I'd have to find it again. A woman receiving an award from the AKC described shelters as actually being commercial operations competing with breeders. She discussed falling registrations with AKC and objected to shelters adopting dogs out, since they were really selling them. She also claimed there was no such thing as a puppy mill, and that large commercial breeders needed to emphasize this. She works with the AKC on legislative matters. I didn't save the link. It was about 6 months ago.
"As for the standards, they are supposed to be written to describe the perfect working dog. If the BC groups don’t like the standard, I would have to say they can blame themselves since they refused to be involved in the process."
The objection of the existing BC Clubs WAS a physical standard. For ISDS & USBCC, the standard is work. No one gives a rat's rear end how the dog looks. Various clubs proposed a working standard, or even a compromise with working required before showing, but the AKC refused. They have also, I'm told, rejected some of the inputs of the BC Club they eventually used, which was formed solely to get BCs in the AKC for show.
"Unfortunately, there are always people who think that if a little of something is good (say coat) then more is better."
It wouldn't bother me, IF it were the breeders who were screwing up. However, it is the JUDGES approved by the AKC who don't know what a BC looks like, or who want deformed GSDs winning titles.
"However, I will ask you again. How does this impact working BC breeding programs?"
As long as the other registries (ABCA/ISDS) can convince most breeders and buyers to stay away from AKC, the damage is limited. However, the show BCs are developing into a separate breed, neither looking like nor behaving like real Border Collies. For a 'new' registry to drive development of a new breed while calling it by the old name is a foul. And since the AKC is the largest registry of dogs, the public tends to fall for their line. They think AKC BCs ARE real Border Collies, and don't know they are being cheated (or saved, since real BCs can be a handful for the average pet home).
Long term, it is bad for the breed.
First, I’d love to read that if you can find it (AKC vs shelters).
It is true that some shelters act like commercial enterprises (even to the point of importing dogs from foreign countries when they don’t have enough puppies to sell). And I do often have beefs with AKC, I don’t think they’ve done nearly enough to stem puppy mill breeders. However, the reason the dog world is starting to shy away from that term, *puppy mill* is because the AR groups are pointing at anyone who breeds and calling them a puppy mill.
As for judges, they can only judge what is brought before them. And it is indeed the rare judge who will withhold ribbons from dogs, so if border collie breeders bring a certain type of dog to the judge, they are going to judge that. What you’re telling me is that people who are breeding BCs and showing them are not breeding to whatever standard you think they should. That’s a separate problem, and one I can agree with you on, as it’s happened from time to time in my own breed. But, my goal is not to win ribbons (I like it, don’t get me wrong) but to breed to the standard as written.
I cannot comment in particulars on the BC issues, since I can only cite what I read on the internet and most of it is written by angry people who didn’t want AKC recognition for the breed, so I have to assume some bias.
Lastly, if people still want to breed Aussies or BCs for herding, no one is going to stop them. The only downside to people breeding AKC registered BCs is that it would cut into puppy sales for the breeders who are not breeding AKC registered BCs. (Please correct me if I misunderstood your point there).
I would say, from my relatively limited experience with border collies is that while they are very smart and great little dogs, they are probably unsuitable for many pet homes, since they really seem to need a job. If that is honestly the case, I can’t imagine that people out there who are breeding for herding are selling many to pet homes anyway.
So, I still don’t see how AKC recognition is affecting their breeding programs.
BTW thank you for a sane discussion of this. It can be a very emotional issue. We will likely never agree, but we can still discuss it.