Front page, Our Dogs, [UK and beyond] April 25, 1997

AKC "registry questioned"

THE NEW YORK Attorney General's office is "looking into problems in the American Kennel Club's registry" according to two internal memos issued to AKC delegates on March 14 and April 10.

The memos from the office of President Alfred L. Cheauré were prompted by a ABC World News Tonight report.

The second went on to say that this was not the first time that inquiries had been made and that the AKC had always complied with such requests from federal, state and local governments for records and information.

In a communication dated March 14 Mr. Cheauré issued the following statement to delegates:

"As many of you know, ABC World News Tonight aired a piece questioning the credibility of AKC registration papers. ABC is misdirected. With the most curious of timing it was promoted with taped segments and five announcements the night preceding our annual board election and aired the night of the election.

"As was the case with a previous ABC hit piece about AKC the content was nothing more than very old news trumped up by career antagonists. For example, some of the letters you saw presented were dated 1982, over 15 years ago, and the only actual case they discussed was the Hershey case. Mr. Hershey was suspended from all AKC privileges on January 14, 1991. Delegate Nejdl asserted that probable [sic] 50% of the dogs in the AKC registry do not belong there. We all know that statement is clearly absurd. Mr. Frazier [sic in Cheauré's letter], commenting about the Hershey case contended that `they don't take things (dogs) out of the stud book.' Mr. Frazier and Mr. Nejdl both know the AKC routinely removes dogs from the stud book and renders thousands of dogs ineligible for registration and transfer each year.

"At the close of the segment, it was stated that the New York Attorney General's office was `looking into problems with the AKC's registry'. Since the broadcast that office has requested certain information, a request with which we will comply.

"The AKC is proud of the integrity of its stud book, its aggressive inspection program whose resulting list of suspensions you see each month in the AKC Gazette, and the system of automated and manual checks that contributes to its continues [sic] integrity.

"We regret that ABC chose not to portray the AKC we all know, the AKC that has the most efficient registration system in the world; the AKC that sanctions the largest array of dog events in the world; the AKC that teaches responsible dog ownership in over 30,000 public schools and has donated millions of dollars to canine health research; and the AKC that registers your dogs. The dogs you own, breed and exhibit have been unfairly discredited by ABC's misrepresentation of our registry. If you have any questions or comments regarding this issue, please let us know."

OUR DOGS will continue to monitor the situation in America.

Last Tuesday the American Kennel Club's public relations department confirmed this report but had nothing to add to the previously issued statements.