Meet the Breeds, hosted by the American Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers' Association, comes to New York City's Javits Center October 17th and 18th. The event will showcase 160 AKC-registered dog breeds and 41 CFA-approved kitties whom you'll be able to play with and pet.
Each breed will have its own booth, decorated to represent the breed's origins or cultural throwbacks. Example: the Old English Sheepdog group designed a "Peter Pan" booth for a similar event in Long Beach last year.
While we know that October is a ways away, AKC's just-launched Meet the Breed's website is sure to tie you over until then. The site includes a Meet the Breeds game so you can test your breed know-how and compete with others online, along with a gallery of the 160 dogs and 41 cats that will be at the show. Advance tickets can be purchased via the site as well.
As we get closer to the event, Paw Nation will be previewing more from Meet the Breeds, including interviews with breeders and Broadway's top dog trainer. Stay tuned!
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Will there be a booth for shelter dogs? Oh wait! They don't come with pedigrees and health problems, do they? So I doubt they'd be welcome. If you're looking for a dog, try
http://www.petfinder.com//index.html.
The shelter question is a good one and if you truly want to help you may want to contact the AKC and see. Check the NYC Mayor's Alliance too. In NYC there are many, many rescue events including Broadway Barks, the ASPCA, North Shore, etc. ALL BREEDS/DOGS HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS. So do humans. Good breeders will always take back any dog they sell and most keep an "eagle eye" on those who purchase. They are members of breed clubs and work earnestly on issues affecting the health of their dogs. They also hunt down their breed in shelters, rescue and rehabilitate them (if necessary) and re-home them, sometimes setting up a chain of delivery vehicles driven by lovers of the breed. I know because I just interviewed a whole room of them at a national specialty. The ones to "throw stones at" are the puppymills and those backyard people breeding Comfort Dogs and Schnoodles and the like and selling them purely for profit. Petfinder is a great site too to find a new best friend.
I own a purebred German Shepherd dog. She just turned turned 8 years old July 5 of this year.
I am in tears, I just found out she now has hip dysplasia, one more terrible inbred disease she has to indure because of ignorant human breeding to get the perfect breed.
My German Shepherds 5 generation AKC papers show her mother and father where brother and sister, her grandparents where brother and sister and so where her great grandparents, only ONE outside line had been brought in 5 generations earlier.
Before she was a year old she was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia in both front legs, 2 years later I took her to a vet who specializes in allergies, my shepherd has so many allergies it's outrageous!
I had called the AKC back when she was a baby to report the inbreeding going on and all the medical problems purebreds are having and they told me there is nothing they do to stop this!
Something needs to be done, everytime I look at my dog in pain and agony and I am forcing painkillers down her throat to help ease the pain, I have to shake my head on what "we" human's have caused too so many pure breeds of dogs all for "human enjoyment!"
My German Shepherd was my life dream dog, I wanted to have 1 litter of pups with her, my vet advised me NOT to breed her that I would only be passing on the diseases to her pups and future generations!
I had her spayed, I am just wondering how many of her litter mates where bred for the buck? It's disgusting what we are doing to dog breeds and something needs to be done to help them!
Anyone wanting to purchase a purebred dog, BEWARE, go to your vet and ask for a good breeder, do all the research you can, ask to see the AKC generation papers on the parents and look at it very closely! Make sure there where many outside lines brought in, it might save you thousands in vet bills down the road and you won't have to watch your dog suffer in severe pain like I am doing!
There are disreputable breeders in all breeds/species that only care about breeding to win or breeding for purposes of sales/income.
There are also many reputable breeders that DNA test & scan their animals for health issues prior to breeding.
You state that you purchased your animal for the purpose of breeding... did you bother to check the pedigree prior to purchase?
If the breeder is unable or unwilling to make a pedigree available in advance on an animal for purchase (pet/breeder/show) - walk away!
If a breed is prone to certain health issues &/or MIGHT inherit certain genetic diseases from a parent or outcross breed... ask if the breeder screens for those problems! Some states have "lemon laws", but a reputable breeder does not need them - the contract of sale will clearly state if the parents or animal for sale have been screened & the terms of the health guarantee offered. Most legislation only requires a health guarantee for 1 year from date of sale for genetic defects.
The registries cannot stop heavy inbreeding, but if no one will purchase the resulting offspring - eventually the individual breeding program will implode on itself & the breeder will either be out big bucks for vet bills &/or replacing their breeding stock.
This sounds like a great event for my kids. We have been on the fence about adding a Boston Terrier to our family. I'll let my kids play with one to see if they like it but now they can play with a few others that day to make sure we pick the right dog for them.
What a great idea. I am starting to think about what breed of dog I would like to add to my home in the near future. While I have stocked up on books, I think seeing the dogs in person and talking to experts is an even better way to make an informed decision. Can't wait!
I am so excited to attend Meet the Breeds! I have had four Golden Retrievers throughout my lifetime from AKC breeders - all have been healthy, well-socialized, beautiful and sweet!
Since moving to NYC, I'm looking for a smaller apartment dog now so this will be a great way to meet some breeders and find a new dog.
I can't wait! I bought tickets already even though I know it's not until October. I hope there will be St Bernards there. I have wanted one ever since I saw Beethoven. My neighbor got one last year and she is really pretty and nice. They don't all slobber that much. At least, I've never been hit with the neighbors dogs drool like it happened in the movie. It is kinda gross and I'd like to meet the St Bernard people and ask them about that and how you can tell if a dog is going to be a big slobby drooler or if they are going to be neat like my neighbors dog. She ran away the other day and my neighbor called me to help look for her because I dog sit for them sometimes so she knows me. They found her at the park down the street and she was just sitting there and getting pet. I guess she wanted some company. She's an only dog and I told my neighbor that she should get her a companion.
I'm sorry to hear about your German Shepherd. That is so sad. Give her a hug from me. Another thing I learned about getting a dog- I want a St Bernard so have been researching a lot- you can ask the breeder if the dogs have been tested for hip dysplasia and ask to see the results. It's an xray they do on the parents before they are bred. If it's someone that has been breeding a long time, they might have them for the grandparents and so on.