In the past, I have reported that the American Kennel Club is projected to go out of business by 2025.Now it seems the Canadian Kennel Club may go out of business before that. According to a letter from Lee Steeves, Interim Chair of the Board of the Canadian Kennel Club,
At the March Board Meeting in Winnipeg, with reports from the Audit Committee and the CEO, it became apparent that the Canadian Kennel Club is in the midst of a financial crisis. Dropping registration numbers, a slight decline in entries and falling membership, all products of a worldwide recession in many industries, have combined in the last quarter of 2009 to leave the CKC in a deficit position that is unable to be managed with our existing cash flow.
.... Appeals are now being made to you, our membership, and to CKC Clubs to assist the CKC with donations, as they are able. This one time cash infusion will be applied to the deficit and will shore up the organization over the next two months. During that period, the Board of Directors is working with members and staff to analyze expenditures, cut services as necessary and reduce obligations to effect positive change.
This is a difficult time for the CKC. We ask you, as a member, to work with the Board to move forward. We need your help and we need your support. There will come a time to analyze the history of this issue and to deal with the lessons we have and are continuing to learn. That will happen once the crisis is averted. Until that time we must work together as The Dog Fancy in Canada. We very much look forward to your support.
The Canadian Kennel Club is asking for donations.
Not for the shattered children and families of Haiti devastated by earthquake.
Not to help dogs being shoved into kill shelters in Canada.
Not to help people that have lost their jobs or homes.
No, the Canadian Kennel Club wants people to send donations to help subsidize the people who inbreed deformed, defective, and diseased dogs within a closed registry system.
It has comes as a complete surprise to them that they have dropping registration numbers and a falling membership.
But they are boldly going to set things right now. They have decided to increase the recording registration fee by $1.50 Canadian, effective June 1st.
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The CKC also has a government-granted monopoly. The Pedigree Act of 1985.
ReplyDeleteIf they have successfully claimed a breed, no one can sell a dog of that breed as "registered" or "purebred" unless it is registered with CKC.
Few breeds have evaded the monopoly. Working breeds, mainly or perhaps exclusively. Border collies, some sled dogs, your JRTs -- what else?
The CKC is even nominally a democracy, with individual members rather than a "club of clubs" (ACK) or a private business masquerading as a club (UKC).
And still they are Made of Fail.
How is our single-breed, club-based, member-owned, new-ish working dog registry with state-of-the-art online database with health and working data for English shepherds doing?
We're doing great, thanks. Litter registrations in '09 25% higher than in '08, 42% higher than in '07.
Since our operating costs are for web hosting, paper, ink, lovely engraved dog tags, postage, and the small piece-rate we pay our registrar, we don't have many worries. No Madison Ave. rent or champagne receptions or insurance on our Landseers to pay for.
What a plan! Are these Kennel Clubs smoking the same leafy vegetable stock?
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Canada is slightly different from that in the USA.
ReplyDeleteIn Canada, we do not have the option of using 'alternate' registries. Purebred dog registrations, along with the stud books, fall under the jurisdiction Agriculture Canada, and AgCan has awarded control of them to the CKC.
Additionally, it is illegal in Canada to sell a dog as purebred unless it is registered with the CKC.
This loss in revenue, therefore, isn't so much a result of people using alternate registries, like they're doing in the US. Rather, it's proof of what many of us have been claiming forever - breeding dogs well COSTS money, and in a bad economy, fewer legitimate people are breeding. Also out the window? Show entries, another non essential expenditure.
The fact that the CKC couldn't see this coming is what puzzles most of us - that, and their insistence on maintaining real estate in the most expensive city in Canada, rather than out in the boonies. Strong similarities THERE much?
It's more expensive to run a kennel club in two languages. :)
ReplyDeleteI have been a member with the Canadian Kennel Club and have a registered kennel name with them for almost 10 years now. I am becoming increasingly discontented with the service. Prices are increasing, and service quality decreasing. The costs of registrations have become rediculus. Roughly, a $30.00 dog registration if you wait until 6 months to complete, will cost you $60.00. An increase of 100% in 6 months. Times that by 2 and that is 200% in a year. You can not get this kind of interest in any bank ! Premium members are to get first priority in the turn around of paper work? This I feel is not true, as they will get to you when they do even though you paid extra for that kind of membership.
ReplyDeleteI recently switch over 3 AKC dogs to CKC and there are spelling mistakes on all 3 CKC registrations ! If we make a mistake in paper work and need a change,we are charged a fee for not being correct ! When they make a mistake we are given no consideration for our inconvenience. They forgot to put the CH. on a registration also! It takes forever to get someone on the phone. I was on hold for 45 minutes to only be disconected, sorry good bye? After 5 repeated phone calls most of the day, I got someone. I also had an issue with the micro chips. A broken one which you could clearly see was in my shipment that I paid close to $15.00 to be shipped to me. When I called the CKC I got an Indian speaking person and I had to ask what country I was talking to. I was told to send the cip back because they need to send it back for a credit,and I pay for shipping again for replacement? This was their mistake for sending that broken one which you could clearly see in the package.The last time I had a faulty chip the woman said no problem, just give us the number over the phone. You don't have to send it back. I have talked to the people that the CKC get their chips from and they said the CKC does not send any back? The CKC has a monopoly on the dog registration business and they know it, so they do not care how they treat us as we have no other alternative. I was further bothered by their donation button on their site. I figure out that I have paid them close to $50,000 over the last 10 years and they could not make good on one micro chip? I will be seaking out another source for the chips and will not be purchasing them from the CKC if I can help it. Membership is droping? It is no wonder they are going broke sitting in an expensive building, not caring how they treat the members. I may be leaving also.