APPENZELL MOUNTAIN DOG CLUB OF AMERICA

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

Members shall bear in mind that a Code of Ethics is more than a set of rules; it is a commitment to a high standard of practice in owning and breeding.  Adherence to the spirit of such a Code is as important as adherence to its law. 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

The Appenzell Mountain Dog Club of America, in keeping with its aims of encouraging the development of high quality Appenzellers, has adopted the following Code of Ethics to promote and foster the highest standards among breeders and owners; and to encourage cooperation in the improvement, advancement and protection of our breed. 

 

MEMBER RELATIONS

 

1.  Members shall be aware at all times that the Club exists to protect the breed and that these aims are to be uppermost in the minds of members in all their activities in the breed. 

2.  Members will at all times display good sportsmanship and conduct themselves in such a manner as to reflect credit upon the Club and the breed. 

3.  Members shall refrain from unnecessary and un-constructive criticism of another person’s dog and from personal attacks upon fellow members. 

4.  Novices are encouraged to seek the advice and assistance of more experienced owners and breeders and the more experienced shall assist the novice in solving problems and share, for the good of the breed, the benefits of his or her knowledge. 

5.  In all questions of ethics, covered or not covered by the Code, the individual member shall act solely in the best interests of the breed, and the membership as a whole shall aid any fellow member in upholding these interests. 

6.  Members shall bear in mind that a Code of Ethics is more than a set of rules; it is a commitment to a high standard of practice in owning and breeding.  Adherence to the spirit of such a Code is as important as adherence to its law. 

7.  Members agree to educate the public and represent the breed fairly at all times. 

 

TREATMENT

 

1.  All Appenzell Mountain Dogs owned by, or in the care of, members shall be given a proper, healthy environment, nutrition and care at all times.  No member’s dog shall be treated in an inhumane manner, subjected to cruel or unusual punishment, and/or mentally or physically abused.  Nor may they be subjected to any conditions likely to eventuate in unnecessary danger to the animal’s health.  No member shall have more dogs than he or she has facilities to adequately keep. 

2.  Members shall be diligent in the handling of their dogs in public places and shall do so in a manner as to minimize the risk of trauma or danger to any human being or other animal. 

3.  Members recognize their responsibility to protect the name and reputation of the breed and shall not allow their dogs to roam at large, unsupervised, nor to become a public nuisance nor to become a public trust. 

4.  Members agree to train their dogs in basic obedience. 

 

 

BREEDING

 

1.      Anyone breeding his or her bitch bears great responsibility to the future of the breed; therefore a breeder shall plan each breeding with the paramount intention of advancing and protecting the breed and only when he or she is in a position to give proper care to both bitch and offspring. 

2.      The bitch owner safeguards the bitch from breedings which are not carefully planned. 

3.  The breeder shall not breed his or her bitch before the age of 24 months nor shall he or she breed his or her bitch more than every other heat or no less than ten (10) months apart from mating to mating. 

4.  A breeder carefully selects stud and matron with an eye to conformation and temperament, and only after careful study of the breed standard, the individuals and their near relatives, the pedigrees and basic principles of genetics and prior consultation the AMDCA registrar shall proceed with the mating. 

5.  All animals to be bred shall have sound and typical structure and conformation, shall be of sound temperament and free from crippling or disabling hereditary defects. 

6.  A breeder shall refrain from using an individual who, although free from such hereditary defects, consistently produces afflicted offspring from different mates. 

7.  Any breeder breeding from lines in which any serious or disabling hereditary defects consistently occur shall have the offspring declared “unbreedable” by the AMDCA registrar, and such offspring shall have limited registration if any. 

8.  All individuals being bred shall have been X-rayed and the results interpreted by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or Penn Hip in advance of the breeding, and if X-rays are taken at under two (2) years of age the individual shall be re-X-rayed at two (2) years of age or older. 

 

STUD SERVICE

 

1.  No member shall offer at stud any animal who does not meet the above qualifications. 

2.  If the stud has not been bred before, has not produced a live litter or has had breeding problems in the past, such information shall be provided the bitch owner before the bitch is shipped. 

3.  Prior to accepting any bitch for service, it is the obligation of the stud owner to advise novice breeders of the responsibilities, problems, obligations and expenses involved in breeding a litter. 

4.  It shall be the responsibility of the stud owner to ascertain that any bitch brought to his or her stud shall meet the requirements of the AMDCA Code of Ethics.  He or she shall further ascertain to the best of his or her ability that any produce of this breeding shall be raised and sold in a manner in keeping with the ethical standard of this Code.  He or she shall not service any bitch whose owner is not an AMDCA member, with allowable exceptions for owners who reside in a foreign country and are members in good standing of an Appenzell Mountain Dog Club in that country, the goals and code of conduct of which club are similar to those of the AMDCA. 

5.  The breeder shall supply the AMDCA individual registration form or a written guarantee that it shall be supplied by the time the pup is four (4) months old or upon completion of sale.  A puppy may, for good cause be sold without papers if this is understood and agreed to in writing by both parties as specified by the AMDCA. 

6.  Any animal sold under the designation pet/companion quality shall be sold without registration papers and with a mandatory spay/neuter proviso.  A breeder may supply registration papers upon proof of sterilization or upon reassessment of the animal as being of show and/or breeding quality.  A pedigree shall accompany the sale. 

7.  It is the ethical obligation of member-breeders to guarantee pups produced and sold by them to be as represented.  Any replacement or refund arrangement agreed to by breeder and buyer and just to the interest of both parties, shall be considered satisfactory.  In cases of disputes regarding hip dysplasia, the hip condition of the dog must be ascertained by an OFA reading (not a private veterinarian).  In the case of other hereditary defects, the defective area must be determined by a recognized School of Veterinary Medicine or other mutually (seller & buyer) agreed upon third party.  In both cases claims must be made within (30) days of diagnosis or death. 

8.  If the pup has not been seen by the buyer or his or her agent before shipping, the breeder shall allow the buyer (48) hours to return the pup at the buyer’s expense and responsibility if he or she is not satisfied that the pup is as represented by the breeder.  A full refund shall be made. 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

1.  All advertisement of puppies and adult dogs, written or oral, shall be factual and as forthrightly honest as possible in both substance and implication. 

2.  Advertising and promotion, written or oral, shall be confined to the aspects of the breeders stock and shall not degrade the stock of others. 

3.  The breeder shall be cautious in discussing the show and/or breeding prospects of any puppy for sale, lest he/she imply a guarantee of success which cannot be assured. 

4.  He or she shall be equally cautious in encouraging buyers as to breeding prospects, inasmuch as the breeding of an Appenzell Mountain Dog is not to be undertaken lightly by any owner. 

 

 

AMDCA exists to advance and protect the breed and breeding of Appenzellers.  The club and its officers serve as volunteers.  Neither the club nor its officers are liable for infractions, disputes, health problems or any other issues between puppy buyers and breeders or between owners of Appenzellers and the general public.  All breedings, puppy sales and other transactions are to be covered by contracts between the individual parties to the transaction and are not the responsibility of the club nor its officers. 

 

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