• 14May

  AKC will now welcome mixed breeds

  Interesting and Funny 49 Comments

  Have you heard the news?  That AKC will be allowing mixed breeds into certain venues?  Straight from the horses mouth, you can read about it here.   AKC says the primary reason they are doing this is for ‘legislation power’.  Basically the more dogs they have on their leash, the more clout they have to lawmakers. 

  The plan is that starting October 1st 2009 you will be able register your mixed breed with AKC.  Then in April 2010 you will be eligible to compete in mixed breed classes and “stand-alone” agility, obedience, and rally events.   Hmmmm….

  I have to admit, I have mixed feelings.  Not because I don’t want to see our All Americans participating and excelling in agility.  It’s just that I have always thought of the AKC as an organization whose philosphy is pure-bred dog ownership and overseeing the registration and title accomplishments of such.   Other organizations (such as USDAA and CPE) we respect for simply being agility event organizations  (without the same philosphy), and so we expect that these would allow mixed breeds.  I don’t know, maybe I’m odd, but whether I agree with philospophys or not,  I admire consistency of philosphy with actions.  Such clear voices and focused visions are refreshing in today’s complex world.    Many an organization has drifted from their original mission because they did not stick to it, and suddenly they find themselves a totally different entity before they even realize what happened. 

  Anyway….thoughts?  I’d like to hear from you.

  Are you a member of Agility Fusion?  If not, I suggest you join today!  Not only will you enjoy daily tips and news about agility, dog-ownership, and life in general, but EVERY FRIDAY you will receive a special morning email with a link to our weekly contest, where I invent some fun new way for you to win an obstacle or a gift certificate!  It’s fun, it’s new, and its the thing to do!

  

  Tags: agility changes, controversial

• 30Apr

  Legal or illegal T-shirt?

  Dog Agility Competing 3 Comments

  So what do you think?  Could you see this guy in the picture running an agility course dressed like this?  Well, not according to AKC.  Current or old news, I don’t know, but I just read an AKC rule regarding clothing at agility trials.  Advertising is not allowed in an AKC agility ring on the clothing worn by an exhibitor or ring crew staff, such as, “train at Joe’s Dog School,” or “eat at Joe’s Diner.” (or “Shop at Walmart”, I’m sure).  Club shirts may be worn, however. (Huh? Isn’t this advertising?).  Clothing must not display the name of a person or a persons’ dog or their titles. If a dog food logo is worn, it must not be in conflict with a sponsor of the trial. A picture of the exhibitors’ dog may be worn.  Gosh, I’m confused.  Does anyone have any insider-knowledge as to what constitutes advertising according to AKC’s definition?  Are they even enforcing it at trials?  Or this only at the national level?  Looking forward to your comments!  (click on the title of this blog, or the “comments” link in the upper right corner).

   

  

  Tags: agility competing, agility organizations, controversial

• 15Apr

  Getting the whole scoop on Dog Breeders vs. the ASPCA, PETA, and the AHS

  Interesting and Funny 7 Comments

  .
  I don’t know about you, but when I hear some stories in the news, I have to just throw up my hands and say ‘let God be true and every man a liar’, because it can sure get confusing. Such is the recent news story of the controversy over where Vice President Biden bought his German Shepherd puppy. Instead of a shelter, he purchased it from a breeder, Linda Brown of Pennsylvania. Apparently PETA and ASPCA are enraged, and at least PETA has run articles in Biden’s home state saying such things as, ‘when you buy from a breeder, you kill a dog at a shelter’. This is a pretty harsh statement. As if there is only one right way to obtain a puppy?

  From what I’ve heard on one side of the story, I feel sorry for Linda, who has supposedly received defaming, harassment, and even death threats. She says she’ll never sell to a high-profile person ever again. No matter what, this kind of aggressive bullying is not right. But on the other hand, there is an investigation going on to her practices. She is said to own 100 breeding dogs and has sold 275 puppies in 2006. I don’t know what the exact definition of a ‘puppy-mill’ is, but she has quite the business going. I personally don’t like seeing puppies in pet stores and am SO glad that many pet shops are getting away from this practice keeping children and ignorant parents from making such an important decision too easy. Personally, I appreciate the whole experience of carefully researching a pure-bred dog, a reputable breeder, establishing a relationship with them, and then forking some hefty money out for a puppy that you have put a lot of thought and care into finding. This doesn’t mean that getting a shelter dog isn’t an extremely noble and enriching experience. But is there only one right way to own a dog?

  What is the real agenda of such organizations as PETA and ASPCA? Can greed and a desire to ‘be on top’ with one’s agenda be taken too far? I believe so. It’s happened all through history. Recently at Affordable Agility we had a rude awakening to the controversy behind the AHS (American Humane Society) which we were ignorant of. We announced in one of our emails that we were going to donate some proceeds from a monthly sale to them. Honestly we thought they were associated with our local humane society, which I’ve always appreciated for various reasons. But we found out (from many people who emailed us), that they are two different things. I can see now that we have a lot to learn. We ended up changing our donation to to be our local humane society instead, and now I am trying to understand with knowledge all sides of the story here, and what the real deal is with organizations such as the AHS.

  I welcome your comments. I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but would love to hear what you think on the subject. We are also looking for good dog-related organizations to donate to, so if you have any thoughts on this, please share this too.

  

  Tags: agility organizations, controversial

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