How to KC register a puppy I bought?

[Admin]

I get a number of e-mails asking How to register a puppy/dog with the UK Kennel Club.  The pup has been bought from a breeder that advertises as KC reg litter.  The new owner hands over the money and picks up the pup, with a promise of the KC registration paperwork will follow (usually it is in the post).

After a waiting a while, they chase up the breeder and are given the story the paperwork has not arrived or a pedigree that they have created themselves.

The likelihood is the pup has not come from a KC registered breeder/bitch/dog and there is unlikely to be any paper work.  They have been sold as Pedigree KC Reg in order to bump up the price.  Once you know that you are not going to see the KC paperwork you look to see what you can do.  The problem is, only the breeder is able to register the litter with the kennel club (http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk).

Now for the hard bit, when you get in touch with the breeder (these people know what they are doing) they will either keep trying to fob you off or they will offer you a full refund on return of the pup.  By this time you will be so attached to the pup that you will not want to be parted from the new member of the family.

I am not sure how the next parts pans out, but there is always trading standards or small claims court.  Trading standards may be able to help, depending on where the pups were advertised.  The problem with both of these is that being offered a full refund on the return of the pup is seen as a suitable out come in the eyes of the law.  If you were sold a car without a log book, you would want to take it back, unless it was sold stating it did not have one.  Unfortunately pups are seen as goods and will mostly get treated as such by any legal proceedings.  The emotional pressure is what these breeders prey on.

What I would be looking to do is ply pressure on where the pups were advertised, local paper or shop, to try and stop them from allowing the breeder to sell their pups in that way again.

I would be interested to hear how anyone in this situation has got on.  I am only going by what I have sent to me by several different people as to their experiences. 

The best way to ensure the pup is Kennel Club registered is to look at the pups listed on the Kennel Club web site http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/buying/index.html (Please visit first as they have useful information there and do not forget the rescues) and http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/asp/PSAR/ 


From the Kennel Club web site:

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=1251&d=pg_dtl_art_news&h=239&f=0

What to expect from a breeder:
•   If the dog is advertised as Kennel Club registered, you should make sure that you see the Kennel Club registration certificate for the puppy before you take the puppy home. If the registration certificate is not available when you take your puppy, ensure that you receive an undertaking in writing that this will be sent to you when received from the Kennel Club.
•   It is the responsibility of the breeder to register the litter, which will be recorded in their name. The breeder will name all the puppies, and the names may include his/her Kennel Name.
•   Under normal circumstances, the litter registration should take approximately 14 days. The certificates will then be returned to the breeder. If there is a query on the form or about the names chosen for the puppies, the Kennel Club Registration Department will contact the breeder to clarify the position.
•   The breeder should hand you a blue Kennel Club Breeder Certificate, which includes all the puppy's details that are registered with the Kennel Club. Please make sure that the  breeder has signed the transfer of ownership form on the back of the certificate and completed the date of sale field.

[Relay]

I have never found myself in this situation but i would think the best way to avoid it would be to vet the breeders before you agree to buy from them. I am sure the Kennel Club would be able to tell you if the breeder has registered any recent litters with them.

I had no doubts with my breeder but then i had done a lot of research before buying and they had a very good reputation as accredited breeders with the KC.

[Val]

You may have done your homework but you would be suprised I am sure at the amount of owners that think they have covered the bases only to find out they have not brought a KC registered pup, some of these so called breeders are very clever at dancing around the true
Val

I have never found myself in this situation but i would think the best way to avoid it would be to vet the breeders before you agree to buy from them. I am sure the Kennel Club would be able to tell you if the breeder has registered any recent litters with them.

I had no doubts with my breeder but then i had done a lot of research before buying and they had a very good reputation as accredited breeders with the KC.

[Sweetypye]

I agree and as for kc accredited breeders, well the less said about this scheme the better.  It is seen as a mark of quality by novices but not by the cognoscenti!

[Val]

Here Here they have a few puppy farms and commerical breeders flashing that waste of space

I agree and as for kc accredited breeders, well the less said about this scheme the better.  It is seen as a mark of quality by novices but not by the cognoscenti!

[Relay]

Well done for all being so positive guys. LOL

[Relay]

You may have done your homework

Precisely - i did!

[Brainless]

I would always check any breeder with the national and/or Regional breed clubs.  Most reputable breeders will be members of one or more breed clubs and be known to the people in the breed and the reputable ones will be known and respected (if not liked) by their peers.

[Admin]

I would not say the kennel club list is perfect, but it is better than just an advert in your local corner shop sales board.  The first thing the KC list will ensure is that the litter is KC registered.  I get so many people with the same story of the pup they bought from their local paper was advertised as KC reg, but no papers have been provided by the breeder.

[Strutt-a-Mutt]

I agree and as for kc accredited breeders, well the less said about this scheme the better.  It is seen as a mark of quality by novices but not by the cognoscenti!

By going to a KCAB (lists available from the Kennel Club) you are assured of getting what is advertised.  KCABs have to undertaken various health screening ie HD & ED scoring, eye tests, DNA Profiling for their particular breed.  The code of ethics states that all relevent papers are handed over at the time of buying.  Each new buyer is given an information sheet issued by the KC to the KCAB breeder which, in turn the buyer completes and returns to the Kennel Club.  This is a report about the breeder stating amonst other things, whether information was handed over, if the breeder was helpful etc. etc.  If the customer is not satisfied they state that.  The breeder does not see these reports until you get an inspection from the KC.

It is easy to blame the breeders for everything but potential buyers should do their research fully before hand and check all certificates etc as proof to the breeder/advertisers claims before parting with any money.

You are buying goods and are covered under the Trade Description Act etc.

[GSPmad]

My flatcoat came from a KCAB - the one with patellar luxation (problem in the breed), heart murmur (which has now gone) and hypothyroidism.... As I understand it the KC only specify certain health tests to be done, not necessarily including or making mention of suitable or appropriate results. There is very little policing of the scheme as I don't think they have sufficient people available to do so. I have actually written them a letter asking them to clarify these points but haven't got it sent yet owing to other things going on - but I will. 

I know someone from another forum who got a dog from a KCAB - hip dysplasia and patellar luxation, and the breeder didn't want to know. My other dog's breeder became a KCAB when the scheme started, but I have been told that she is now under investigation from the RSPCA (and yes the KC have taken KCAB status off her...). KCAB may well have been introduced to help improve the situation of poorly bred non health tested dogs - but so far imo it has not done a lot, except people believe it means they will get a quality puppy - which it does not necessarily. 

Rant over.

[Sweetypye]

If the KCAB is so good, how is it that ANYONE can become one even BEFORE they have bred a litter?

Sorry but the KCAB scheme is not worth the paper it is written on.

I do not blame breeders for MY mistakes; I purchase from those who have a history of competence; the KCAB annotation to a breeder's name means NOTHING unless it is accompanied by proof of competence ie skills, knowledge, ability, training and experience.

End of

[Val]

The KCAB was slung together by the KC as a way of making money, good breeders do not have to be recommended to do health checks they DO them.
The KC would be better off spending some of their time stopping the registration of pet puppies and puppy farmers dogs rather than thinking up new ways of making money.
Val

[Sweetypye]

It is like saying you are a KC Accredited Instructor when you have never trained a dog.

Fortunately THIS scheme IS monitored and assessed correctly

[GSPmad]

It is like saying you are a KC Accredited Instructor when you have never trained a dog.

Fortunately THIS scheme IS monitored and assessed correctly

And how is Joe Public meant to know that one scheme is and one isn't, and that KC reg may still be poorly bred and that KCAB may still be poorly bred?