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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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| ASCA Ch Crestwood Dan Patch |
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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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| (reprinted here with Pam's permission) |
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| Q. What is Australian Shepherd Club of America and how do I become a member? |
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| A. Australian Shepherd Club of America is the largest, single breed dog registry in North America. It was established in 1957 and is the original parent club of the breed. ASCA offers competition in conformation, stockdog, obedience, agility, tracking and junior showmanship. ASCA memberships run a calendar year from the date your membership is processed. Membership applications are available from the ASCA Business Office. There is also a downloadable form available on the web site at: http://www.asca.org/Forms/index.htm |
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| P.O. Box 3790, Bryan, TX 77805-3790 |
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| (979) 778-1082 • Fax (979) 778-1898 |
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| Q. How can I subscribe to the Aussie Times, or receive a sample copy? Can I buy back issues? |
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| A. The Aussie Times is the bi-monthly publication of ASCA. It is professionally produced in magazine format including color photos, with current information on ASCA events and clubs, as well as informative articles and advertisements. It is available only as part of your membership. You can, however, receive a sample copy by contacting the ASCA Business Office. The price is $4.00 plus $1.50 for first class delivery. There are also a limited number of back issues of the Aussie Times available for purchase. Contact the ASCA Business Office for a list of the available issues. The price for these is also $4.00 plus $1.50 for postage. |
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| Q. Where can I find an Aussie breeder in my area? |
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| A. ASCA has a Breeder's Directory. These are paid listings, so it is not a list of "approved" breeders. A copy of the Breeder's Directory is available from the ASCA Business Office and is also on the ASCA web site at: http://www.asca.org/Contacts/breeders.htm. You can also try contacting the Affiliate Club nearest you. The Affiliate Club list is available from the ASCA Business Office and is also on the web site at: http://www.asca.org/links.htm. Try attending some dog shows andvisiting as many breeders as you can before you make your choice of a puppy. Occasionally local veterinarians will have listings of breeders in their area also. Another important resource is the internet. Try going to one or more of the different search engines (i.e. Yahoo, WebCrawler, Excite, Lycos) and search for the words Australian Shepherd. There are also many dogs and puppies available through rescue. |
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| Q. How can I start an ASCA Affiliate Club? |
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| A. You must contact Jo Kimes, the ASCA Executive Secretary, for the necessary forms and information: Jo Kimes, Rt. 1 Box 338, Liberty, TX 77575, E-mail: jo.kimes@imsday.com |
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| Q. My dog is out of ASCA registered parents. How do I go about registering it? |
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| A. The breeder should have provided you with an Individual Registration Application. You must send that form, a clear color photo of each side of the dog and the appropriate fee to the ASCA Business Office. The fees increase with the age of the dog and are doubled if you are a non-member. |
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| Q. I would like an extended pedigree on my Aussie. Where can I obtain one? |
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| A. All registrations and pedigrees are issued by the ASCA Business Office. ASCA offers a 5 generation certified pedigree. At the present time the fee for this pedigree is $35. |
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| Q. My dog's sire and dam are not ASCA registered, can I still register it with ASCA? |
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| A. At the present time, ASCA does have a Hardship Registration program. This program is available to dogs whose ancestry is registered with one or a combination of the following registries: |
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| National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR) |
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| Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) |
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| Australian Shepherd Club of America |
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| The necessary form and information is available from the ASCA Business Office. |
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| Q. My dog is a purebred Aussie, but is not registered. What sort of registration is available through ASCA? |
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| A. ASCA has a Limited Exhibition Privileges (LEP) registration available which allows the dog to compete in all areas except conformation. You must submit proof that the dog is spayed or neutered. The LEP form is available from the ASCA Business Office, or may be downloaded from the ASCA web siteat: http://www.asca.org/Forms/index.htm |
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| Q. How can I register a kennel name? |
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| A. In order to register a kennel name, you must have been a member in good standing of ASCA for two previous consecutive years. The fee to register a new kennel name is currently $100. The necessary form is available from the ASCA Business Office or on the ASCA web site at: |
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| Q. How can I find out about Aussie Rescue? |
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| A. The Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline, Inc. (ARPH) is supported by ASCA. You will need to contact the program directly for more information on adopting an Aussie or placing a dog into the program. Their website has links where you can contact the different area representatives. |
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| Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline, Inc. |
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| P.O. Box 85, Honesdale, PA 18431, 1-877-ARPH-779, E-mail: |
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| Q. What is a miniature Australian Shepherd and where can I find more information on them? |
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| A. ASCA does not promote the breeding of miniature Australian Shepherds nor does it have specific conformation show catagories for them. The ASCA breed standard has no disqualification for size so therefore you may find some dogs that are called "miniatures" are actually ASCA registered and/or out of ASCA registered stock. These smaller Aussies, if ASCA registered, may compete in all ASCA programs, though because of their size may not be able to compete successfully in conformation shows. Non-ASCA registered miniatures may compete in the ASCA Stockdog Program in the "other breeds" catagory. There are two organizations which do recognize and promote the miniature Australian Shepherd (also called North American Shepherd). These are relatively new rganizations and have no affiliation whatsoever with ASCA, but should be able to provide you with information. |
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| Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of America (MASCA) |
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| Box #157, 14781 Pomerado Road, Poway, CA 92064, 619-284-0840 |
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| American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) - North American Shepherd |
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| 9921 Frank Tippett Road, Cheltenham, MD 20623 USA, Phone: (301) 868-5718, Fax: (301) 868-6409 |
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| Q. Where can I find information on upcoming ASCA events? |
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| A. Try contacting the Affiliate Club in your area and ask to be placed on their mailing list. You will find a listing of upcoming shows and trials in the Aussie Times. ASCA also offers subscriptions to the ASCA Show and Trial Newsletter. The subscription price is currently $20 or $5 per month, and may be ordered from the ASCA Business Office. |
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| There is also a site on-line which has some show and trial information: |
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| Q. How can I find out the current status of one of my dog's titles or when I will receive my certificate? |
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| A. The ASCA Business Office handles all show and trial information and issues all program certificates. You will need to contact the ASCA Business Office. |
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| Q. Where can I find books and videos on Australian Shepherds? |
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| Q. Where can I find a trainer or more information on specific training areas? |
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| A. Many of the requests received by the Business Office and Education Coordinator's office are for assistance in locating a trainer. Some are for general obedience training, others are requesting specific training such as agility or herding, or for behavior problems. Here are a few suggestions on where to look. |
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| • Locate the ASCA Affiliate Club in your area and contact the representatives. They may know of trainers, or training classes. Club listings are always available in the Aussie Times and on the ASCA web site at: http://www.asca.org/Contacts/AffiliateClubs.pdf |
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| • Check the yellow pages of your phone book. Look for listings under Dog Trainers. Also check the listings for local kennels. Some kennels sponsor training classes. |
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| • Check with your local Parks and Recreation Department. Many times they sponsor obedience classes. |
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| • Call the veterinarians in your area. Some veterinarians keep listings of local breeders and trainers. |
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| • Contact the ASCA Education Coordinator for a list of trainers and training clubs in your state. |
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| • For information on specific ASCA programs, contact the ASCA Business Office or the ASCA committee for that program. Committee chairpersons are listed in the Aussie Times. The ASCA Business Office has copies of the guideline booklets for each area of competition. Single copies are available free of charge. |
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| • Contact national organizations and/or check the internet. You will find the internet to be an incredible resource for information! |
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| Association of Pet Dog Trainers |
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| P.O. Box 385, Davis, CA 95617, 1-800-PET-DOGS |
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| DoggieDirectory.com. Listings for trainers, vets, kennels, etc. - |
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| Agility Associations/Training: |
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| North American Dog Agility Council, Inc. (NADAC) HCR 2, Box 277, St. |
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| United States Dog Agility Association P.O. Box 850955, Richardson, Texas |
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| 75085-0955, TEL: (972) 231-9700, FAX: (214) 503-0161 |
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| Agility Association of Canada (AAC) 638 Wonderland Road South, London, ONT N6K 1L8 |
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| Agility Dog Association of Australia, Ltd (ADAA) 85 Blackwall Road, Chuwar |
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| Agility information sites: |
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| Diagram of a sample agility course - |
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| North American Flyball Association |
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| North American Flyball Association, Inc. |
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| 1400 W. Devon Ave, #512, Chicago, IL 60660 |
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| flyball in other countries) |
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| Alpo Championships Ashley Whippet Enterprises, 800-423-3268 |
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| Northern California Disc Dogs Extreme |
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| Chris & Trish Perondi P.O. Box 77965, Stockton, CA 95267, (209) 943-5016 |
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| International Disc Dog Handlers Association (IDDHA) |
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| 1690 Julius Bridge Road, Ball Ground, GA 30107, (770) 735-6200 |
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| Bill Watters/Director, P.O. Box 4615, Cave Creek, Arizona 85327, 1-888-383-3357, (480) 595-0580 in Arizona |
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| Listings of activities with dogs: |
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| Q. Where can I find more information on certification of my dogs hips and eyes? |
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| A. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) was established in 1966 as a non-profit organization to aid breeders in recognizing hip dysplasia in dogs. Specially positioned hip x-rays taken by a veterinarian are sent to OFA for evaluation. The hips are rated and issued an OFA number if they are normal. PennHip was established in 1993 to aid in the early detection of hip dysplasia in dogs. The PennHip method is used to assess, measure and interpret hip joint laxity. PennHip x-rays must be taken by specially trained veterinarians and are sent to PennHip for evaluation. All breeding stock should be checked and cleared for hip dysplasia. |
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| 2300 E. Nifong Blvd., Columbia, MO 65201-3856. |
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| Telephone Number 573-442-0418, Fax Number 573-875-5073, E-Mail Address ofa@offa.org. |
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| University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine |
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| 3451 Walnut, Philadelphia PA 19104, 215-898-5000 |
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| The Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) aids breeders in the elimination of heritable eye disease in dogs through education and research. It maintains a registry of purebred dogs that ACVO veterinary opthalmologists have examined and found to be unaffected by major heritable eye disease. All breeding stock should be checked and cleared for heritable eye disease. |
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| SCC-A, Purdue University , W. Lafayette, IN 47907, Phone: 317- 494-8179, |
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| Q. How do I find more information on genetic problems that effect the Australian Shepherd? |
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| A. You can contact the ASCA Education Coordinator or the ASCA DNA Committee. The current chairperson of this committee is: Peter Adolphson, 1023 - 93rd Ave. SW, Olympia, WA 98512, E-mail: pkadolph@juno.com |
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| There is a web site for Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics: |
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| You can also subscribe to the Double Helix Network News. The current subscription rate is $15 per year within the U.S. and Canada, $20 elsewhere. To subscribe contact: C.A. Sharp 730 E. Weldon Ave., Fresno, CA 93704-6135 E-mail: helix@qnis.net |
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| Copyright © 2000 - 2005 by the author and AfterHours Australian Shepherds. No reproduction of any kind, of any of the material on this site, is permitted without the written permission of AfterHours Australian Shepherds, or in the case of previously published articles, the indicated author. |
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