ANNOUNCEMENT

Miniature American Shepherd Approved

&

MASCUSA Approved as Parent Club

It is with great pleasure that we inform our respective memberships that the AKC Board of Directors, at its May meeting, approved the creation of the Miniature American Shepherd and designated the Miniature American Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA) to be the parent club for this breed.  The official notification is reproduced below in its entirety.

This announcement is the culmination of years of hard work by AKC staff, in particular Mari-Beth O'Neill, the Boards of USASA and NAMASCUSA, and special committees appointed to assist in the effort.  No less important to the process were the USASA and NAMASCUSA members who paid such close attention to developments along the way and who ultimately voted overwhelmingly to approve this outcome.

Respectfully Submitted,

 May 11, 2011

Sharon Fontanini, President of USASA
Karen Keller, President of MASCUSA
Stevens Parr, Vice President of USASA

Dear Ms. Fontanini, Ms. Keller, and Mr. Parr:

The AKC Board of Directors has approved the request submitted by the United States Australian Shepherd Association to open the stud book of the AKC Australian Shepherd to voluntarily re-home dogs to create a new breed to be known as the Miniature American Shepherd. 

The AKC Board additionally approved the designation of the club formerly known as the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the United States of America (NAMASCUSA), to be the Parent Club for the Miniature American Shepherd.  The name of the designated club will be changed to the Miniature American Shepherd Club of the United States of America, (MASCUSA).  Dogs currently registered with the Parent Club and other registries as specifiedby the Parent Club will also be eligible for enrollment in the AKC Foundation Stock Service®.

Staff would like to thank everyone who has worked towards this positive conclusion.   Staff will be working with both organizations to develop a system to report the dogs that are voluntarily re-homed to establish the new breed in the AKC Foundation Stock Service®. 

Sincerely,

Mari-Beth O'Neill
AVP Customer Service