Care to join?

Mutts, unite!

For the first time in 125 years, mixed breeds will be allowed to compete along side purebreds in the American Kennel Club.

See the article by Monica Hesse in the Washington Post here.

Mutts will not be allowed to compete in the "conformation" events, the ones where judges decide how precisely a dog displays its breed's standards.

But the skill-based contests — Agility, Rally and Obedience — were officially opened to mixed breeds last month. This weekend, Mattaponi [Kennel Club in Manassas, Va.] held its first event in which mixed breeds, euphemistically referred to at the show as "All Americans," have been allowed.

The debate over the change goes back seven or eight years. At one point there was a proposal to have mixed breed dogs compete separately from purebred dogs, rather than directly against them. That was reconsidered.

"AKC has always been best known as an advocate for purebred dogs," says the AKC's Gina DiNardo, in discussing the change. "But [we're] concerned about the welfare of all dogs. ... We want you to become part of our fold."

Of course, I'm reminded of the Groucho Marx quip "I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member."