AKC DELEGATE REPORT - December 2007 Meeting

Charles A. Baris

We must all be watchful re. anti-dog legislation in our areas. Do notify AKC's Legislation department at doglaw@akc.org. of any actions in your area. It is urgent that we all work together to prevent legislation that would be detrimental to our dogs and their breeders.

An amendment to Article VII: Board of Directors Election, Meetings and Quorum of AKC's Charter and Bylaws, which would remove the restriction of term limits on the AKC Board of Directors was discussed at length. This required a 2/3 majority vote or approximately 173 votes. It was soundly defeated 115 for the Amendment and 139 against.

The Amateur-Owner-Handler Class was approved as an additional regular show class. It may be offered at shows held on and after January 1, 2009. The Novice Class that this was originally planned to replace was not eliminated and can still be offered. Note that according to the Rules, only the American Bred Class and the Open Class must be offered. The other classes that we know as regular show classes are optional by the show-giving club.

An amendment to ARTICLE VI: SECTION 5, of the AKC Bylaws was adopted, which would make a person who embezzles funds or steals property from an AKC club ineligible to become or remain a Delegate.

An Amendment to ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 1 and 3, of the AKC Bylaws was adopted to enable an AKC Board member who is removed as a Delegate by his/her club, to secure another delegate position and to run for the remainder of his/her Board term.

The American Kennel Club® has announced the enhancement and renaming of its Indefinite Listing Privilege (ILP) program. The new name -- Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) program - will officially take effect February 1, 2008. The new name more accurately describes the purpose of the program: allowing dogs that are ineligible for registration but are distinguishable as a member of an AKC registerable breed, to participate in AKC Companion Events, AKC Performance Events and AKC Juniors competition.

The ILP/PAL program is designed to address the various reasons a purebred dog might not be eligible for registration: the dog may be from an unregistered litter or have unregistered parents; papers may have been withheld or lost by its owner; or the dog may have been surrendered, lost or abandoned, then adopted by a new owner.

PAL enrollees will receive a copy of Family Dog Magazine, a subscription to AKC's e-newsletter "Your AKC," a flyer from the breed's Parent Club and an attractive certificate denoting their dog's place in the PAL program. Also included will be information on AKC Pet Healthcare and AKC Companion Animal Recovery enrollment. AKC currently enrolls over 3,000 dogs per year in the ILP/PAL program. According to Assistant Vice President of Customer Service, Mari Beth O'Neill, it is expected that AKC can expand this number and the overall appeal of the program by offering added benefits and renaming the program with this more creative and friendly acronym. Welcoming more ILP/PAL dogs to the world of AKC events and privileges can only benefit both dogs and owners by providing educational resources and also exposing them to the joys of competing with their dog.

Dogs which currently have ILP numbers will retain their original numbers and continue to enter events under that number. PAL numbers will be issued beginning February 1, 2008.