KC to stop registering puppies from two merle parents
From 1st January 2013, the Kennel Club will no longer accept the registration of any puppies for any breed that have two merle (dappled) coloured parents.
The decision was made following a recommendation from the Dog Health Group, as the dominant merle mutation is known to be associated with health risks.
Now, the Kennel Club will not register any litter where both parents are merle for Shetland Sheepdogs, all varieties of Dachsunds and Beaucerons. Neither will the Kennel Club register any merle coloured dogs from breeds where the merle patterning is proven not to occur naturally, such as the Chihuahua.
The merle mutation is known to increase the risk of impaired hearing and sight, especially in dogs that carry two copies of the merle allele.
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