THE GREAT SAMOYED HERD DOG MYTH By Jim Osborn

CLICK on the image above to get to the document.

A decade or so ago, the AKC split the herding dogs out of the Working Group to form their own group. At that time there was considerable hoopla from some Samoyed fanciers who agitated to have the Samoyed included in the new Herding Group. The AKC declined, including in the new group, only those breeds having been specifically bred for the purpose of herding. I personally heaved a sigh of relief, believing that the future of the breed was secure with the AKC, even if we couldn't completely trust the fancy. I was wrong. The herding flap died down for a while but did not die out, and recently built up again to the point of the Samoyed Club of America (SCA) Board of Governors having petitioned the AKC to allow Sammies to compete in sanctioned herding events. In the April 1992 AKC Gazette, the AKC published their approval for this back-door admission of the Samoyed into herding. This seems to have happened without any invitation to, or opportunity for, any real public dialog on the issue. I personally feel this to be an ill-considered action by all parties. Even though I am dealing with a fait accompli, I am none-the-less taking this opportunity to open the overdue public discussion on the subject.