Just to clarify:
My breeder came under attack from the ABCA, because he started to breed
for temperment, agility and family dogs. These dogs still have "the
eye", but they are better suited for today's society. ABCA still
thinks as BC's only as herding dogs!
This is the stated objective of the American Border Collie Society - which has remained unchanged from the beginning:
The objectives of this Association are to register, maintain and verify
the pedigrees of Border Collies; and to promote and foster in North
American the breeding, training, and distribution of reliable working
Border Collies.
We don't ask the AKC, which has the stated objective of supporting purebred dogs, to change its objective and register mixed breeds - you know, there's so many nice crossbred dogs out there today, doodles, cockapoos, etc - why should the AKC "attack" these breeders?
And this is misleading:
because he started to breed
for temperment, agility and family dogs
The ABCA has no interest, literally none, in what any person out there
does with their ABCA registered dog, with a couple of exceptions, noted
below.
There's only two reasons for discipline from the ABCA:
- Abuse of dogs, or submitting deliberately fraudulent records
- "The ABCA is a working stockdog registry and believes that breeding for
conformation standards rather than working ability is detrimental to
the health and working ability of the Border Collie. Consequently dogs
or bitches which have been named a "Conformation Champion" by a
conformation registry are not eligible for ABCA registration, even if
they otherwise meet the requirements for registration. The ABCA will
de-register any ABCA registered dog or bitch should it be named a
"Conformation Champion" after January 1, 2004, and will not register
the offspring of any dog or bitch named a "Conformation Champion" after
that date."
So if after January 1, 2004, your breeder chose to finish the conformation championship of a dog or bitch in his kennel, contrary to the stated purpose of the ABCA (to maintain a registry dedicated to the breeding of
working dogs), that dog was "de-registered." The breeder himself would not have been disciplined - unlike the first point where the breeders face direct investigation, suspension, and expulsion.
Note: The ABCA does not recognize any registry that promotes
conformation showing of Border Collies. Consequently, registration with
the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, the Kennel Club (UK),
Federacion Cynologieque Internationale, Australian or New Zealand
Kennel Clubs, or any such body will not be accepted as a basis for
registration with the ABCA.
Therefore, if your breeder chooses to use parents that are only AKC registered (even just one, such as a stud), then that litter cannot be ABCA registered. This is not an "attack," since it is your breeder's choice to follow a path that is contrary to the mission of the ABCA - to promote reliable working lines of Border Collies. The same thing would happen if someone with Jack Russell Terriers decided to use a Parson Russell Terrier stud - the litter could no longer be registered with either registry, because the AKC books are closed for Parsons.
I'll say this again, the ABCA doesn't care what its members do with their dogs, as long as they act in an ethical manner and don't pursue a conformation championship with their dogs. Heck, you can even do breed shows with your dogs, as long as you stop short of getting that title.
Incidentally, on health issues, it is the ABCA, not the AKC, that requires yearly eye exams from its top breeders, will note OFA and CERF information on 5 generation pedigrees and in the permanent database, and was a major sponsor of the research that made the DNA test for CEA possible. We are currently sponsoring research for genetic trends in epilepsy and to study the causes of a form of late-onset deafness. We are very serious about health issues - how could a working registry not be? Possibly people may imagine the working registry as a bunch of farmers, but in fact each member on the health committee is a PhD, most with their field of specialty being biological research.
And please note this item:
Cornell Gives ABCA
Genetics Award
On October 10, 2003, Sally Lacy, Chair of the ABCA Health and Genetics
Committee accepted the Cornell University's Baker Institute's John
A. Lafore Kennel Club Award on behalf ot the Association. This award
is given in recognition "of a kennel club or breed-affiliated
organisation's outstanding contributions to the advancement of canine
health through their support to research and education.
The ABCA has funded genetic research at Cornell since 1999. The
award cites the ABCA: "We would like to recognize the Association's
enlightened and active role in breeding. the Association's longstanding
commitement is helping to ensure health for future generations of
companion animals."
Our belief is that the best way to produce a dog with an all-around good temperament, ideal balance between athleticism and soundness, and an "off switch" that makes the dog suitable to be an active companion or partner in sports or work - is to continue breeding for the work that these dogs have always been bred for. For 100 years this approach produced dogs that people enjoyed as companions, competitive partners, and of course top notch herding dogs - a dog you could purchase as a pup and know he'd be useful. That last part is the treasure we are protecting fiercely - we will let nothing threaten that. In doing so, it's the balanced dog that is bred, not "the most" anything, or "the best of all worlds" or "jack of all trades and master of none."