ABCA Registration Requirements

The American Border Collie Association is dedicated to recording accurate pedigree information for owners and breeders of working Border Collies. These guidelines were developed to help insure the quality and accuracy of pedigrees in the registry.

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Dogs meet ABCA registration requirements if they fall into one of the following four categories:

1. Are offspring of parents registered with the ABCA.
2. Are registered with or are offspring of dogs registered with the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS). This includes dogs with ISDS Register on Merit (ROM) numbers. Sufficient proof must accompany all imported dogs' applications showing the dog to be free of PRA and CEA.
3. Are registered with the Canadian Border Collie Registry (CBCA), the American International Border Collie registry (AIBC), North American Sheep Dog Society (NASDS),  or the Australian Working Border Collie Registry (AWBC) provided they meet these criteria:
• There is a complete 3-generation pedigree
• All ancestors in the pedigree must have an ABCA, ISDS, CBCA, AIBC, NASDS, or AWBC registration number. Dogs registered with AIBC or NASDS through their respective ROM programs are not necessarily eligible for ABCA registration.
4. Have completed the ABCA s ROM program.

Note: The ABCA does not recognize any registry that promotes conformation showing of Border Collies. Consequently, registration with the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, the Kennel Club (UK), Federacion Cynologieque Internationale, Australian or New Zealand Kennel Clubs, or any such body will not be accepted as a basis for registration with the ABCA.

Dogs not clearly eligible are handled on a case-by-case basis. These include dogs which:

1. Are registered with ROM numbers in the CBCA, AIBC, or NASDS
    
2. Have incomplete pedigrees from CBCA, AIBC, NASDS, or AWBC
    
3. Have specific situations where the Secretary of the ABCA feels the Officers and Directors should review the applications. Individual cases will be strengthened if the dogs in question can be traced back to ancestors in the ISDS stud book.

Dogs ineligible for ABCA registration:

1. The ABCA is a working stockdog registry and believes that breeding for conformation standards rather than working ability is detrimental to the health and working ability of the Border Collie. Consequently dogs or bitches which have been named a "Conformation Champion" by a conformation registry are not eligible for ABCA registration, even if they otherwise meet the requirements of for registration. The ABCA will de-register any ABCA registered dog or bitch should it be named a "Conformation Champion" after January 1, 2004, and will not register the offspring of any dog or bitch named a "Conformation Champion" after that date.
    
2. Dogs and pups which are themselves or are offspring of any dog having PRA or CEA.

Appeal Process or Register on Merit (ROM) Program

The rejection of a dog s application may be appealed to the Board of Directors of the ABCA, or the dog may enter the registry through the register on merit program (ROM) program

Returned Applications

Sometimes registrations or transfers cannot be processed because they are illegible, incomplete or inaccurate. Here are the most common reasons registration or transfer applications are returned:

Things Omitted from the Application:

• dog s birth date
• dam or sire s name
• registration numbers of dam or sire
• signature of one owner of a co-owned dog. (To avoid this problem, register a dog with John or Jane Doe as the owners instead of John and Jane Doe.)
• payment for registration, or the amount is incorrect
• copy of certificate of registration for dogs registered with CBCA, ISDS, AIBC or NASDS
• signature of breeder or signature of the sire's owner

Incorrect Information Given on Application:

• wrong registration number for sire and/or dam
• puppies names contain more than 14 characters

Transfer Applications Returned Because:

• payment is omitted
• signature is omitted
• there is only one signature of a dog co-owned by John and Jane Doe
• original registration certificate is omitted

The American Border Collie Association accepts payment by VISA credit card. You may request an authorization form from the office, or you may send a signed statement authorizing the ABCA to charge membership and processing fees to your VISA account. Give the name on the account, the address listed with the name, the account number and expiration date. Be sure to sign the request.

If you are paying by VISA a processing fee applies, increasing the total fee for each service to the following: Annual Memberships - $10.50; Life Memberships - $102; Registrations and Transfers - $8.25; Duplicates - $2.25; OFA Notations - $4.25.