Keeping Up With the Joneses – The Norwich Terrier in America

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Long before the American Kennel Club recognized the Norwich as a breed, a small terrier type had arrived in Pennsylvania taking the foxhunting fraternity by storm. He was called a Jones Terrier who, along with his eventual counterparts, set the stage for Norwich in America.

February 20, 1936, the AKC registered its first Norwich Terrier, thanks in large part to the efforts of AKC Secretary Henry D. Bixby and G. Gordon Massey. Sounds simple enough, but truth be told the story of Norwich in America is a libation like no other. Mix equal parts of legend, lore and likelihood, add a dash of two different ear carriages, and you have a potion whose ingredients will be debated well into the next millennium. Take for example William Jones, the first dog of its breed type to be seen in America. He was not called a Norwich, rather a Jones Terrier, his ears were not erect, they were cropped, and while a prolific sire his name will not appear in any AKC registered Norwich pedigrees. Known by his owner as “Willum” he was purchased in England by popular Philadelphia sportsman Robert Strawbridge and brought to these shores in 1914, destined to become a hit amongst the vested gentry from Vermont to Virginia and points south. Willum was bred by one of the breed’s founding fathers, an Irish born character named Frank Jones, hence Willum’s surname and hence the oftnamed Jones Terrier. Nobody could have predicted then that this twelve pound mongrel, “all teeth and hair, like a rat-catcher’s dog” would pave a path to the popularity Norwich enjoy today. Read more »

Puppy Buyer Beware: Conditional Registration

What You Need to Know about AKC Conditional Registration

What is a Conditional Registration?

In years past, when the parentage of a dog was found to have an unknown ancestor, the AKC registration was cancelled. This could be discovered years later, either by proving that a pedigree was incorrect (e.g., fraudulent) or via the AKC’s DNA testing program to determine a dog’s identity. A few years ago, the AKC changed the cancellation policy. Now, instead of cancelling the registration, the AKC issues a downgraded status called a “conditional” registration.

How to tell if a dog has a conditional registration

The AKC registration number will start with the letter “Q”. For example, a dog initially registered as RN123456/01 would be registered with Conditional Registration as QN123456/01. This is the most important, and usually the only, tool that a puppy buyer will have to identify Norwich with unknown ancestors.

Why this is huge problem for Norwich Terriers

The NTCA has been working for many years to maintain the integrity of our registry. We want every Norwich registered with the AKC to be a purebred Norwich. Much to our dismay, the current AKC conditional registration process allows dogs with unknown ancestors to be fully (unconditionally) registered. The offspring of a conditional dog can be fully registered after 3 generations. For our Norwich, often these conditional dogs are not purebred – rather they are Cairn mixes.

Why does AKC allow this?

AKC intended the conditional registration program to be used in cases where the dogs are believed to be purebred, but a registered parent is found to be incorrect. One argument in favor of the program was that it would help maintain genetic diversity in some breeds with a small gene pool.

Unfortunately, the conditional registration process creates a way for impure dogs to enter the registry. The NTCA has shown that some of the conditional pedigrees contain Cairn mixes. Sadly, there are unscrupulous breeders who have introduced Cairn mixes into our registry. Because Cairns have fewer whelping problems and larger litters – dishonest puppy millers, commercial breeders, and backyard breeders are exploiting our Norwich for profit.

Is it safe to buy a Norwich from the AKC Classified Listing?

Unfortunately, no. Norwich with conditionally registered dogs in the pedigree can be listed. If the puppy dog being sold, or its sire or dam are conditional, you will know by the “Q” being the first digit in the registration number. If the unknown ancestors are farther back, then you won’t know without requesting the pedigrees.

The Norwich litter listed below is the first conditional litter that we have seen advertised on the AKC website. The sire of this litter is Terday’s Tank who has a conditional registration (the AKC registration begins with a “Q”).

SOURCE: This listing was accessed from http://www.akc.org/classified/search/index.cfm on 11-21-2012.

Why this matters to the puppy buyer

Before buying a Norwich puppy, do your homework. Contact reputable breeders. We recommend that you contact several NTCA breeders, visit the breeder(s), ask lots of questions about their breeding practices, and get references. Do your homework. When you buy a Norwich, you want a healthy purebred. When someone buys an AKC registered Norwich Terrier it should be a purebred. Most of the conditionally registered Norwich that we have found either contain ancestors known to be Cairn mix and/or are related to known puppy mills – these pedigrees will often have Norwich from eastern European countries (usually on the dam’s side) that are from known puppy millers and commercial breeders who export unhealthy dogs to their contacts based in the United States and to naïve backyard breeders trying to make a quick buck without knowledge or regard for our Norwich. The pedigrees may also contain Norwich bred by very reputable breeders too and Norwich with championship titles.

What NTCA is doing to fix this problem?

We are working with the AKC to solve the problem of conditional registered Norwich whose breeding is impure but whose offspring are finding their way back into our registry. Our Registry Integrity Committee has worked diligently for years with the AKC to remove Cairn mixes. 130 Norwich have been removed from the registry based on two litters. Owners who registered their dog with AKC only to later have it cancelled are understandably upset when this happens – and this is not good publicity for the AKC. While the AKC’s stated intent is to allow conditional registration only in cases where the dog appears and is believed to be purebred and only one of the dog’s ancestors is unknown, this is simply not the case with Norwich. The AKC has denied use of Mars Wisdom Panel tests as requested by the NTCA to identify mix breeds, however, we are continuing to work with the AKC and are hopeful that advanced DNA testing and changes in policy will solve this problem. In the meantime, buyers must beware!

We are here to help and answer any questions. Please contact us if you have concerns about a conditional registration or integrity of a Norwich Terrier pedigree.

To help puppy buyers make informed decisions, we are making a list of Norwich with conditional registrations available on our website as they become known to us. We are only posting the AKC registered name and registration number. This is not a complete list. We will continue to update.

Norwich Terriers with Conditional Registration

Registered Name	Registered Number(s)	Sex	DOB
Billy Bob Of Pecan Creek	QR00169704 (RN13435904)	M	01/01/2007
Fullers Sr Parker Rylee Sinclair	QR00170301 (RN19935001)	M	12/16/2009
Fullers Sr Sydnie Shaye Reylynn	QR00170302 (RN19935002)	F	12/16/2009
I Dream Of Ginger	QR00170202 (RN18927702)	F	06/04/2009
Littleefeat’s Gracie Bell	QR00170404 (RN16928104)	F	05/25/2008
Littlefeat’s Charlie Brown	QR00170602 (RN18108502)	M	01/05/2009
Littlefeat’s Dantes Dancing Til Dawn	QR00170603 (RN18108503)	M	01/05/2009
Littlefeat’s Gizzy	QR00169701 (RN13435901)	F	01/01/2007
Littlefeat’s Southpark Kenny	QR00170402 (RN16928102)	M	05/25/2008
Mighty Little Joe	QR00170803	M	12/17/2010
Mystical Valleys Nacho	QR00169705 (RN13435905)	F	01/01/2007
S R Charlie Jonas Magazzolo	QR00170101 (RN17809601)	M	11/30/2008
S R Don’T Cha Love Kaya	QR00169706 (RN13183602)	F	01/01/2007
S R Raisan Kaine	QR00169702 (RN13435902)	M	01/01/2007
Salt Creek Go Green Moline	QR00170802	M	12/17/2010
Terday’s Gee Gee	QR00170605 (RN18108505)	F	01/05/2009
Terday’s Hazel	QR00169901 (RN20046701)	F	07/19/2009
Terday’s Tank	QR00169805 (RN20846305)	M	05/16/2010
Terday’s Texas Hotchi Podge	QR00169807 (RN20846307)	F	05/16/2010
Terday’s Texas Mahogany Red Grandeur	QR00170002 (RN20328902)	M	01/26/2010
Terday’s Texas Tynee Mitzi	QR00170003 (RN20328903)	F	01/26/2010

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2013 NTCA & Regional Club Show Calendar

2013 Show Calendar

2012 NTCA/Regional Specialty/Supported Entry Calendar

2/25/12  ·  NTC of Greater Chicago Specialty & Sweepstakes

4 Shows · 1 Location — McCormick Place North · Chicago IL Entries close 2/8 @ Onofrio Dog Shows
2/23/12	Park Shore KC	Dr. Alvin W. Krause
2/24/12	Blackhawk KC	Mrs. Paige (Penny) Hirstein
2/25/12	NTC Greater Chicago Specialty International KC (BENCHED)	Barbara Alderman James Kinney, Sweeps
2/26/12	NTCGC Supported Entry International KC (BENCHED)	Ken McDermott Bev Felten, Sweeps

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NTCA National Specialty Results 2012

On June 15, 2012, NTCA hosted its first Independent National Specialty at the Purina Event Center in Gray Summit MO.

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