The American Spaniel Club, Inc.
Code of Ethics

Sections I and II

I. CANON OF ETHICS

• A. Members of the American Spaniel Club have an obligation to protect the interests of their breeds by conducting themselves in a manner designed to reflect credit on themselves, their breeds, and on the American Spaniel Club.
  
  
• B. Members are expected to observe the highest standards of sportsmanship; conduct themselves in such a manner as to reflect positively on the sport of showing dogs; and exhibit good will at all breed shows, obedience and field trials.
  
  
• C. Members who contemplate breeding a litter, or who allow the use of their stud dog to the same end. shall direct their efforts toward producing dogs of exceptional quality, temperament and condition. Members are not to use their stud dogs on pet quality bitches, totally lacking in breed type.
  
  
• D. Members shall not engage in false or misleading advertising or misrepresentation of their breeds, nor shall they malign their competition by making false or misleading statements regarding their competitors' dogs, breeding practice or person.
  
  
  
  

II. RESPONSIBILITIES AS A BREEDER

• A. Be familiar with their breeds and standards, and breed only those specimens which conform to it.
  
  
• B. Be familiar with A.K.C. rules concerning record keeping, registration, sale and transfer of dogs, and abide by these rules.
  
  
• C. Use for breeding only those dogs which are healthy and free from serious congenital and hereditary defects characteristic of their breed or breeds.
  
  
• D. Produce puppies only when they have the time and facilities to provide adequate attention to physical and emotional development; retain or house only the number of dogs for which they have adequate facilities.
  
  
• E. Refrain from further use of a bitch or stud that has become affected with or has produced any serious inherited defects detrimental to the animal's well-being, such as blindness, deafness, lameness, or impairment of the vital functions, and who consistently produces like results with different mating partners.
  
  
• F. Maintain the best possible standards of health for their animals and care of their kennels.
  
  
• G. Breeders shall not breed bitches every season. (It is recommended a bitch not be bred more than four times during a lifetime).
  
  
• H. Refrain from selling puppies to pet shops either outright or on consignment; refrain from supplying puppies for auctions, raffles, or other such enterprises; refrain from selling to persons whose intention to resell is known or suspected; refrain from breeding litters primarily for the pet market.
  
  
• I. Limit the number of litters they breed, or co-breed, to average no more than four litters a year. (This due to the extreme number of litters being produced and the large number of dogs ending up in animal shelters).
  
  
• J. Refrain from selling puppies in litter lots and shall sell only quality dogs to foreign countries (not their cast-offs that they don't want to be seen in the U.S.A.)