American Canine Association

The American Canine Association (ACA), established in 1984, strives to improve the canine industry by offering pet owners services such as the canine health-tracking registry. The organization, led by its veterinary, legal and advisory boards, provides support and encouragement to pet owners to help them raise pets that are both mentally and physically healthy. The ACA's canine registry accepts and recognizes many other registries and pedigree certificates.

  1. Dog Registration

    • When owners register a purebred canine with the ACA, the owner must also register the dog's parenthood. If not, or in the case that the canine has a foreign lineage registration, the dog's owner has to submit a three-generation pedigree as well as the litter or canine certificate from its current registry. ACA registration does not guarantee the health of an animal. The owner must have a certified veterinarian verify the animal's health and must submit the verification certificate, signed by the vet, along with the registration record. This helps breeders and owners maintain healthy canine colonies.

    Dog Shows and Events

    • The ACA supports organizations and professional clubs that present official dog shows and seminars. These organizations include professional breeders from all over the United States such as the Pennsylvania Professional Dog Breeders Association and the Missouri Pet Breeders Association. The seminars educate dog breeders about the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations concerning animal health and care. The ACA also supports national events and championships for the Canadian Ring Sport Association and the American Ringsport Federation.

    Canine Health

    • The ACA encourages all dog breeders to have a licensed veterinarian certify that their animals are free of congenital defects. Doing so not only improves an individual dog's health, but also the dog-breeding industry. The ACA had an advisory board of nationally recognized veterinarians to implement health-tracking policies, identify procedures necessary to address health problems and advise the ACA on issues affecting canine health and behavior.

    Online Services

    • The ACA offers online services for dog breeders and owners. "Ask-A-Vet" allows owners of ACA-registered canines 24-hour access to veterinarian advice and down-loadable health certification forms. "Ask-A-Trainer" provides free 24-hour access to answers to common questions about canine behavior as well as a link to submit questions. The site also offers online registration.