Pedigree and ACCC in Colombia: what it is, how to read it and what it does not guarantee

What does it mean when a dog has a pedigree?

It means its ancestry is recorded in a recognized studbook. The breeding regulations of ACCC (Asociación Club Canino Colombiano, Colombia’s FCI member kennel club) define the pedigree, in Article 5, as the official document setting out the details of the dog, its owner and the four generations before it. It is a family record, not a seal of quality.

“Pedigree”, “pedigrí” and “registro” (registration) are used in Colombia for the same thing. The book in which purebred dogs born in the country are recorded is called the Libro de Origen Colombiano (LOC), the Colombian studbook, and the number a dog has in that book is what identifies it to the club, together with its microchip.

Who issues pedigrees in Colombia: what are the FCI and ACCC?

The FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) coordinates national kennel clubs and publishes the breed standards, but it does not issue pedigrees. According to its own presentation, each member issues its own and the FCI guarantees that they are recognized between countries. The member in Colombia is the Asociación Club Canino Colombiano (ACCC), a private body.

A standard is the document that describes what a breed should be like; the one for the Border Collie, for example, is No. 297. Only breeds with a standard can be registered. And because the studbooks recognize one another, an imported dog always keeps the pedigree of the country where it was born: ACCC does not issue it a new one (Articles 6 and 10).

What does ACCC require to register a litter?

It requires both parents to be registered and fit for breeding, the whole litter to be registered and parentage to be confirmed by DNA. The regulations, in force since February 1, 2024, also set ages, rest periods for the female and identification by microchip or tattoo. The essentials are these:

• Purebred, registered parents. The preamble says that breeding with registration may only be done with dogs that are purebred by pedigree, recorded in a studbook recognized by the FCI.
• Age. First mating from 12 months, or from 18 in breeds subject to dysplasia screening; the maximum is 10 full years of age in males and 8 in females (Article 19).
• Rest for the female. She may not be mated on more than two consecutive heats, then she rests for two, and no female may have more than six litters (Article 19).
• Identification. All dogs carry a microchip or tattoo (Article 19).
• DNA. Both parents and one of the puppies, chosen by the technical committee, must have a genetic profile to confirm parentage (Articles 22 and 25).
• The whole litter. All the puppies are registered, between two and eight months of age (Article 22).
• Kennel name (afijo). This is the name of the kennel, which accompanies each dog’s name. A dog may only carry the kennel name of its breeder. The first two litters may be registered under a national kennel name, made up of the breeder’s surname and the abbreviation COL.FCI (Article 9).

In some breeds, hip and elbow X-rays of the parents are added, which we explain in hip and elbow dysplasia in dogs.

How do you read a pedigree?

Like a family tree: the dog and, behind it, the four generations before it — parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents. Before looking at the ancestors, check the basics: that the dog’s details match the dog in front of you and that the owner shown is the person handing it over to you.

• Name and kennel name. The kennel name tells you which kennel the dog came from, and it cannot be changed once registered.
• Registration number and microchip. These are the two pieces of information ACCC uses to identify a dog. The microchip can be read at any veterinary clinic that has a scanner; in dog microchips and registration in Colombia we explain how it works.
• Owner. Until the transfer is registered with ACCC, the dog belongs to whoever appears on the document (Article 10).
• Repeated ancestors. The same name several times in the tree indicates inbreeding. The regulations do not allow matings between father and daughter or between full siblings without prior authorization from the technical committee (Article 20).
• Type of registration. Not all ACCC documents say the same thing:

A limited registration set by the breeder is not a bad sign: it is a possible decision for a puppy that is going to be a companion and not a parent dog.

How do you check that a pedigree is genuine?

By checking it against whoever issues it. The pedigree is an official ACCC document, so verifying it means writing to ACCC with the dog’s registration number and microchip and asking whether they match. The contact details are on its site. We did not find a public search tool for dogs there.

Three situations call for caution:

1. A document with alterations. For ACCC, any alteration invalidates the documents of a transfer (Article 10).
2. A “pedigree” from another body. If it is not issued by ACCC or by a club recognized by the FCI, it is not a pedigree in the sense of this article.
3. The parents’ pedigree presented as if it were the puppy’s. The parents being registered does not register the litter: that is a separate procedure.

The other things worth checking before paying a deposit are in how to tell if a dog breeder is reputable.

What does a pedigree not guarantee?

It does not guarantee health, temperament or that the breeder did things properly. It guarantees ancestry. A dog with a pedigree can inherit a disease if its parents were not assessed, which is why what you should ask for, in addition to the registration, is the health tests of both parents, each with its document.

The regulations do set some health conditions: hip and elbow X-rays in the breeds listed in Article 21 and, as the only genetic disease test they name as mandatory, one for the Rottweiler. They also provide for an annual list of diseases by breed, which we were not able to consult. Everything else depends on each breeder: genetic tests, the eye exam or the heart exam. That is why it makes sense to look, dog by dog, at which tests each of the parents has.

Can a Maltipoo or a Cockapoo have a pedigree?

No. They are crosses of two breeds, and the ACCC regulations only allow breeding with registration between dogs that are purebred by pedigree, so a Maltipoo or a Cockapoo cannot be registered. Their parents can be registered if they are purebred. The details are in the guide are the Maltipoo and the Cockapoo breeds?.