AKC Inspection

BulliesofNC

For years I've often wondered why AKC never took the time to provide us with a formal inspection. I've seen other new breeders which had documented inspections. I understand there are only 9 inspectors for the entire country and inspections are done at random but I've always hoped we'd be inspected so I could at least say we've been inspected by AKC and found to be in compliant with the breeding standards expected by AKC.
Well today I finallly got that opportunity. I got a call a few days ago and was told an inspector from Virginia would be here (Thursday Feb 20, 2014) to conduct an inspection.
I must say it was flattering to hear an AKC inspector that conducts inspections on a daily basis tell me how impressed he was with the health of our family of Bull Terriers, our kennel facilities, our breeding practices, and our record keeping. The entire inspection took almost 3 hours of thorough review. We received a perfect inspection and met the mark in all areas. I was confident we'd have no issues but I always wondered what to expect from an inspection. It definitely felt good hearing nothing but praise from a seasoned inspector that's been to hundreds of other breeders for evaluation.
Great day for an inspection too - 75 degrees!!!  I felt like we were having a Florida winter day.
Well I just wanted share with you all a day in which I felt was rewarding for the dedication we put towards our breeding program. 

Boyda

I'm glad to hear you passed with flying colors! I bet he had some horror stories!

exiled

Yay!  Congratulations to Bullies of NC! 

philsergeant

Hey! You could have saved him the trip.... Just given him my number and I coulda told him all that for free. Glad he did a thorough job... Did you get HIS number..?.. I have a few places to send him that I wanted to visit with a sharp razor.

BulliesofNC

Thanks Phil. I agree with you on conducting a few "choice" inspections on some people who really need it. He was a nice guy with some good knowledge on things that really aren't listed on the AKC website. I prepped myself with a few questions of my own knowing I'd have here for a while to get some answers that disturbed me. I attached my questions for your reading pleasure. I focused a lot of time on question 2 which really wasn't answered very well along with most of the other questions.

@Boyda - I was shocked by some of the stories he told which were both good and bad. He even mentioned shutting down a few breeders that were popular "Show Dog" particpants. He mentioned many of the hobby breeders that boost about their champion dogs are often the ones that aren't in compliance. He also mentioned about a breeder (I think in Virginia) that had an unbelievable setup. The amenities he described were incredible.

Boyda

Do you ever believe the AKC will adhere to the FCI practices? Or do you think they choose not to because of the fear of losing the potential income from breeders who wouldn't be able to keep up or disagree with the FCI standard.

Also, what qualifies some kennels to get an inspection vs others not, is it dependent upon how many litter you register, etc? Do they ever inspect suspected backyard breeders?

BulliesofNC

No, I don't think AKC would ever welcome FCI to America. There's no question in my mind they have a valued interest in the funds they receive from every litter registered and you can bet they don't want to see the numbers drop significantly when people start looking to buy puppies from FCI breeders only that are registering through AKC. This would have a big effect on many bad breeders who would suddenly have a lot of difficulty selling their puppies because people wanted an AKC dog coming from a member of the FCI. Many of these breeders would quit breeding creating less poor quality dogs and bettering the quality of every breed in America.
As you seen on my notes, I asked why FCI wasn't welcomed in America and didn't get a straight answer. Even worse, when I asked:
If AKC truly has an authentic interest in the safety and welfare of the dogs being bred and registered through AKC why isn’t there strict breeding regulations that ensure dogs aren’t overbred or bred improperly where it poses health and risk factors?

   a. Females can be bred at 8 months of age which would be during their first heat cycle. They could possibly be bred even earlier if an affidavit or evidence is provided to AKC as to prove the breeding was planned and witnessed. Chapter 3, Section 5 of the Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline. Breeding a female this early has proven to be unhealthy for the female and greatly increases health risks for mother and puppies.

   b. There are no regulations on the duration of time between litters for a female. Meaning, a female can be bred back to back and during every heat cycle regardless when she previously gave birth.

   c. There are no regulations on how many times a female can be bred. According to current AKC regulations a female could be bred as early as 8 months old and bred on every heat cycle producing puppies until she reaches the age of 12 years old. In reality a breeder could register over a dozen litters from one individual female that was bred at every opportunity.

His answer was basically "The parent clubs would oppose harsh regulations that stated how old their bitch would need to be in order to breed." A very weak answer but it's because of these weak policies that AKC gets in hot water with many animal advocates especially the SPCA.
In regard to inspections they randomly choose breeders all the time and try their best to visit the ones who receive authentic complaints especially those coming from people who have purchase a puppy from them.
The biggest news that the inspector mentioned was the new policy coming from USDA dictating their involvement with inspections and completely new policies all breeders will have to follow who own 4 or more females or those breeders who ship puppies through the airlines.  This would effect many people to include those hobby and show breeders who flew below the radar by having only 3 or 4 dogs at their residence but "Co-owned" MANY because of their policy to co-own every puppy they sold for the purpose of continued financial gain through future breeding. I think we'll all hear more and more about the changes getting ready to happen with involvement from USDA.

BONC_Jacksonville

Glad they finally came for an inspection.  Now the world will know, BONC is not a back yard breeder or with things to hide.  Knew it could not go any different that outstanding. Like anything else we set our standards higher than the AKC standards.