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Papers, Guarantees and Contracts

The truth is, the term "papers" is meaningless. "Pedigree" and "AKC registration slip" on the other hand, are very meaningful. You need both.

Just because you have the pedigree of your dog doesn't mean he is AKC registered. In order for a dog to be eligible for AKC registration, both parents of the dog must have been registered with the AKC.

All AKC registered dogs have a pedigree and their records are kept by the American Kennel Club.

The best quality AKC show dogs are all AKC registered. However, the worst looking, most pathetic puppies can also be AKC registered and not even resemble the breed for which they have "AKC registration papers." AKC registration has nothing whatsoever to do with quality.

Even puppy mills have AKC registered puppies! The requirement for registration is that both parents were AKC registered and were the same breed.

Champion Bloodlines

"Champion bloodlines" is another statement commonly used by people who produce puppies only for money and know little - if anything - about the breed. They may have discovered in the pedigree that some of the puppy's distant ancestors were Champions, and use this fact to bolster the quality of the litter and the price of the puppies.

A Champion is a dog who has earned a certain number of points in competition against other dogs of the same breed at AKC sanctioned dog shows.

Being a Champion does say something about a dog's quality. In reality, the saying "It is what's up front that counts" is true in dog pedigrees. The closer the Champions are to the puppy (for instance, if his sire and dam -mother and father -were both Champions) the better the chance the puppy will be a good example of the breed.

True "Champion bloodlines" show an impressive pedigree in which nearly every dog in the pedigree is a Champion. This demonstrates hard work, time, and effort which represents many years of dedication to the breed by serious breeders.

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