THE KENNEL CLUB OF UK (England, Wales, Scotland) HAS OFFICIALLY BANNED MERLE CHIHUAHUAS FROM BEING REGISTERED OR SHOWN!
MERLE CHIHUAHUAS WILL NOT BE REGISTERED
THE KENNEL Club will no longer register merle (dapple) Smooth and L/C Chihuahuas.
It says it has taken the step at the suggestion of the majority of the breed clubs
because the colour is sometimes associated with impaired sight and hearing.
The KC
said: “Coat colour in the Chihuahua is complex, because a range of colours is acceptable,
but one colour that does not exist naturally in the breed is merle.
"Merle patterning,
patches of lighter colour appearing in the coat, is the result of the M gene in the
dog. There are two alleles of this gene: MM (merle) and M+ (non-
"Unfortunately, the effects of the merle allele (MM) are not
confined to coat patterning and we know that there can be an increased risk of impaired
hearing and sight associated with it. Many breeds are aware of and have for many
years dealt perfectly adequately with avoiding the consequences of these health issues.
"However, because the colour has not hitherto been encountered in the UK in Chihuahuas,
and the fact that it is not a natural colour in the breed, the KC’s General Committee
has decided as a precautionary move to take a different approach. At the suggestion
of the majority of the Chihuahua breed clubs in this country, we have decided not
to register merle (dapple) Chihuahuas (Smooth or L/c) in order to avoid any future
possible problems.”
Article appeared in Dog World Magazine
The Motion to change the Chihuahua Standard to add a disqualification for the merle colour has passed at the Canadian Kennel Club.
It will be effective January 1, 2008!
What this means is that you can still register your Merle Chihuahua but you cannot compete in conformation shows, this is an automatic disqualification.
Merle Information
Merle coat colour in the Chihuahua
17-
Coat colour in the Chihuahua is complex because a range of colours is acceptable, but one colour that does not exist naturally in the breed is Merle.
Merle patterning, patches of lighter colour appearing in the coat, is the result
of the M gene in the dog. There are two alleles of this gene: MM (merle) and M (non-
Unfortunately, the effects of the merle allele (MM) are not confined to coat patterning and we know that there can be an increased risk of impaired hearing and sight associated with it.
Many breeds are aware of and have for many years dealt perfectly adequately with avoiding the consequences of these health issues. However, because the colour has not hitherto been encountered in the United Kingdom in Chihuahuas, and the fact that it is not a natural colour in the breed, the General Committee of the Kennel Club has decided as a precautionary move to take a different approach. At the suggestion of the majority of the Chihuahua breed clubs in this country, the Kennel Club has decided not to register merle (dapple) Chihuahuas (Smooth or Longcoat) in order to avoid any future possible problems.
Date:
17-
Categories:
Dog Health, Toy Group
Taken from the Kennel Club site. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/cgi-
Banning of the Merles
The CCA has voted again regarding Merle markings. I do not have a date but it was in 2008. I have heard (not seen in writing) that the Merle markings are now not going to be a disqualification. I have heard that a blue eyed Merle would be still disqualified or at least a severe fault. The CCA will not be able to vote again on this for 5 years.
Again I have not seen anything in writing, this is just what I have heard. I wish the CCA or the AKC would just publish or make a formal announcement so everyone can move on and this can be over and done with.
Merles Chihuahua have now been banned from being shown in the U.S., Canada, England and Germany. The U.S. Is still waiting for the AKC to publish the revised standard based on the vote October 6th, 2007 that the CCA held. 69% of the membership voted to disqualify the merles. The CCA announced this at the CCA general membership meeting in Chicago. When the AKC revises the standard they will post in the Gazette.
Some countries have banned merle Chihuahuas all together from being registered. These countries that have already started the registration ban are Australia, England, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
One more country is in the process of banning the merle Chihuahua and that is South Africa.
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