CODE OF ETHICS
MINIATURE AMERICAN SHEPHERDS OF CANADA
"MASCAN"

PRIOR TO MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL, ALL INDIVIDUALS MUST READ, AGREE TO ABIDE BY, AND SIGN THE

MASCAN CODE OF ETHICS

1. Records

a) Any MASCAN Member who breeds his/her bitch or uses his/her stud for services must keep accurate records of the following: stud services, leases, pedigrees, all litters produced, sale of all dogs/puppies, and all exchanges involving Miniature American Shepherds for a minimum of 7 years.

b) Any MASCAN Member who falsifies a registration or knowingly misrepresents a pedigree must be reported to the MASCAN Board of Directors.

2. Breeding

a)Every breeding should be planned with the paramount intention of bettering the Miniature American Shepherd breed.

b)When choosing a stud or bitch for breeding, Members must scrutinize the dogs pedigree, conformation, temperament, intelligence and working potential, keeping in mind the basic principles of genetics and the requirements of the AKC Breed Standard.

c)Members should know the status of both dog and bitch for: Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Hereditary Cataracts (HSF4) and Multidrug Resistance Gene (MDR1) before being used for breeding.

d) It is recommended that all breeding stock have yearly eye exams performed by a Licensed Ophthalmologist and be documented clear from hereditary eye defects (with breeder option) before being used for breeding.

e) All breeding stock must be documented clear from Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia (optional) and Patella Dysplasia (optional) before being used for breeding. OFA ratings Fair, Good and Excellent are to be accepted for Hip Dysplasia and only OFA normal ratings for Elbows and Patellas are to be accepted for breeding. PennHip is also an accepted method for screening Hip Dysplasia. Only dogs that grade above the breed average (50th percentile), are acceptable for breeding.

f) Members should not breed a dog or bitch that is affected with monorchidism, cryptochidism, deafness, albinism and any other disqualifying defect. Members should further refrain from breeding a dog or bitch who, although free from defects, consistently produces afflicted offspring.

g) No Member shall intentionally breed a merle coated Miniature American Shepherd to a merle coated Miniature American Shepherd (merle x merle breeding).

h) No dog or bitch should be bred under the age of 12 months. A breeder should choose both a sire and dam that have reached such maturity that they can produce and raise a healthy litter.

i) All offspring produced should be registered with the Miniature American Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA), the American Kennel Club (AKC), and/or the United Kennel Club (UKC).

j) Members should only breed their Miniature American Shepherd to another registered Miniature American Shepherd or to a registered Miniature Australian Shepherd with the intent to register all offspring as Miniature American Shepherds.

3. Ownership

a) Members must maintain high standards of health care (including parasite prevention and regular veterinarian care,) cleanliness and provide adequate shelter for their Miniature American Shepherd(s).

b) Members shall make every effort to learn about the structure, anatomy, behaviour, temperament and other inheritable traits of the Miniature American Shepherd.

c) Members are individually responsible for their own compliance with their local laws and by-laws.

4. Advertising

a) Members agree that all advertising of their Miniature American Shepherds shall be factual and honest in both substance and implication.

b) Members agree to fully disclose; coat and eye colour, size (height and weight), health testing (with as much supporting documentation), attributes (training, titles, etc.) and any fault or disqualifying traits (according to the AKC Breed Standard) of any Miniature American Shepherd they have placed for sale or adoption.

5. Sales

a) All Miniature American Shepherds shall be sold in good condition and health at the time of release. When a Miniature American Shepherd has a health related illness or defect, it must be fully disclosed in writing to the Buyer prior to the agreement of sale.

b) Members must be discriminatory in the sale of his/her Miniature American Shepherds. Members must thoroughly screen all prospective buyers and be concerned with the type of homes in which they are placed.

c) Members will not sell, consign or donate their Miniature American Shepherds to any commercial dog wholesalers, retailers (pet stores), laboratories or raffles.

d) All Miniature American Shepherds must be either permanently micro chipped or tattooed prior to being released.

e) Members must provide adequate written contractual proof of sale at the time of release.

f) Members must provide a minimum of a 1 year written guarantee against all congenital and hereditary defects on all puppies sold. With the sale of breeding stock, the Member should provide the buyer with a contract to guarantee against any disqualifying faults according to the AKC Breed Standard.

g) Members agree to sell all pet Miniature American Shepherds on a strict Non Breeding Contract with Limited Registration, unless selling to another Ethical Breeder.

h) Members shall transfer all applicable registration papers or applications when the sale is complete, or in a timely manner if the registration certificate is not yet available.

i) All Miniature American Shepherds shall be sold with a minimum 3 generation pedigree containing as much information as possible (full names, registration numbers, date of birth, coat and eye colour, and indication of NBT occurrence.) Members shall also include with the sale; diet and general care/training information, health record, and parent’s health clearances.

j) Members agree that no puppy will leave it's litter before the age of 7 weeks minimum (8 weeks old if required by law). It is highly recommended for the health and well-being of the puppy that they stay with their litter mates until at least 8 weeks of age.

l) All Members must be willing to take back and find an alternate home for any Miniature American Shepherd that they released, in the event that the Buyer is no longer able to provide proper care for said dog.

6. Member Relations

a) Members are expected to express good sportsmanship in all activities involving the Miniature American Shepherd.

b) Members must refrain from unnecessary criticism of another Club Member, another's Miniature American Shepherd or another's Kennel.

c) As a matter of ethics, all Members pledge to help educate and promote the Miniature American Shepherd to the general public and graciously assist the novice breeder with correct and pertinent information regarding the breed.

7. Implementation

a) Any infraction of the Code Of Ethics should be reported, in writing, to the MASCAN Board of Directors. Only when a Member continues to deviate from the rules set forth in the Code of Ethics and is not cooperative in rectifying an error, will the situation be presented to the MASCAN Board of Directors for disciplinary actions.

This Code Of Ethics is to be reviewed again prior to full CKC recognition.