While I understand they are not the right dog for everyone, those that own or are owned by the little dog called an Aussie have the attitude that they will never have anything but an Australian Terrier ever again. They take control of your life and you can’t not help but be a minion to their every whim. Of the 193 recognized AKC canine breeds, the Australian Terrier ranks 136. The top 10 AKC dog breeds actu- ally account for 50% of the AKC regis- trations. Together, the rarest 50 AKC breeds made up just 1.2% of the regis- tered AKC dogs. (Stanely Coren, PHD Psychology today 2013.) If we were requesting entry in 2019 into the AKC would we meet the criteria? Does the public know about ATs? Some breeds fall out of favor as the purpose of their breeding diminishes in need. But this isn’t the case for the AT. The companionship of a terrier is still a cherished trait today. What is the reason this lovable, companion ter- rier with a brave heart has such low breeding numbers? What can be done about it? Other parent clubs facing similar or worse statistics have also formed sus- tainability committees. Both the Scot- tish Terrier and the Otterhound clubs have well established committees. The Otterhound club, with significantly low breed numbers has founded a club and AKC endorsed semen bank. Long term the ATCA sustainabil- ity committee will focus on Austra- lian Terrier breed awareness, quality line conservation, promoting sustain- able breeding and health check prac- tices, encouraging new member- ship to the ATCA and also mentoring new breeders. The sustainability committee is also focused on getting people that love the breed talking about improving the future outlook. We are focused on developing data on global Australian Terrier population, to understand just how endangered the species is. Austra- lian Terrier breeders and clubs around the world have been contacted to help in this endeavor. This is NOT an issue in just the USA, this is a global concern! We will be involved in spread- ing awareness about the breed to the canine public, through publications, social media and more meet the breed type avenues. We need to encourage people to join us in securing the future of Australian Terriers. If you are interested to learn more about the committee, our purpose and interests, please feel free to reach out and contact the ATCA sustainability committee at atca.sustainability@gmail.com.
In 2018 The Australian Terrier Club of America formed a sustainability com- mittee. Our mission is simple: to work to secure a sustainable future for the Australian Terrier. We do not believe that the decline of popularity of the Australian Ter- rier is a US specific issue. While more research needs to be gathered, initial data received globally indicates that Australian Terriers are being born in low numbers around the world. It’s not just a US problem. One of the goals of the ATCA sustainability committee is to quantify the global situation. We are happy to report that today’s Australian Terrier is genetically diverse. During the 2018 education day at the ATCA National Convention, Jerold S. Bell, DVM from Tufts University gave a wonderful seminar on the genetic diver- sity of the Australian Terrier. The full lecture is available on Youtube. Dr. Bell discussed the importance of genetic diversity, gene diversity, and the impor- tance of maintaining healthy breed- ing lines and not losing these lines.
He reported that the Australian Terrier has a diverse gene pool. Indeed, the AT has a better 10 generation inbreeding coefficient than breeds with genetic diversity concerns (such as popular sire syndrome). With the decreasing numbers of lit- ters and also the retirement of many long time quality lines, the Australian Terrier is more susceptible to long term health concerns. Breeding decisions today can affect the breed both posi- tively or negatively in the future. Every breeding decision that is made matters at these low numbers. Health, genetic diversity, maintaining successful lines after breeder retirement, selection deci- sions on litters all matter to the future of the Australian Terrier. These dogs were originally bred as a working dog in the bush of Australia that was also a companion. Traits that abound in the breed today. The Austra- lian Terrier is a loyal companion that loves to be a couch potato with you after the work of the day is complete. They are fun and devoted family pets.
300 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M ARCH 2019
Powered by FlippingBook