[SCalGal]

The AKC is knowingly aiding and abetting fraud.

Um, no. The AKC is trying to keep it's stud books clean, and does investigate fraudulently registered litters. The back of the AKC Gazette has listings of suspended and fined breeders, and the number of litters that the AKC has revolked registration on. For more info, check AKC's website at www.akc.org

I do agree with you about the american german shepards; in my opinion they are ruined for the work they were originally bred to do. Germany has different rules for breeding; breeders have to have the breeding approved by a dog warden before the breeding takes place. I hate the idea of such intrusiveness, but there are a lot of unethical breeders who care more for their own egos than for the welfare of the dogs.

[GovernmentShrinker]

The AKC isn't trying very hard. There are plenty of documented cases where they have re-registered puppy mills after brief suspensions, despite the mills still being in trouble with the law on animal cruelty and other charges. They have also registered mills at the same address as ones they recently de-registered, when a relative living at the same address submits a new application. If the AKC were serious about protecting dogs and breeds, they would strictly limit the number of papers they sell each year, to a number reflecting readily available information about the numbers of real homes available (i.e. no sudden geometric increase in papers for Dalmatian puppies just because the mills are eager to cash in on the movie). If they took this approach, they could make certifying breeders a very competitive process, and the papers would really be worth something. But they're not willing to take the revenue cut from stopping the flow of phony papers.