Posted on 07/10/2006 8:41:39 AM PDT by girlangler
AKC dog registry welcoming coonhounds to purebred world
By Coke Ellington Associated Press
Raleigh | The American Kennel Club is trying to make coonhounds couth.
The nation's largest and most recognized dog registry is in the early stages of a major push to add coonhounds to its prestigious rolls, hoping both to increase its membership and to assure these sad-eyed symbols of country life stick around a while longer.
"We're interested in the registration of these dogs and their litters, but we're most interested in preserving these dogs for the future," said Steve Fielder, who moved to Raleigh in late 2004 to launch the club's coonhound initiative.
To meet its targets, the AKC has found itself negotiating with governments to assure there's ample hunting land for the dogs, setting up competitive hunts and working to enlist more of the estimated 1.2 million coonhounds in the nation.
It may seem like unlikely work for a club with headquarters on swanky Madison Avenue in New York City and more closely tied to images of pouffy poodles than howling hounds, but Fielder insists it's right in line with the club's mission.
"The AKC wants to be all things canine," said Fielder, one of about 300 people at the AKC's operations center in Raleigh.
To help with its initiative, the AKC began offering free registration last year to coonhounds already enlisted with two other national clubs. The move resulted in about 10,000 registrations, up from about 500 the previous year. The club expects to have another 10,000 registered by the end of this year, pushing the total number of AKC registered coonhounds to 22,000.
Still, coonhounds make up a tiny part of the club's registry. Labrador retrievers were the most popular breed in 2005 with nearly 138,000 registered by the AKC.
Registration costs just $15, but acceptance by the AKC is invaluable to breeders and others who need or want to prove their dogs have pure bloodlines.
For coonhounds, registering also opens the way for the dogs to compete in AKC-sanctioned hunts and competitions that offer titles, trophies and cash prizes of as much as $25,000. Just in July, the AKC is sponsoring about 70 coonhound competitions across the nation, including contests for youth, field trials, water races and night hunts.
Night hunts tie most closely to the tradition of the coonhound owners across the South who once led packs of dogs on late-night winter hunts, forcing the raccoons up trees where the hunters could get a clear shot at them. The raccoon hides fetched $20 to $30 each in the late 1970s, according to Perry Sumner, a biologist with the state Wildlife Resources Commission. With demand dwindling, a raccoon hide today is worth about $5, he said.
A good coonhound can sell for $4,000 to $5,000, with some bringing up to $100,000, said David Gardin, the president of the North Carolina Coonhunters Association..
The AKC first registered black and tan coonhounds - one of six coonhound breeds - in 1945, but during the past 60 years there had been little mingling between hound owners and the AKC. Coonhound owners were more likely to register with the Professional Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club and the AKC didn't seem to mind. Now, their interests seem to have merged.
"The coonhound has been kind of like a subculture in the world of dogs," Fielder said, "but with the AKC involved the spotlight is shining on the breeds."
Neat looking dog. Thanks for sharing.
susie
Great-looking dog.
I like most dogs, and have found something I liked about most of the breeds I've been around. I actually have a picture of me putting a reserve on a rottie (I didn't own the dog, but the owners were too nervous to take him in the ring, so I did and they were kind enough to buy a copy of the show photo for me). He was a big goofball, very sweet. I have known (and owned) some very nice pitbulls. We had a German Shepherd when I was a kid, a GREAT dog (altho a little more protective than was probably good), but I don't like the show GSD these days, I can't figure out the usefullness of the rear end they have.
The only breed I really have to say I have a prejudice against is the chow. I just have found many to be untrustworthy, esp. around people they don't know. They are beautiful dogs, but I have known too many who would bite without provocation, and in fact would wag their tails until you got within range.
susie
Is your local agility group USDAA, AKC, or NADAC? Our group is primarily USDAA, but we run in all associations. I've never run NADAC, but Shelley is one Q short of her Excellent titles in AKC and has her Agility Dog and Advanced Jumpers titles in USDAA. If we ever start running NADAC we ought to breeze through the Novice level . . .
And she was. Maybe now that she's a steadier five-year-old instead of an absolutely loony-tune six month old, we can go back and put a CD on her, just for fun.
(Shoot, she'll go up without a leash to the line now at heel and not even break on a walkup bird. I think she can manage a CD . . . )
The one everyone I know goes to is AKC. The one I trained at in E. TX was not AKC, but I don't recall which group they were with. I never got that far.
susie
What part of Michigan is that picture from?
Oh, man, that stinks! I have hand fed puppies before, and it's alot of work. Congratulations tho, they look healthy.
susie
I thought the AKC had rigid rules on acceptance of new 'breeds', taking so many years of breeding until the 'standard' was met in all litters.
I know the Coonhound is not new.
That's a shame about the mama dog. My girl is spayed (wish I hadn't done THAT, but I didn't know what a wonderful dog she was going to turn out to be), but when my Siamese cats were queening I was a nervous wreck. I imagined every obstetrical abnormality you can think of . . . don't think I could survive a dog pregnancy.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/black_tan_coonhound/index.cfm
http://www.akc.org/breeds/redbone_coonhound/index.cfm
But it's nice to be able to put an AKC performance title on a dog if you're showing conformation too.
I think Llewellyns are gorgeous (as are English setters). My pointers are half Elhew (a particular bloodline). They are extremely birdy and tough -- as they must be in the West Texas terrain -- but they tend to be what we call "big runners," meaning they'll be in the next county pretty quickly if you're not careful. It is at such times that I wish I had setters.
I mean the GERMAN dogs are the 1s plowing the ground, especially, with their non-GS roach backs.
There's a discussion about King/Shiloh shepherds on the Euro forum today. People hate them if only because they're so big (and all kinds of claims of out-crossing to non GS breeds abound - no consistency, though, so I think they're lies). I agree that some Shilohs look better, more normal - but OTOH, they are too boxy and big-boned; no wonder people think Great Pyrs, St. Bernies or some other giant dog was added in.
Many German "working" lines are perfect in conformation. My own dog is an example (IMHO ;-)). Pity she is a submissive anxious wimp, and also allergy-ridden to boot. She is a beautiful GS, the way they should be. But her character and health is poor.
I don't mean "sharp"; I mean what most Euro's think is good temperament is over the top. GS were meant to be SHEPHERDS originally and they should not be SO prey-driven that they would KILL the sheep! My own dog is very prey-mad and I fear she will kill somebody's cat - she has killed wild animals out of sheer stupidity before. She thinks they're wonderful moving toys and shakes them to death (never mind she is obsessed when she sees a small animal and would make a bee-line to it). Then wonders why they aren't moving any more.
I can't help but fear many of the Euro dogs (esp. the "working" 1s) would rip apart a sheep just because they love to go and "catch". It's good to have drive, but I think it's way overdone with so much emphasis on the Schutzhund "sport", particularly "protection" (the other parts - obedience, tracking - never seem to matter, if you observe discussion, ads, etc). All anyone ever talks about is protection/attack training and their proclivity for it.
P.S., here's a true great from the past, before everyone on both sides ruined it...
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/2530.html
(As with everything else, pretty much the GS breed was killed in the '60s. Americans began going narrow and long-legged, Germans started going roach-back and heavy-headed.)
My Lab has a thing about furry creatures (as opposed to feathery ones.) She would never shake a bird, but she shakes anything with fur. Chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits are dead at the first shake. The possum, on the other hand, played possum and survived (probably with a bad headache.)
As my husband says, "The real squeaky toys only squeak ONCE."
However, just as this OP article pointed out, it says "admitted to registry" - not necessarily "fully recognized". Breeds are put on the "Miscellaneous" list and get ILP numbers for registry purposes, until the BC establishes a solid stud record for some generations (and they wish to be fully recognized). So, as far as I can tell, the B&T may simply have been put on the "Misc" grouping.
My dog's breed (Irish Terrier) has only been AKC since 1968, but the breed is one of the oldest terriers around.
AKC is strange, some breed groups do not want to be AKC, like the Muensterlander.
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