What is a Kennel Club Affix?
It is more than just a kennel name
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What is a kennel name?
A Kennel Club affix is your Kennel name, what your Kennel of dogs is known as or by. In my case Redhara is my dog’s kennel name. On my website I will title the website Redhara Setters. Which is my Affix followed by the breed or breeds of dog I breed and own.
Breeding dogs
Any dogs I breed will have my Affix Redhara at the beginning of their Kennel Club name, for example Sh Ch Redhara Bobby Dazzler. Any dogs which I buy in I will add my affix to the end of their Kennel Club name for example, Sh Ch Dyrham Diversity at Redhara.
How to choose an Affix
Choosing an Affix is easy, getting the Affix you apply for from the Kennel Club is the hard part now with so many applying for or already owning an Affix.
Redhara Setters
I’ve had the Affix Redhara for well over 25 years. It’s not that exciting where the name came from but here you go.
Red
Red is for first place at dog shows, I love the colour red and Irish Red Setters was the breed of dogs I owned when I applied for the Affix.
Hara
Hara is part of my first Irish Setter show dogs Kennel Club registered name Wyndlee Scarlet O’Hara who was the foundation bitch to my kennel. I told you it wasn’t that exciting but maybe that makes sense to you. That is how a lot of Kennel Club Affix names are made up. Some have used place names in the past but there are a lot of don’t and can’t when applying for your Affix today.
How to get the KC Affix you want
When you apply for an Affix you have to give more than one choice. I think you can put in up to 6 choices. Most never get their first choice so just be aware that if you spend ages thinking of your Affix. Think of any 6 that you would be happy with. My Affix all those years ago was my second choice the first choice was Redara
How to apply for a KC Affix
To apply for your Affix to the Kennel Club you need an application form for a kennel name. The cost is
- £50 to apply
- £20 maintenance fee
- £70 total
Each year you need to pay a £20 kennel club Affix renewal fee. It is only £18 by direct debit which is best to do so you don’t forget to pay. If you don’t pay the renewal fee you could lose your Affix and have to apply again. There’s no Guarantee you will get it again! There are rules which go with having your own Affix can and can’t do’s. They are on the Kennel Club website.
Joint or separate interest in an Affix
You can be added to a dog breeders or any persons Affix. Read the information carefully on this on the KC website. It’s called a joint interest or a separate interest. Some members of families will use the same Affix which will be passed down through the generations to continue the breeding lines of the dogs and the kennel name.
What is the difference between a joint or separate interest in a KC Affix?
Joint interest in an Affix or kennel name.
A joint interest is where you will be added to a breeders Kennel Affix but you are only joint with them owning the Affix. So if you have dogs in your name you can not use the Affix when registering your own litter solely. You can still have the litter of pups but you won’t have an Affix to put on, unless you have your own Affix. Or register the litter in joint names with the all Affix holders.
Breeding dogs
This happens all the time, it’s an old fashioned way of breeding dogs and making kennels or a kennel name big or bigger than appears. Although very popular in todays dog showing world. A lot of the large kennels have vanished over the years and not everyone has the space for 30 plus dogs at home. You as a sole dog owner do not really have your own Affix if you go in as a joint interest. But you can breed dogs from a well established or well known Kennel name. Which could push up the price of your show puppies too.
More than one KC Affix
There are dog breeders and show handlers out there with 3 or 4 Affixes or more. They have their own Affix, a Joint interest, and others which they have either been left by someone or a separate interest in.
Separate interest in a KC Affix?
A separate interest with an Affix is in joint ownership with the Affix owners again but this time if you own your own bitch or dog. When you have a separate interest in the Affix it means you can have a litter and register the puppies using the joint Affix on your own. But you are still classed as part of that kennel because you’re working off their kennel name. You will never establish yourself as you and could call it piggybacking off a name. But lots of dog breeders over the years have bred dogs this way. The separate interest is the better of the two if you are the one joining someones Affix. Just understand what you are getting yourself into and how it works.
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