Sent to the SHCA Membership June 23, 2026

Impure Breeding Practices

In the course of the year and a half since the “Comparative Population Genomics of Arctic Sled Dogs...” study (Smith, et al.) describing evidence of impure breeding in some racing Siberian lines was published, the SHCA Board has taken a comprehensive look at the findings and their potential ramifications within the breed. This includes revisiting the presentation previously provided to the Board by two of the study’s authors, asking for input from the club's Health & Genetics committee, and consulting with both the club's lawyer and the American Kennel Club.

In light of what we have learned during that time, the Board would like to report to the membership what the SHCA can and cannot do to address the impure breeding history that characterizes some racing-line Siberian pedigrees.

  • The SHCA is a member club of the AKC. The AKC is our governing body, not the reverse. As a member club, we have agreed to follow the rules and regulations established by the AKC.

  • The AKC considers a 3-generation pedigree sufficient to designate a dog as purebred. The AKC does not accept a commercial DNA breed test (e.g., Embark, Wisdom) as a valid reason to remove or withhold registration.

  • The AKC legal department will only approve removal of registrations or withhold litter registration on dogs genomically proven to have inaccurate pedigrees through AKC direct-parentage DNA analysis exclusion.

  • The AKC does not allow a breed parent club to retain individual stipulations for registration that differ from any other breed parent clubs. In other words, the SHCA cannot prescribe rules for registering Siberian Huskies to the AKC.

  • Neither the AKC nor the SHCA are Race Giving Organizations (RGOs); therefore, they cannot dictate rules for entering the purebred classes at a race. For example, they cannot tell an RGO that they must require every dog entered in a purebred class to have a valid DNA breed test. Any changes to an RGO’s class requirements need to come from the membership of those organizations.

  • We strongly reiterate that The Siberian Husky Club of America condemns all crossbreeding of the Siberian Husky. All breeders should strive to breed to the AKC standard.

Based on all of these factors, the SHCA Board has determined that—going forward—the club will recommend that individuals obtain an AKC DNA parentage test/profile on all dogs that they wish to breed or import in order to maintain an accurate pedigree.

The AKC will notify all member parent clubs in the future if there are any changes to the registration process.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Barnhill, SHCA President