Code of Ethics – Columbia Cascade Great Pyrenees Club

The Columbia Cascade Great Pyrenees Club in keeping with its aims of advancing and protecting the interests of purebred Great Pyrenees has adopted the following Code of Ethics to promote and foster the highest standards among breeders and owners and to encourage sportsmanship and cooperation in the improvement and advancement of our breed. All members of the Columbia Cascade Great Pyrenees Club subscribe to and uphold this Code of Ethics.

MEMBER RELATIONS

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.
Members will at all times, whether at home, traveling, at shows or at motels, display good sportsmanship and conduct themselves in such a manner as to reflect credit upon the Club and the breed.
Members shall refrain from unnecessary and unconstructive criticism of another’s dog and from personal attacks upon a fellow member.
Novices are encouraged to seek the advice and assistance of more experienced owners and breeders and the more experienced shall graciously assist the novice with his problems and share, for the good of the breed, the benefits of his knowledge.
In all questions of ethics, covered or not covered by this Code, the individual member shall act solely in the best interests of the breed, and the membership as a whole shall willingly aid any fellow member in upholding these interests.
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 and that adherence to the spirit of such a Code is as important as adherence to its law.

TREATMENT

All Great Pyrenees 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 may be treated in an inhumane manner, subjected to cruel or unusual punishment or abuse. Nor may it be subjected to any conditions likely to eventuate in unnecessary danger to the dog’s life.
Members shall be diligent in the handling of their dogs in public places and shall do so in a manner to minimize the risk of trauma or danger to any human being or animal.
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.
Treatment and handling of active livestock guardian dogs owned by membersshall be consonant with the best management techniques for such dogs.

BREEDING

Anyone breeding his 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 is in a position to give proper care to both bitch and offspring.
The bitch owner safeguards his bitch from breedings which are not carefully planned.
Recognizing the extended growth pattern of a giant breed, the breeder shall not breed his bitch before her second heat; breed his bitch before two years with the express approval of his veterinarian; breed his bitch more than 2 out of 3 heats.
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 the basic principals of genetics.
All animals to be bred shall have sound, typical structure, conformation and type and shall be of sound temperament and free from crippling or disabling hereditary defects.
A breeder shall refrain from using an individual who, although free from such hereditary defects, consistently produces afflicted offspring from different mates.
Any breeder breeding from lines in which any serious or disabling hereditary defects occur has an ethical obligation to disclose that to his buyers.
Individuals being bred shall have been x-rayed for hip dysplasia. The results of these x-rays shall be made known to the owner of stud and bitch and to all buyers of pups. If the animal is not free of dysplasia, the implications of that fact shall be made clear to all buyers. If an individual is bred on the basis of a screening x-ray at under two years old, it shall be re-xrayed at over 2. Adult x-rays shall be submitted to the OFA or a member of the ABVR for interpretation.

STUD SERVICE

No member shall offer at stud an animal who does not meet the above requirements.
If the stud has not been bred before or has not produced a live litter or has had breeding problems in the past, such information shall be provided to the bitch owner before the bitch is bred.
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.
It shall be the responsibility of the stud owner to ascertain that any bitch brought to his stud shall meet the requirements of the Code, whether owned by a club member or not. He shall further ascertain to the best of his ability that any produce of this breeding shall be raised and sold in a manner in keeping with the ethical standards of this Code. He shall supply any bitch owner who is not a CCGPC member with a copy of this Code and explain its provisions.
The owner of the stud is under no obligation to service a bitch who is not as represented by her owner or presents serious hereditary defects or is not in good health.
The owner of the male shall not accept a bitch for service if he is not in a position to maintain the bitch in a safe and healthy manner.
Bitches shall be bred only to the stud specified by her owner unless an acceptable substitute is agreed upon by both parties.
Insofar as is possible, at least two (2) services shall be effected, and it is the obligation of the stud owner to offer a free return service under the same conditions if no litter results. A litter is defined for the purposes of this Code as a minimum of 2 live pups at 36 hours.
Owners of stud and bitch shall sign a written agreement, clearly stating the conditions and terms of service.

SALES

A breeder shall be discriminating in the sale of his dogs and concerned with the type of home in which they are placed. No member shall engage in wholesaling litters, or in individual sales or consignments of pups or adults to pet shops, dealers, catalog houses or other commercial establishments. Nor shall they be donated or given as prizes in contests, raffles or fund raising events, no matter how charitable.
A breeder shall be available to his buyers for whatever advice, reasonable aid or assistance they may need for the life of the dog. CCGPC members shall help and support their fellow members in fulfilling this obligation.
Any member selling or placing any Great Pyrenees is expected to assume physical and/or financial responsibility for that animal at any time at which the owner wishes to relinquish it. The same responsibility shall be assumed for any animal sold or placed which comes into the possession of any Rescue network or shelter at any point in the animal’s life.
A breeder for his protection and that of his buyers shall provide written contractual proof of sales and guarantees. No promise shall be made orally which is not put into writing.
The breeder shall supply the AKC individual registration forms or a written guarantee that it shall be supplied by the time the pup is 6 mos. old, or on completion of sale. A dog may, for good cause, be sold without papers if this is understood and agreed to in writing by both parties, as specified by AKC.
Any animal sold under the designation “pet/companion” or “livestock guardian” shall be sold without registration papers and with written mandatory spay/neuter proviso. A breeder may supply registration papers upon proof of sterilization or upon reassessment of the animal as being of “show/breeding” quality.
It is the ethical obligation of a member breeder to guarantee dogs produced and sold by him to be as represented. Any replacement or refund arrangement agreed to by breeder and buyer and just to the interests of both parties shall be considered satisfactory. It is understood however, that any dog which dies or must be destroyed before the age of 18 mos. due to physical or temperamental conditions which are hereditary, shall be replaced one for one, or if that is not possible, the full purchase price shall be refunded.
Upon releasing the dog, the breeder shall follow these guidelines.
A. He shall supply a copy of the Code of Ethics and explain its provisions.
B. He shall supply a pedigree of no less than 4 generations.
C. He shall provide written information of the care of the animal.
D. He shall provide records which detail all dates and types of medical care given the animal including shots       and wormings.
E. He shall release only animals which are, to the best of his knowledge, in good health.
F. Animals being released shall have had all the necessary inoculations and wormings for their age.
G. All pups leaving the breeder shall be at least 8 weeks old. Those to be shipped shall be at least 9 weeks old.
H. He shall request that buyers take the animal to a veterinarian of their choice upon receipt and if the animal       is unhealthy, allow buyers 72 hours to return the animal at their expense for a full refund.
I.  If the animal has not been seen by the buyer or his agent before shipping, the breeder shall allow the buyer       48 hours to return the animal at the buyers expense if he is not satisfied that the animal is as represented. A       full refund shall be made.

LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOGS

All provisions of this Code apply to livestock guardian dogs, except as specified.
Members recognize the inherent dangers and opportunities presented to the breed by its guarding function and will not engage in the breeding or selling of livestock guardian dogs unless they are willing to undertake the education and responsibility involved with such animals.
In order to protect both type and function in the breed, breeders shall not separate show and guardian stock.
It is the obligation of the breeder to determine the specific needs of the buyers and to be available to them for information and advice.
All livestock guardian dogs shall be sold only on written spay/neuter contracts without papers. It is recommended that pairs of pups not be sold to the same party and under no circumstances shall a breeder sell litter mates of the opposite sex to one buyer.