AKC Registration - Yes or No?

[Kodimom]

I have a 5 month old female Rottie that I do not plan to breed. Therefore we are having her fixed next week. However, I have never owned a registered dog before. I have heard two different stories. One, that I should not bother to register the dog if I don't plan to breed and two, that I should never let an AKC registration expire. Both of my dog's parents were registered Rotties. What should I do? Register or not Register? I have been monitoring this site for a couple of months and really enjoy knowing there are other people out there who love Rottweilers. I was beginning to think that everyone hated them because of all the bad comments I have had to listen to since I purchased mine. Any suggestions from anyone out there on the above would be greatly appreciated.

[Nancy Estes]

The only reason you'd need registration papers on a neutered dog would be if you wanted to show in obedience, agility, etc. (anything but AKC conformation) events. (You can still do so without papers but for AKC you have to go through the ILP application process - basically prove by photos that it's a purebred dog & get an ILP number which allows you to compete in obedience, etc.) If you think you might ever want to compete it would be best to go ahead and get the registration.

Nancy

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von Dorow Rottweilers
doggo@hotbot.com

[Kodimom]

Nancy,

Thanks for the info., but now I am confused... I am totally ignorant on how AKC registration works. I thought that because both of the parents were registered that my dog would be kind of an "automatic". I did not think that I would have to prove she is full Rottweiler. I guess I figured that was up to the AKC to trace her heritage when they received the application form that I have (which I received when I purchased her). Maybe you could enlighten me a little further on how this process works? I live in Southwest Michigan and am not familiar with any dog showing in this area, but I would hate to rule it out as something we might enjoy in the future.

[Codys ma]

When you bought the dog, did you get a set of blue papers that asks you for your pertinent information, unique name for the dog, color and markings of your dog and states the date the litter was whelped and who the sire and dam are? On the back it should have a place for you to sign and will have a restricted/not restricted box on there..the breeder should have filled out some of that info already.

Just write the check for the amount they ask, fill out the papers and send them in. They will send you a pedigree for your girl and she will then be AKC registered...voila. http://www.rottweiler.net/rottie/smile.gif

It is a good idea to get her registered if you plan on competing in any AKC obedience trials, etc...

By the way, does anyone know if there is a time limit on how long you can wait to send in the papers? I had one dog who died at a year old, I never sent in his papers because I wasn't going to breed and I knew he would never be well enough to compete in anything. I was just wondering because if by some odd chance he had survived and been well enough to compete, I wonder if I would have been SOL as far as registering him goes.

Thanks,
Kim

[Kodimom]

Kim,

Thanks, that helped. Yes I did get the blue papers.

To address your question, I don't know how accurate this is, but the people that I bought my dog from said that I had one year to register her via the blue paperwork I received.

[Christine]

On your blue registration form it says you have one year to pay at $ 8.00. If it is more than one year, it is $ 30 MORE and over 2 years, it is then that you have to submit an explanation of why it has taken so long to get him/her registered. It is written in red letters up by the title "AKC DOG REGISTRATION APPLICATION".

[frontierrots]

I always tell people : IF you paid for an AKC registered dog then you should register it (which by the way now costs $10 for up to 1 year regardless of what the blue slip says - effective 1/1/99, more if after 1 year)

If you wanted a non registered dog you could have bought one for $50 to $200 but since you paid for a registered dog you should register it.

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Diane
Frontier Rottweilers & Shiba Inu
www.frontierrots.com

[judy v]

i also vote for "register." when we talk about "showing," we aren't just talking about the beauty contest stuff or even obedience. akc is recognizing more and more events, like agility, herding, etc. the more things you do w/your dog, the more fun both of you will have. and that's, as far as i'm concerned, is what it's all about. also ukc will register you dog based on your akc registration. that registration opens even more possibilities. go for it!

[Kodimom]

Thanks Everyone for the help! It didn't matter to me one way or the other when I purchased my dog if she was registered or not. I picked her from the litter, was introduced to her and fell in love at first sight! At that point I wouldn't have cared if she was cross eyed! I do realize, however, after owning a Rottweiler for such a short time that they are extremely intelligent, active animals and require constant intellectual challange. As a result of this, I will definately have her registered and consider competition. I am interested in knowing where I can find information on dog competition/shows in the lower Southwest Michigan area. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks again for all the help!