Editing American Kennel Club (section)

==Criticism and controversy==
{{criticism section|date=June 2022}}

===Genetics===
The AKC has been criticized for the prevalence of [[genetic disorder]]s in their dogs. As many as 25% of purebred dogs registered by the AKC has at least one hereditary genetic problem.<ref name="terrible">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,163404,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820094419/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,163404,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 20, 2006 | title=A Terrible Beauty | author=Lemonick, Michael D. |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=June 2001}}</ref> These problems cost breeders and owners almost $1 billion in vet bills and lost revenues from stillborn pups.<ref name="terrible" /> Some breed clubs, such as the U.S. [[Border Collie]] Club, resisted applying for AKC breed acceptance due to fears that doing so would be detrimental to the genetics of the breed they represent.<ref name="terrible" /><ref name="McCaig2007">{{cite book|author=Donald McCaig|author-link=Donald McCaig|title=The Dog Wars: How the Border Collie Battled the American Kennel Club|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oJjNVx8SrPAC|access-date=June 20, 2013|date=January 1, 2007|publisher=Outrun Press|isbn=978-0-9794690-0-8}}</ref>

These genetic issues have resulted in the emergence of "puppy [[lemon law]]s" in several U.S. states.<ref name="terrible" /> These laws protect dog owners from genetic diseases that their breeder may have neglected to inform them of, allowing them to get a refund for the cost of the puppy or to force the breeder to pay their vet bills.<ref name="terrible" />

===Health===
The AKC supports some canine health research and has run advertising campaigns implying that the AKC is committed to healthy dogs, but the AKC's role in furthering dog health is controversial. [[Temple Grandin]] maintains that the AKC's standards only regulate physical appearance, not emotional or behavioral health.<ref name="grandin82">{{cite book|title= Animals in Translation|last= Grandin|first= Temple|author-link= Temple Grandin|author2= Johnson, Catherine|year= 2005|publisher= Scribner|location= New York, New York|isbn= 0-7432-4769-8|page= [https://archive.org/details/animalsintransla00gran/page/82 82]|url= https://archive.org/details/animalsintransla00gran/page/82|url-access= registration}}</ref> The AKC itself states that "There is a widely held belief that 'AKC' or 'AKC papers' guarantee the quality of a dog. This is not the case. AKC is a registry body. A registration certificate&nbsp;... in no way indicates the quality or state of health of the dog."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.akc.org/reg/about.cfm|title=About Registration|publisher=American Kennel Club|access-date=April 5, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514200307/http://www.akc.org/reg/about.cfm| archive-date= May 14, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

The AKC has no health standards for breeding; the only breeding restriction is age (a dog can be no younger than eight months).<ref name="images">{{Cite web|url=http://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RREGS4.pdf|title=Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline}}</ref> Though the majority of the 170 breed-specific parent clubs have a health committee devoted to their breed's specific concerns, the AKC prohibits clubs from imposing stricter regulations since the AKC Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline<ref name="images" /> apply to all breed clubs and do not provide an option for breed clubs to extend or override them. Thus, an AKC breed club cannot require a higher breeding age, [[Hip dysplasia (canine)|hip dysplasia]] ratings, genetic tests for heritable diseases, or any other restrictions. Parent clubs have the power to define the looks of the breed, or the [[breed standard]], and may also restrict participation in non-regular events or classes such as futurities or maturities to only those dogs meeting their defined criteria. These non-regular events can require health testing, DNA sampling, instinct/ability testing, and other outlined requirements as established by the hosting club.

In summary, attention to health among breeders is voluntary and not mandated. By contrast, many dog clubs outside the U.S. do require health tests of breeding dogs. The German Shepherd Club of Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schaeferhunde.de|title=Home|work=schaeferhunde.de}}</ref> for example, requires hip and elbow X-rays in addition to other tests before a dog can be bred.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.schaeferhunde.de/site/index.php?id=604 |title=Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) e.V.: Bekämpfung von HD + ED<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=January 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106071635/http://www.schaeferhunde.de/site/index.php?id=604 |archive-date=January 6, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Such breeding restrictions are not allowed in AKC member clubs.<ref name="images" /> As a result, some U.S. breeders have established parallel registries or health databases outside of the AKC; for example, the Berner Garde<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bernergarde.org/default.aspx |title=Bernergarde.org |access-date=January 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204143652/http://www.bernergarde.org/default.aspx |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> established such a database in 1995 after genetic diseases reduced the average lifespan of a [[Bernese Mountain Dog]] to seven years. By comparison, the Swiss Bernese Mountain Dog Club introduced mandatory hip X-rays in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bshkbs.ch/phpnuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 |title=KBS - 2. Massnahmen<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=January 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928212605/http://www.bshkbs.ch/phpnuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

For these, and other reasons, a small number of breed clubs have not yet joined the AKC so they can maintain stringent health standards, but, in general, the breeders' desire to show their dogs at AKC shows such as the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]] has won out over these concerns. Concern surrounding the AKC's connections to low-quality breeders has resulted in some dog owners seeking to distance themselves from the organization. In October 2012, Hailey Parker, a longtime [[Coton de Tulear]] breeder, filed a lawsuit (that was settled) against the AKC and cited the AKC's connections with high-volume breeders among the reasons.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/sports/many-animal-lovers-now-see-american-kennel-club-as-an-outlier.html |title=Safety Concerns Stoke Criticism of Kennel Club|newspaper=New York Times | first1=Mary|last1=Pilon|first2=Susanne|last2=Craig|date=February 9, 2013}}</ref> The Coton's "reputation and business model is based on a disassociation from 'puppy mills' and similar commercial breeding operations", according to the complaint.

The club has also been criticized for courting [[Puppy mill|large scale commercial breeders]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/AKC/08121-Menaker-Letter_Arthur.asp |title=Thedogpress.com |access-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215041621/http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/AKC/08121-Menaker-Letter_Arthur.asp |archive-date=December 15, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/|title=Newsday &#124; Long Island's & NYC's News Source|website=Newsday}}</ref> and for lax enforcement of breeding regulations. The AKC employs just nine field inspectors<ref name="New York Times"/> and critics argue that its inspections are ineffective. For example, the owner of a Montana [[Alaskan Malamute]] kennel approved by AKC inspectors in 2008 and 2009 was sentenced to five years in prison for animal cruelty in operating that kennel.<ref name="New York Times"/> Similarly, an AKC inspector found a North Carolina kennel "in compliance with AKC's Care Conditions Policy" three months before county officers raided the facility and found the dogs in "poor" condition, suffering from illnesses, injuries and living in "unhealthy conditions", according to court documents. A veterinarian told the court that the rescued dogs had ailments that ranged "from serious to severe" and that "most of the injuries appeared to be chronic, having been in existence for a substantial period of time."<ref name="New York Times"/>

Similarly, the [[Humane Society of the United States]] criticized the AKC for not taking a stand against [[puppy mill]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/07/akc_puppy_mills_070912.html|title=AKC Fails to Take a Stand Against Puppy Mills|work=humanesociety.org|access-date=May 5, 2013|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019221602/http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/07/akc_puppy_mills_070912.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  According to the Humane Society's report, "over the past five years, AKC has opposed more than 80 different state bills and local ordinances designed to provide stronger protections for dogs in puppy mills".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/report_akc_breeders.pdf|title=The American Kennel Club: No longer 'The Dogs's Champion'|access-date=October 7, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194625/http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/report_akc_breeders.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The AKC does support several health research initiatives. The AKC Canine Health Foundation funded research that led to the mapping of the canine genome (DNA sequence) with grants totaling more than $2,000,000. Sequencing of the dog genome began in June 2003, funded in large part by the [[National Human Genome Research Institute]] (NHGRI) and finished the completed sequence of the entire dog genome at MIT's [[Broad Institute]] in 2005.<ref name="Dog Genome Project">{{cite web|url=http://www.broadinstitute.org/mammals/dog-genome-project/|title=Dog Genome Project|work=broadinstitute.org|access-date=March 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317154024/http://www.broadinstitute.org/mammals/dog-genome-project|archive-date=March 17, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because people inherit many of the same diseases as dogs, humans can also benefit from health research funded for dogs.<ref name="Dog Genome Project"/>

The [[Orthopedic Foundation for Animals]] (OFA) and the AKC Canine Health Foundation have established the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) to encourage health testing by breeders and provide breeders and researchers with information to improve breeding programs. More than 135 different breeds have specific health testing prerequisites required by their parent breed club.<ref name="CHIC">[http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/breeds.html Caninehealthinfo.org], Canine Health Information Center, CHIC Breeds. Accessed March 16, 2011.</ref>

===Opposition by breed clubs===

*'''Cavalier King Charles Spaniel:''' The [[Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]] Club voted to reject AKC recognition in May 2000 due to the incompatibility of the breed club's no-sales-to-pet-stores rule, while the AKC required such sales.<ref name="terrible" /> The breed club had such a rule to aid in the genetic health of the breed.<ref name="terrible" /><ref name="Derr2004">{{cite book|author=Mark Derr|title=Dog's Best Friend: Annals of the Dog-Human Relationship|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_EDbatFH9MC&pg=PA197|access-date=June 20, 2013|date=April 1, 2004|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-14280-7|pages=197–198}}</ref>
*'''Jack Russell Terrier:''' In the 1990s, some breeders of [[Jack Russell Terrier]]s wanted to be included in the AKC, but the [[Jack Russell Terrier Club of America]] (JRTCA) opposed the idea on the grounds that the working abilities of the JRT would be compromised by turning it into a show dog with an association dedicated to providing awards and championship status to individual dogs based solely on their conformation. The AKC did accept the JRT into the registry but under the new name [[Parson Russell Terrier]] to distinguish the AKC dogs from the JRT working dogs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burns|first=Patrick|title=American Working Terriers|publisher=Lulu.com|date=16 February 2006|isbn=978-1-4116-6082-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_tSEAKM5pMC&q=skunk+toxic+shock+syndrome&pg=PA228|ref=burns2006}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}

===Lobbying===
The AKC has lobbied dog-related bills. They are opposed to tightening of laws regarding licensing of trainers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Finney |first=Michael |last2=Yip |first2=Randall |date=2023-04-12 |title=License requirement for dog trainers stymied by intense lobbying from American Kennel Club |url=https://abc7news.com/dog-trainer-training-license-american-kennel-club/13114814/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=ABC7 San Francisco |place=[[San Francisco]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Block |first=Kitty |last2=Amundson |first2=Sara |date=2023-06-30 |title=American Kennel Club opposed 450+ bills designed to help dogs |url=https://blog.humanesociety.org/2023/06/american-kennel-club-opposed-450-bills-designed-to-help-dogs.html |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=A Humane World |language=en-US}}</ref>