A TIMELINE OF EVENTS INVOLVING THE PIEBALD DACHSHUND, THE DCA BOARD, AND THE BREED STANDARD
This is an actual accounting of the history of the piebald Dachshund controversy based on truth and documentation. Here you will not find interpretation, persuasion, or commentary.
Only facts
1992 The AKC standard of the Dachshund was revised. White was dropped as a base color, but the following key sentence was added to the beginning of the color section: "Although base color is immaterial, certain patterns and basic colors predominate." Additionally, "all colors are admissible" remained under the wirehaired description. This was the standard under which the first smooth and wire piebald Dachshunds were shown in the U.S. and finished their championships.
1994 The first piebald Dachshund entered the breed ring
1995 The same dog- a smooth piebald- was Reserve Winners Bitch at the Dachshund Club Of America's (DCA) National Specialty (100th anniversary show). She finished her championship in September .
1998 Smooth piebald – Award of Merit DCA National Specialty
1999 DCA added drawings of the piebald pattern to its "Illustrated Standard of the Dachshund" and piebalds were invited by some members of the DCA Judges' Education Committee to the judges’ seminars, so that potential Dachshund judges would recognize this pattern as acceptable. No serious attempts were made to revise the AKC standard to either include or exclude piebalds
Smooth piebald - Reserve Winners Dog DCA National Specialty
Smooth piebald- Best Opposite Sex Westminster
2002 Smooth piebald – Reserve Winners Dog DCA National Specialty
2003 Ten years after the first piebald Dachshund entered the breed ring a few DCA board members decided to specifically exclude piebalds from the standard. Despite a "yes" recommendation from the DCA Board, this amendment failed to pass.
2004 Smooth piebald – Reserve Winners Dog at a host show for DCA National Specialty in California
2005 Fifteen amendments to the standard were proposed by the DCA board. Among them, a detailed description of the piebald pattern. At the September board meeting, a motion was made for the board to recommend a "no" vote to the description on the ballot. It passed by only one vote.
Smooth piebald - Award of Merit DCA National Specialty
2006 In July, the DCA membership voted to approve all amendments to the standard but one- the vote failed to pass the piebald description :
13) Approve the addition of the piebald description to the breed standard
VOTES CAST - 747
VOTES NEEDED FOR ADOPTION - 498
VOTES IN FAVOR - 316*failed
VOTES AGAINST - 431
Click to see letter:
2006 Also in September, the minutes of the Sept. 2005 DCA board meeting- detailing the close vote for the "no" recommendation regarding the piebald description- was published in the DCA Newsletter (a full year later). It was also two months AFTER the official membership vote.
At the November board meeting the AKC Board, hearing no objection, agreed to distribute the revised AKC Guidelines for Writing Breed Standards. This was done AFTER the revised Dachshund standard was approved by the DCA membership.
One of the revisions:
VIII. Color ......In breeds where multiple colors or color combinations are acceptable, but not all colors are permitted, the complete list of all acceptable colors and color combinations must be included in the standard. In such cases, any color or color combination not mentioned are unacceptable, and judges are to pass judgment on this basis.
2007 In January, the AKC board approved the revised Dachshund standard
The approved standard was effective on March 1, 2007
In May a wire piebald Dachshund finished her Championship.
Click to see letters:
Also in June, a smooth piebald finished her Championship
In August, a smooth piebald finished her Championship.
2008 – In February, a wire piebald finished her Championship
In March, a smooth piebald finished her Championship.
From 1995 to the present, 44 piebald Dachshunds have finished their Championships. So far, FIVE of them after the revised breed standard became effective
