proven to be on game other than announced. In the event the hound has been ordered up, it shall be reinstated in the pack. Any hound that has been ordered up for not participating in running off game shall be reinstated in the pack. Procedure 8-J does not state that the judges must "see" the off game. Hounds may be ordered up and eliminated from further competition but “not disqualified” for running deer.
I personally agree with all the above changes, and I have my reasons, but to each his own.
