The Blog Show!

Why a dog blog? Because the vast majority of the contemporary dog press is geared to novice pet owners. Great. That has a place. But the person who has an expert knowledge of dogs is left with "news" and "commentary" that has been reduced to the kibble of hundreds of pages of glossy show dog touts, low-level gossip, and corporate glad-handing. Enough!

We are starting this premier edition of caninenewsblog with an overview of the latest developments in the world of Black and Tan Coonhounds. We are reprinting "The Emperor's New Coonhound: Is Your Parent Club Safe?" (with additional commentary) which currently is published at http://www.thedogplace.com. Outside the blogasphere, thedogplace.com appears to be the last place controversial canine articles can be printed anymore. We thank Barbara J. Andrews for going forward with this article and ask you to check out the link to her site.

Your response posts are welcome - Naturally, the word "bitch" is acceptable, but we won't be posting profanity, defamatory or disparaging remarks,or any trivia about your own dogs. We are interested in an exchange of intelligent commentary - relevant and to the point.
Don't want to post? e-mail us at caninenewsblog@yahoo.com

The Emperor's New Coonhound: Is Your Parent Club Safe?

Copyright 2005. Anne M. Hier. All Rights Reserved.

When a new breed is recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), the stud book is supposed to be permanently closed to dogs from other domestic registries. (Single dog imports from recognized foreign registries are still permitted). More importantly, the breed parent club is designated the keeper of the breed standard. Any changes to that document must first be approved by the parent club. Additionally, the stud book cannot be reopened without specific parent club approval.

Shockingly, that inviolate parent club control is about to be permanently terminated. It appears that AKC fully intends to completely disregard the decision of the American Black and Tan Coonhound Club to NOT reopen their stud book to Foundation Stock Service(FSS) Black and Tan Coonhounds. Of course, AKC should never have taken anything called a Black and Tan Coonhound into FSS in the in the first place. FSS is supposed to be for breeds not yet recognized by AKC. AKC has recognized Black and Tan Coonhounds since 1945.

But now, AKC has a big problem. Thoe owners of the FSS Black and Tans were told they would be given full AKC recognition. To counteract the parent club refusal, AKC has come up with an extraordinarily novel solution. Simply change the name of the dog. Like the Emperor's New Clothes, we will be told that the FSS Black and Tan Coonhounds are really not Black and Tan Coonhounds, after all. In a letter dated July 1, 2005, and with apparent approval of AKC, owners of Black and Tan Coonhounds are being advised they can gain full AKC recognition of FSS registered Black and Tans under the newly christened name of "Black and Tan Trail and Tree Hound." (See Maeker letter info in the next caninenewsblog post). Additionally, a new parent club is being formed, and presumably, a new breed standard being written. This despite the fact that on its very own website AKC lists the Black and Tan Coonhound breed standard as also applying to the FSS Black and Tan Coonhounds. They are, of course, the same breed - at least until the illusive name change.

This is a real triple-whammpy for the American Black and Tan Coonhound Club. First, their position as the sole steward of their breed at AKC events is being eliminated. For example, the AKC Limited Registration is not recognized by other Coonhound registries. If Limited Registration is used by an AKC Black and Tan breeder that dog can still be fully registered at competing registries. Then, on the strength of the competing registry pedigree, this Black and Tan's descendants can return to AKC through the FSS back door. In other words, descendants of this Limited Registration AKC Black and Tan can now not only be bred under AKC auspices, but fully registered by AKC to compete against the original Black and Tan breeder in the future.

Second, after years of building up breed recognition at conformation shows, AKC Black and Tan exhibitors will now be faced with, for all intents and purposes, an identical Black and Tan in the Hound Group. One can only imagine the commentary at the big televised shows.

"Well, Ron, we've got a new breed in the Hound Group this year, the Black and Tan Trail and Tree Hound."

"Gosh, it looks just like the Black and Tan Coonhound. What's the difference?"

"Well, not much."

"What is it used for?"

"To hunt raccoons."

"Well, isn't that what the Black and Tan Coonhound does? Why aren't they called Coonhounds?"

"It's a long story. Next in line is the Bloodhound... ."

And pity the poor Hound Group judge seeing both Black and Tans at an all-breed show that doesn't use name markers, especially if the handlers of both dogs wear the same armband number. Worse, what about the potential purchaser of a Black and Tan? If the judges will have a hard time discerning the fine points, one can be sure the novice puppy buyer won't be able to tell the difference on anything other than price. In other words, AKC will be sanctioning the cannibalizing of its own Black and Tan Coonhound registry base and undermining the AKC Black and Tan Parent Club with each sale of the new so-called Black and Tan Trail and Tree Hound.

The third whammy is that fanciers of AKC Black and Tan Coonhounds (along with the rest of us) are being forced to subsidize this "new" breed's rise to recognition because these new Black and Tans don't pay any AKC registration fees. In its attempt to bolster sagging registration numbers, AKC made the decision to aggressively go after the significantly larger Coonhound base of two other domestic registries. To sweeten the pot and attempt to be competitive, no registration fees are being charged during the whole of 2005 for FSS Coonhounds. And if a free registration isn't enough, AKC is throwing in a free pedigree to boot! Additionally, AKC started charging all other AKC breeders in all other breeds a fee to list classified ads on the AKC website this year. Go to the AKC Coonhound website and you will discover that no fees are charged for any FSS Coonhound classified ads. Such a deal! The AKC Black and Tan folks are not only being hung by their own registry body, but must buy the rope, as well.

This unilateral decision by AKC presents a serious threat to the integrity of all other breed parent clubs. If the Coonhound with the new name is recognized, AKC will no longer have to worry about seeking parent club permission to reopen a stud book in any breed. If the club declines the same dogs can be brought in under a new name. That leaves the specter of bringing in multiple identical breeds to compete not only against each other in the ring, but also for the limited public market for the same breed, based solely on whatever name can be invented to circumvent the parent club. If the Great Dane Club doesn't want to reopen their stud book to another registry's Great Danes, no problem. Just call them German Mastiffs. Any other parent club refusal could be met with a similar destructive response. Teckels against Dachshunds, Kleinspitz against Poms, Continental Toy Spaniels against Papillons, St. Hubert Hounds against Bloodhounds, and on and on.

AKC is supposedly a club of clubs. If Parent Clubs do not unite and take a stand against any attempts by AKC to redefine their breeds against their wishes, it won't be long before a closed stud book is meaningless.

Or is it already too late?

Maeker Letter Info...

The letter referenced in the "Emperor" blog has been sent out by a Mr. Kenneth Maeker of Texas and deals with the proposed name change of the FSS Black and Tan Coonhound to "Black and Tan Trail and Tree Hound." We have had correspondence with Mr. Maeker and believe him to be a sincere and dedicated breeder of his beloved Black and Tans. The fact that he actually has used generations of dogs for the purpose for which they were bred is highly commendable. We have no quarrel with him, but rather the name change process and the negative impact it will have on AKC Parent Clubs, and ultimately, the integrity of the registry.

The letter has been printed in its entirety at http://www.thedogplace.com. You can read it there, or, alternatively, might we suggest going to AKC's website. The reason we suggest the latter is that it will allow some of you who have never seen AKC's Coonhound website to visit and be amazed. To get there, first go to http://www.akccoonhounds.org

Upon arrival click "Message Forum" on the top banner. One of the striking things to notice when the message board comes up is how it is modeled almost exactly on the UKC message board. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, there are obvious differences. For example, UKC has over 11,600 active message board members; AKC somewhere between 600-700, at present.

Surprisingly for AKC, their message board is extremely freewheeling and includes not only criticisms of other registries and other people, but plenty of criticisms of the AKC as well. And this board is moderated by AKC staff! Anyway, scroll down to either the "General Messages" or "AKC Black and Tans" (which are referred to as Black and Tan Coonhounds)and you will find Mr. Maeker's letter. Take the time to read the eye-opening posts related to the discussion. And if you have time you might want to go check out the free classifieds.

All truly remarkable...

Gone FSSin'...

The AKC Foundation Stock Service(FSS) was created in the 1990s to fast-track rare breeds to full recognition status in that registry. Unfortunately, the current FSS Black and Tan Coonhound mess is a direct result of AKC not bothering to follow their own stated FSS regulations. AKC Black and Tan Coonhounds only registered about 117 last year. Frankly, if AKC had really wanted to bring in these domestic dogs from other registries for the purposes of improving and protecting the breed there should have been a whole lot more work put into making the Parent Club willing to open up their studbook instead of trying to stuff it down their throat.

On AKC's website the B&T breed standard is listed as applying to the FSS B&T as well and the proposed name "trail and tree hound" comes from the very first sentence of the B&T standard, "The Black and Tan Coonhound is first and fundamentally a working dog, a trail and tree hound...used principally for trailing and treeing raccoon... ."

More importantly, the FSS regs clearly state that, "The FSS is not open to 'rare'breeds that are a variation of an AKC-registerable breed...This includes but in not limited to differences in size, (over & under)coat type,... [etc.]." Since Black and Tan Coonhounds have been recognized by AKC since 1945, the registry had no justification to take into FSS the same breed from other registries - except perhaps the thought that goin' FSSin' for the thousands of Coonhounds in the other registries might pump up AKC's sagging registration base.(This certainly begs the question,"If AKC recognition is so beneficial to the various breeds, why does AKC only register a little over 100 B&Ts per year while the other registries process thousands?")

To obtain full recognition FSS breeds must be "documented as a distinct breed over a period of many decades." At present, all these FSS B&Ts are is a separate gene pool from other domestic registries. Besides the fact that most of these other dogs can actually hunt, the physical difference are merely slight variations of type, not gross differences which could support recognition as a separate breed. FSS B&Ts are listed on the AKC website and FSS registration forms as Black and Tan Coonhounds. The AKC message board lists them as such and since 2003 the AKC Board of Directors put them on the permitted list to compete in obedience,agility and tracking - so they have hardly been a distinct breed for decades.

They are, as we all know, Black and Tan Coonhounds.

100 Years Ago...

1905 - Black and Tan Coonhounds were first recognized in the United States by the United Kennel Club in Kalamazoo,Michigan. Since that time, UKC has become the premier Coonhound registry. Congratulations are due to a century of fanciers of the Black and Tan - Coonhound, that is!