Fall 2018 Saber Tails 63
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
populations can only remain healthy if they can grow and expand. To accomplish this Bell says that breeds with small
populations (LE list) need a mentoring program for their puppy buyers because healthy gene pools require genetic
diversity and the careful selection of sires and dams in order to produce the desired traits and avoid the deleterious
mutations that accompany unwanted traits and diseases.
When the AKC stud book of 188 breeds is ranked in descending order based on the average number of litters produced
during a three-year period (2013, 14, 15) the 60 breeds that appear in the bottom group all have three common charac-
teristics: small gene pools, declining genetic diversity and the risk of extinction from the show ring.
Table 3a shows the total number of show entries for All-
Breed conformation shows for a seven-year period. The
downward trend in entries is likely to have a larger impact
on the 90 LE breeds because of the few number of dogs
being exhibited.
Table 3b shows that 83 of the 90 LE breeds (88%) have en-
tries of less than 1,000 dogs per year which is well below
the threshold of 3,500 required for LE status. Sixteen other
LE breeds have entries that are less than 17 entries a year.
The growing concerns of competitors in these breeds is
not knowing where these few dogs will be entered and
where majors can be found. This concern should not be
ignored because the number of LE breeds continues to grow.
Table 3b shows the total number of LE breeds in competition and the number of entries at their national. It should be
noted that most have entries considerably below the threshold of 3,500 per year. This declining statistic impacts the
availability of completion and new judges.
When taken together, Tables 3b-3c show a more
troubling statistic regarding the appearance of the
LE breeds at all-breed conformation shows and at
Regional and National Specialties. For example,
seven breeds do not have a national specialty and
6 other LE breeds have nationals with less than 17
entries and 50 with entries of less than 50.
Limited Registrations (LR). The concept of a Limited Registration was approved by the AKC Board in June 1988. The idea
was presented by staff to the delegates at the September 1988 Forum, discussed in December and
Cont’d on p 74