The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC) is the primary registry body for purebred dog pedigrees in Canada. Beyond maintaining the pedigree registry, the CKC also promotes events such as conformation shows, obedience trials, and agility competitions for dogs. Certain events are only open to purebred dogs, but as of 2014 the majority of events are open to mixed and unrecognized breeds as well.
The Canadian Kennel Club is a national, member-based, non-profit organization, incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. Founded in 1888, it provides registry services for all the 175 dog breeds which it currently recognizes, and provides governance for all CKC approved shows, trial and events.
For a dog to be registered with the CKC, the dog's parents must be registered with the CKC as the same breed, and the litter in which the dog is born must be registered with the CKC Foreign-born dogs are registered as imports by CKC provided that they are registered with a CKC approved and recognized foreign registry and identified in accordance with CKC regulations. Once these criteria are met, the dog is eligible to be registered as purebred by the CKC
CKC is not the only Canadian registry of purebred dogs, but it is the one most Canadians are familiar with. The Animal Pedigree Act provides that only one official registry per breed may exist in Canada, and other breeds not recognized by CKC are registered by other registries such as the Canine Federation of Canada and the Working Canine Association of Canada.
Registry limitations
As with almost all breed registries, the registration specifies only that the dog is purely of one recognized breedâ€"it does not guarantee that the dog comes from healthy or show-quality bloodlines. Neither is it a reflection on the quality of the breeder or how the puppy was raised.
Registration simply provides documentation for known canine ancestry as stated by the breeder of each dog registered. Purebred pedigrees can often be followed back for as much as a century and for perhaps thirty or more generations of registered ancestry.
Registration is necessary for dogs who will participate in purebred conformation shows or who will be used for purebred breeding. Breeders that are CKC members are required to register all of their puppies, even if they are not of show quality.
See also
- List of dog breeds recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club
References
External links
- Official website
- A new direction for kennel club regulations and breed standards The Canadian Veterinary Journal
