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Trailrunners Labradors P.O. Box 940 Big River, SK Canada S0J 0E0 The Canadian Kennel Club 200 Ronson Drive, Suite 400 Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5Z9 ATTENTION: Mr. Elio Furlan, Ms. Wendy Maisey, Ph: 306-469-8009 Fax: 306-469-5767 [email protected] www.trailrunners.ca February 15 2014 Re: Retriever (Labrador) Please forgive for the form letter nature of this letter. At Trailrunners we feel strongly about the following matter and the wording below exactly states our feelings. The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is a world respected registry of purebred dogs. The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada, Inc. (LRC, Inc.) wishes to work with the CKC to maintain the strength of the Labrador Breed and supports the Rules of Eligibility Pilot Project (September 2013) required under the Animal Pedigree Act that will allow the CKC to have breeders of litters certify that the sire and dam of a litter are of the breed standard. In that respect, it seems that the registry of the Labrador Retriever is about to go wrong, or has already gone wrong. This concerns not only the LRCC, Inc., but also the Labrador Clubs and breeders throughout the world. The cause of these concerns lies in the fact that more and more dogs are being bred in Canada, with pedigree certificates which state that the dogs are Labrador Retrievers with the colours black, yellow or chocolate, while in reality these are dogs that are carriers of the so-called “dilute” (dd) gene. The ‘dd’ gene is characterized by a “diluted” coat colour and light eyes, which are called “charcoal” or “blue” if the base colour is black, “champagne” if the base colour is yellow, and “silver” if the base colour is chocolate. In particular, the “silvers” are becoming more and more popular with the general public and substantial amounts of money are paid for puppies and adult dogs. On first sight it seems that there is nothing to worry about with these practices, because these dogs have the recognized colours on their pedigree certificates, and as such they can formally be entered in the Canadian Kennel Club studbook. However, the duties of the Kennel Club as keeper of the studbook surpass that of formal administrator. One cannot pretend that nothing is wrong, only because of the fact that the paperwork looks okay. The fact is that the “dilute” (dd) gene or locus is alien to the Labrador Retriever breed. This gene is simply not present in the breed. In order to keep the studbook closed, and maintain the purity of the Labrador Retriever breed, the public expects the CKC should ensure that no genes alien to the breed are entered. The reputation of the Canadian Kennel Club is at stake. The “dilute” (dd) gene surfaced in the United States in the late forties and early fifties of the last century. In those years there were no DNA tests available, and unfortunately these dogs were registered as Labrador Retrievers. Information has arisen that the breeder who produced these dogs, a Mr. Mayo Kellogg from Kellogg Kennels, was an important customer of the American Kennel Club (AKC). Mr. Kellogg bred several breeds, including the Weimaraner, a breed which carries the “dilute” (dd), and the dogs often ran free. Initially these dogs were registered as “silver”, until the Labrador Retriever Club Inc. (LRC), the parent club of the American Labrador Retriever clubs, objected to these practices. From that moment the “dilute” (dd) dogs were registered with the recognized three coat colours of the Labrador Retriever. More than half a century later we sadly have to observe that the American studbook of the Labrador Retriever, as maintained by the American Kennel Club (AKC), contains more than 35,000 dogs that carry the “dilute” (dd) gene. Not all carriers are also phenotypically affected. However, these dogs that only carry the gene are passing it on to their offspring. This means that we simply cannot be satisfied with a phenotypical (” by eye”) check, let alone by simply looking at a pedigree certificate. Genetic research of these dogs by means of DNA tests will need to take place to ensure that the stud book stays closed. Any presence of the “dilute” (dd) genes in the Labrador Retriever is unacceptable. Genetic laboratories have confirmed that it is perfectly possible to show the presence of the “dilute” (dd) gene. These studies have already been developed and can be used today. The costs are about $55.00 to test for the “dilute” (dd) allele. Now science has progressed, it can be shown that the DNA of a dog contains genes which are alien to the Labrador Retriever breed, which means that such a dog CANNOT be a purebred Labrador Retriever. Kennel Clubs, including the AKC, are increasingly under fire because of these extremely unacceptable and dangerous developments, which need to stop immediately. It’s only a matter of time before the first lawsuit in the United States against the American Kennel Club appears, as the AKC in their pedigree certificates quite wrongfully gives the impression that these “dilutes” are purebred Labrador Retrievers. If the National Kennel Clubs are not willing or able to effectively guarantee or monitor the purity of a dog, then who is? And what is the value of a pedigree certificate? National Kennel Clubs have the means to prevent non-purebred dogs from entering the studbooks. If in doubt about the presence of the “dilute” (dd) gene in Labrador Retrievers, one should require the applicant of a pedigree certificate to prove that this particular dog or litter is free from the “dilute” (dd) gene, by means of DNA testing by accredited laboratories. Trailrunners is asking the Board of the Canadian Kennel Club to require that any Labrador Retriever has to show the results of a DNA test proving that the dog is free from the “dilute” (dd) gene prior to registration. to require that any Labrador Retriever litter being registered in future ask for proof that the sire and dam are DNA tested to prove that they are purebred and do not contain the “dilute” (dd) gene allele. To require that these tests samples are collected by a veterinarian who has verified and certified that the dog is the dog represented in the CKC Registration or other registry. The task of the Kennel Club is to guard the purity of the breed. This is a very serious task. Trailrunners. will co-operate fully with the CKC to ensure that our breed stays true. Should the suggestion of DNA testing be implemented, the ‘dilute’ species calling itself Labrador Retriever will probably still exist but will not be associated with any quality registry service such as the Canadian Kennel Club. The CKC’s stud book will again be pure within a Labrador’s lifetime or +/- 15 years. Yours sincerely, Fran Oudshoorn, Owner, Trailrunners Labradors