>From: Cheryl Bott <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: AKC and Ferrets >In regards to the AKC and your quote "effective group for power in the dog >world". It is not exactly right. The AKC was formed to "Record" the mating >and keep the purebred strains....pure. That is their only function, and >that remains their only function to this day. Please check their web site. http://www.akc.org/ The pet fancy brings people into the "organized" portions of the pet world. But these people through their devotion to their pets decide to go beyond and do the altruistic deeds. In looking at their web site I see the AKC is involved outside the show ring and breeder's registry. http://www.akc.org/sumtips.htm http://www.akc.org/publiced.htm http://www.akc.org/customer.htm Education... http://www.akc.org/legnews.htm Legislation... http://www.akc.org/genetics.htm Health... http://www.akc.org/car.htm Recovry of missing dogs... http://www.akc.org/train.htm Obiedience training... I think they are a little more than breed registration based on my simple and quick check. I have not checked out eh CFA (or ACFA) very carefully to see the situation in the cat world. >The AKC doesn't sponsor shows or anything They sanction them and sort of supply judges the same way the AFA does. investigation. Just as they are most visible through dog shows, the AFA is most visible through ferret shows. That is one of the purposes of shows. Another is to pay for the "good deeds" that the organizations do. The ferret does not have breeds so we don't have the breed specific clubs to "unite" into the AKC. Or not unite and have rival breed clubs in some cases. Like the AKC model the AKC sanctions shows sponsored by local clubs. The AFA chooses to sponsor a few of its own shows at this point that helps generate moneys for their efforts in other areas. >The Ferret clubs work at all levels....and to compare the Ferret clubs to >the AKC is a insult to the ferret clubs. I don't think so. The dog world and the cat world are the models the ferret world has been emulating since the beginnigs twenty years ago. But they are trying to avoid the mistakes. >World K.C. was formed by people who couldn't or didn't want to compete in >the very competitive AKC format. They register anything, and you can show >neuter's. One of the mistakes the AFA avoided (as well all the other ferret groups) was the discrimination against alters. The AFA did not do a registration specifically to avoid the politics of it. The FURO and NAFA attempts failed because of the politics and lack of meaning. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets http://www.zenferret.com/ mailto:[log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1983]