It is impossible to live without documents in the twenty-first century, and not only for people, but also for dogs. For mongrel “bobbies” who do not claim a pennant or title, ordinary certificates and a veterinary passport are enough. Others are required to confirm their family tree. That is why the question of how to get documents for a dog arises sooner or later for everyone who has decided to have a four-legged friend.
Dog with documents
Puppy metric
Following the example of human children, a puppy must have a special metric, which, when it reaches a certain age, will be replaced with a full-fledged, “adult” document with official genealogies. The card also indicates all the features of a particular representative of the breed. If fundamental deficiencies are identified, it is necessary to make a note that the individual does not represent breeding value.
The card contains basic information about the puppy:
- breed;
- nickname;
- date of birth;
- floor;
- suit;
- stamp number;
- information about father and mother;
- address and passport information of the puppy's owner.
This is what a brand on a dog looks like
Attention: in addition to the data, it is important to study stamps and signatures. The card must have a stamp and the full name of the institution where it was received, as well as the data (signature with transcript) of the official.
Puppy metrics
The top and bottom of a document serve different purposes. What is above the cut line is then transferred to the Russian Cynological Federation. The bottom form remains with the owner. It is important not to lose a copy, because if the official pedigree is lost, it will only be possible to restore it using it. You will also need it when registering for the exhibition. But only until the dog turns one year and three months old - from that moment on, the “puppy” is invalid. Until this moment, it must be exchanged for a full-fledged pedigree. No one bothers you to do it later if you failed to attend to the issue in time, but being late is fraught with a fine.
Certificate of origin of the dog
Filling rules
Like any other identification document, the metric must be filled out correctly. All words are written in full, in legible printed letters. It should be remembered that as an RKF employee understands this or that word, he will then write it in the pedigree.
Actually, very little is required from the owner:
- provide your passport information and address;
- remember the index of your place of residence.
The latter must fit in; without the index, they won’t take the “puppy.”
Is it possible to make documents without a puppy card?
Metrica is a guarantee of a smooth receipt of an adult document in the future. Without a card, you will only be able to obtain a registered pedigree. It confirms the fact of belonging to the breed, but you can forget about exhibitions and prizes.
Registered pedigree
Preparing documents for a pet
Official family trees for four-legged friends are issued by the Russian Cynological Federation (RKF) and the Union of Cynological Organizations of Russia (SCOR). Other institutions also sometimes issue, as they claim, pedigrees and even official ones. Official - in the sense that they act officially, on behalf of their legal entity. But such a document will have no force. Essentially it's a souvenir.
The documents issued by RKF and SKOR are different and have different validity. This does not mean that one establishment is bad, another is good. The owner must clearly know his goals, what he expects to get from his “bobby” and how to bring him “into the world.” So, if your plans include competitions and prizes not only within the Russian Federation, but also abroad, and the opportunity to have offspring through any club, then you should definitely go to the RKF. It is their wards that are most valued.
Dog with documents
But “bobbies” with SKOR papers will be able to participate in events and reproduce only through this organization.
Attention: owners of the SKOR pedigree can also be recognized in the RKF. The dog must undergo testing in the form of three exhibitions and an assessment by three experts. If they do not notice any flaws, the owner will be given a registered RKF pedigree. With it you can participate in events, compete and even receive prizes - any, except for the Champion title.
Table. Types of pedigrees and their participation in events.
| Types of Pedigrees | Participation in Russian events | Abroad | Obtaining titles | Breeding |
| RKF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SKOR | Yes | No | Yes, within the framework of SCOR, except for the Champion | Yes, within the framework of SCOR. |
Beware: fakes!
It is best to obtain evidence of the origin of the “bobby” directly from a representative. It is clear that in poultry markets or private individuals there is a high chance of getting defective offspring, even if they all claim to be purebred. It is also necessary to take into account that in Russia absolutely everything is forged, even people’s passports, let alone veterinary and canine papers. The original document contains all the necessary signatures and seals, is equipped with watermarks, a coat of arms and a hologram. Crude fakes are immediately visible; they have neither watermarks nor holograms. Such sellers rely either on complete laymen or careless owners who will not check anything. But sometimes there are more expensive fakes that even an expert cannot immediately distinguish from real ones.
Titled purebred dog
That is why, if the purity of your pet is not an empty phrase for you, never get involved with private individuals. And it doesn’t hurt to check the metric. It is imperative that the document bears the seal of the institution and the signature of the director.
Why do you need a pedigree and what does it look like?
Example of an RKF document
This information about the dog serves to confirm the dog’s thoroughbred. This is a certificate of origin, which states:
- Date of Birth;
- floor;
- breed;
- color;
- nickname;
- information about the owner;
- information about the breeder;
- Parents' data (nicknames, diplomas, grades) up to the 4th generation.
It is absolutely necessary in cases where it is planned:
- participation in the exhibition from the age of 15 months (until this time the puppy can perform according to the metric);
- performance in competitions or trials;
- dog breeding (mating).
Without a pedigree, participation in these events is impossible.
Where to submit documents?
Representatives of kennel clubs submit documents and paid receipts for obtaining official pedigrees to the RKF Central Office in Moscow. Previously, dog breeders did not have to resort to their mediation. In 2021, it will not be possible to correct the genealogy without representatives of cynological organizations.
Registration of pedigree
The process of obtaining an official pedigree for a pet consists of the following steps:
- go to the administration of the kennel where the puppy was purchased or to the city kennel club;
- find out if they are engaged in registration of pedigrees;
- agree on a time frame (this will take approximately three months);
- leave a puppy card;
- appear at the appointed time for the finished pedigree.
Actually, the adult document looks like an extended version of the “puppy” and contains references to:
- breed;
- name;
- date of birth;
- suits;
- gender;
- owner and breeder;
- stamp number.
To this is added a family tree with clan numbers and titles. On the back there is a protective holographic image in the form of a greyhound's head.
RKF emblem
Puppy card
The conclusion of a purchase and sale agreement obliges the breeder to issue a puppy card (in two copies).
Photo 2. The puppy card reflects the most important information about the puppy
One copy of the card remains in the hands of the buyer as another documentary confirmation of ownership of the puppy.
Another copy of the puppy card after the puppy reaches 6 months of age can be transferred to the cynological organization for subsequent exchange for a pedigree, provided that the dog meets the breed standard.
The puppy card reflects the following information: the puppy's name, breed name, date of birth, brand number, names of the puppy's parents and their pedigree numbers, color, personal data of the dog owner (full last name, first name, patronymic, residential address).
The entries in the puppy card are certified by the seal of the cynological organization (or amateur club) that issued it.
How to read a dog's pedigree
The purity of the breed is judged by three generations - they will be reflected according to FCI standards. Fathers are placed above the records about mothers, grandfathers - above grandmothers. Information about the owner is entered on the left side of the sheet. It is necessary to carefully check whether all registration numbers are present. Even if there is all the data up to the great-great-grandfather, but one of the members of the dog family does not have a number, the purebred is in question.
Pedigree SKOR looks like this
What is zero or registered pedigree?
Even the owners of purebred dogs do not always have the opportunity to say exactly who their parents were and how valuable they were in breeding terms. In such cases, a document is drawn up that, apart from the fact that a particular dog belongs to a certain breed, does not guarantee anything. This is the zero pedigree. The dog for which the document is issued is its own ancestor.
Zero Pedigree Sample
Whether this is good or bad depends on the plans and ambitions of the owner. Of course, he points out that what the evaluator is looking at is not an ordinary yard “bug”, but a purebred animal. You can get to Russian exhibition events with such paper, but not to international and foreign ones. But if you approach breeding with all responsibility, then the sons and daughters of the “Bobby” have every chance to realize the high ambitions of the owner and receive high titles, as well as a full-fledged pedigree, listed all over the world.
Video - Documents for dogs
Why do ordinary dog breeders need genealogy?
A pedigree is required, strictly speaking, only to satisfy the ambitions of the owner and his business if, for example, he has organized a nursery and is breeding dogs. He needs a dog not only to give her unconditional love and receive reciprocal tenderness and affection, but also material benefit, a sense of significance.
For ordinary loving owners who have no idea what kind of tribe their favorite is, pedigree is not so important, because love for our smaller brothers is either there or not, and no papers with serious abbreviations and coats of arms will affect this. It is enough to visit the veterinarian regularly and have a basic set of documents. But for owners of purebred individuals, if there are plans for breeding, even if not for business purposes, it is better to take care of obtaining a pedigree.
Happy mongrel dog
Documents for the mongrel
In the modern world, any dog needs documents, and therefore a responsible owner, if he really loves and takes care of his pet, and is not just pretending, will definitely take care of this issue. Outbred “bobbies” do not need a pedigree, but a veterinary passport will always be needed.
Veterinary passport cover
This is a document where the following is written:
- animal name;
- owner data;
- approximate or exact age of the animal;
- information about the breed (usually put a dash if it is a mongrel or there are simply no documents for the person being examined);
- owner contact information;
- information about vaccinations received.
Thanks to stickers with dates and names of medications, you can accurately track the frequency and not once again wonder when exactly you took your pet for an injection and whether the next vaccination is due.
The passport has twenty-six pages, is produced only in a printing house, and is issued exclusively in veterinary clinics.
Filled out by a veterinarian
What papers are needed for the exhibition?
Export genealogy is needed if an international event is planned. For the Russian Federation, it is enough to have a SKOR pedigree or even a registered one.
When registering an export pedigree, you must provide a copy of the Russian certificate to the RKF and a paid receipt for the service.
Reasons for missing documents
The absence of papers is a reason not to deal with the owner, even if you are closely acquainted with him. There must be at least a passport confirming that the four-legged friend is vaccinated and does not pose a danger to others. If only “whiskers, paws and tail” act as documents, there can be no talk of cooperation. No one can guarantee that such a dog is healthy. In addition, the purity of generations is at risk.
So it is better to cooperate not with sellers at poultry markets, but with representatives of kennel clubs or federations.
Beware, fake
How to check the pedigree or litter of puppies in RKF?
On the RKF website on the same page it is written:
In order to obtain information about the fact of registration of a litter in the RKF, whether the dog has a pedigree or the possibility of obtaining one, enter the code and brand number and click the “Search” button. All the necessary information will be displayed below. We ask you to use this form before submitting an application for the production of documents.
This means that when purchasing a puppy, you can check the authenticity of the documents of the puppy’s parents and whether the litter is registered with the RKF.
But there is one caveat. Litters are registered only after activation. The documents are sent by courier to Moscow to the RKF and registered there. Only after this the puppy’s brand will be displayed in the database. Registration usually takes a couple of months. Therefore, if you buy a puppy at 1.5-2 months, then you will not be able to find its brand in the database. But you can definitely check your parents.
Documents required for travel
For different situations, the dog's owner will need a different number of papers.
So for traveling within the Russian Federation it is enough:
- veterinary passports;
- a document confirming that the dog belongs to a specific owner;
- veterinary certificate for participation in exhibitions, if any are planned.
This is what the certificate looks like
The veterinary passport confirms that the dog is healthy and vaccinated against:
- rabies,
- hepatitis A,
- viral enteritis,
- plague,
- adenovirus,
- leptospirosis.
Attention! All vaccinations must be current!
For visits to a Customs Union country, this set also requires a Customs Union certificate. If you are traveling to another country, you also need a veterinary certificate, a certificate of the presence of rabies antibodies and a customs declaration. You can read more about how to transport a dog around Russia in our article.
Please note: this is a basic set. Additionally, other papers may be required. To avoid getting into an unpleasant situation, you need to carefully study the requirements for entry and import of pets into the country where you are going. You can find out this at the state embassy or the web page of the Russian Embassy in the country.
Rules for transporting a dog on an airplane
Why does a dog need a pedigree?
In dog breeding communities and forums, there are diametrically opposed opinions about the need for a pedigree for a dog. Many people believe that it is not needed at all and the main thing is to love your pet regardless of who its parents were, and a document confirming purebredness is a manifestation of the owner’s ambition. But this is far from true. A pedigree is a very important document that confirms that a dog belongs to a specific breed and allows you to fully trace its origin. She must be registered in the All-Russian Unified Pedigree Book of the RKF (VERK).
Belonging to a breed means meeting established international standards.
Each purebred dog has certain traits (appearance and character), by which we can immediately tell - this is a shepherd, this is a Jack Russell, and this is a toy terrier. The best way to develop and consolidate these qualities in the next generations of dogs is through responsible breeding under the constant supervision of kennel clubs and the RKF.
The list of ancestors of a purebred dog in the pedigree is important information. Based on the achievements, research and level of training of the dog’s great-grandparents, grandparents and parents (at least 4 generations ago), it is possible to predict what he will become in the future - how balanced his behavior will be, whether he will inherit a tendency to diseases, what working qualities he will have.
Is it necessary to obtain a pedigree?
Obtaining a pedigree is voluntary. When purchasing a puppy from a kennel, the owner may not require this document for him, especially if he does not plan to participate in exhibitions or become a breeder. But it is very important to immediately obtain a birth certificate for the puppy. This will give a 100% guarantee that the baby’s parents are purebred.
The parents of a puppy without a pedigree are a genetic mystery. Their owners are not required to test their pets for serious diseases. Their psyche is also uncontrollable. Consequently, it is difficult to predict what a dog will become as it grows up and, even more so, what its offspring will be like.
If you buy a puppy without a metric, you are making a questionable decision. In the future, problems may arise for the pet and the owner due to illness or unwanted behavior that will prevent the dog from establishing proper relationships with others.
