Australian Terrier Breed Magazine - Showsight

THE NEED FOR AUSTRALIAN TERRIER SUSTAINABILITY

by VICKI MCKEE ATCA Breed Sustainability Chair

2 008 is considered a pivotal year with the AKC registra- tion statistics for purebred dogs. A noticeable contraction in litters and registrations across the AKC purebred dog industry was docu- mented in 2008. It is believed that this contraction coincided with the reces- sion which was at least partially a root cause. Since then some breeds have fully recovered, some partially recov- ered, and yet others have been in steady decline since 2008. Australian terriers have declined in dog registration, litter numbers, and number of puppies since 2008. A 52% decline in registration numbers, a 34% decline in the number of litters, and a 36% decline in the num- ber of puppies.

Some people may believe that AKC registration is too time consuming and do not register their dogs, which has led to the decline, others may believe that there is no problem because Aus- tralian Terriers are not for everybody. Still others point to limited registrations as a problem inherited from the 1980s. I personally get this question a lot, do you really believe our beloved Austra- lian Terriers could face extinction like the double horned rhino? My answer is maybe, yeah more than a chance. I, along with the ATCA (Australian Terrier Club of America) want to understand the why and work to change the course before it’s too late. If the trend contin- ues, by 2028 we would be down to 52 dogs registered a year, 21 litters a year,

and 101 puppies. The situation maybe too late by then. We want to try to make a difference because to me and the rest of the Aussie community as a whole, a world without healthy Australian Terri- ers is just simply not an option. What is breed sustainability and why is it needed to preserve the Australian Terrier? Sustainability has many definitions in modern society. It is often used when discussing the science around global warming or the fight to perse- vere endangered species. Sustainable fisheries often refer to catch limits or season limitations. AKC refers to sustainability simply as any activities which would preserve, protect and promote the breed.

Australian Terrier AKC Registration Statistics 2008 & 2017

Number of Puppies

Number of Litters

Dog Registrations

200

400

600

800

0

DOG REGISTRATIONS

NUMBER OF LITTERS

NUMBER OF PUPPIES

2008

309

178

784

2017

160

61

281

298 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M ARCH 2019

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