HTCA DNA Rules & Regulations

HTCA DNA Index

 

HTCA DNA Process:

1. Phase 1, Voluntary ‘Foundation’ DNA Collection

2. Phase 2, Mandatory DNA Collection

 

DNA Testing Rules:

1. General Rules

2. Non-Breeder Dog Requirements

3. HTCA Trial Dogs

4. Storage and Alternative Use of DNA Samples

5. Multiple Sired Litters/Unknown Sired Litters

   • Puppy Identification Form

6. DNA Profile Mismatch Instructions

7. Determination of Deceased Parent

8. Artificial Insemination/Frozen Semen From a Deceased Male

 

Corrective Measures:

1. Phase 1, Corrections

2. Phase 2, Corrections

3. Corrective Rules

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DNA Process

 

 

PHASE 1, VOLUNTARY ‘FOUNDATION’ DNA COLLECTION

 

There will be a voluntary, open enrollment from November 15, 2015 until the association sets a date for the Phase 2 'Mandatory' collection to start. This includes all registered HTC’s (permanent or appendix registered).  All sires and dams that have produced progeny in the past are encouraged to be included and will be blood card collected in this open enrollment. The voluntary Foundation Collection Phase starts November 15, 2015. This step will be done by using one (1) blood card per dog with 2 (two) blood spots per card. One (1) blood spot will be sent to the DNA Laboratory and the other blood spot will be kept at the associations assigned location for safe keeping. All older breeding dogs are important to this step. All registered dogs (appendix or permanent) are invited and encouraged to be part of this historic collection.

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Update 6/15/2019- HTCA members are now allowed to collect the blood sample as of June 15th, 2019. Please be advised that any mistake that renders the DNA kit damaged for any reason (over-saturation, physical damage, dirt, etc...) will be at NO fault to the association and the owner will be charged FULL price for a replacement DNA kit.

 

 

PHASE 2, MANDATORY DNA COLLECTION

 

Once phase 2 begins, phase 1 will be completed. The mandatory parental verification deadline starts (undetermined until further notice). This DNA process will also be done by blood collection. When the mandatory DNA collection process starts it will be mandatory for ALL breeding stock to be DNA profiled before they can receive a litters appendix papers. Any HTC competing in an HTCA sanctioned trial must also be DNA profiled prior to the trial (see HTCA Trial Dogs). To avoid any penalties or late fees the owner will need to have the sire and dam DNA profiled and the litter application submitted before the 90 day mark of the litter whelping date. Litter Registration Rules apply. Owners will have up to the one (1) year anniversary of the litter to complete all necessary DNA profiles and submit the litter application, however, penalties and fee’s will be added.

 

 

DNA TESTING RULES:

 

 

GENERAL RULES

 

HTCA reserves the right to perform or have a DNA test performed on any registered dog or appendix registered dog at any time, even if the HTC has previously been profiled. The cost of the DNA test, including any blood drawn fees, shall be paid by the owner or owners of the dog(s). Owners wanting to DNA any HTC’s previously owned by another HTCA member must transfer the HTC’s registration certificate either before or during the time of DNA collection/processing. Any HTC competing in an HTCA sanctioned trial must also be DNA profiled prior to the trial (see HTCA Trial Dogs).  An HTCA board member or representative must be present during all DNA collection procedures until the Board of Directors deems it unnecessary for a Board of Directors member or representative to be present.

 

 

NON-BREEDER DOG REQUIREMENTS

 

Litters do not have to be DNA profiled until they turn into breeders. Appendix papered and permanent registered HTC’s are not required to be DNA verified unless they become breeders. However, any HTC that is competing in an HTCA sanctioned trial will need to be DNA profiled prior to the trial (registered or appendix papered).

 

 

HTCA TRIAL DOGS

 

All HTC’s competing in an HTCA sanctioned trial must be DNA profiled 75 days prior to trial date to avoid penalties. Any HTC competing in the trial that has not been DNA profiled at least 75 days prior to the trial date may be subject to penalties. HTC’s that do not have a DNA profile completed prior to the trial will still be able to compete, however, any awards or prizes that are won will be held until the DNA results are processed. The HTCA member will still be presented with the winnings at the meeting following the trial but will not take possession of said winnings until the DNA results are processed. If trial rules allow, HTC’s can still be entered the day of the trial and DNA collection can be done there. HTCA reserves the right to DNA check any HTC’s (registered or appendix papered) entering or competing in any HTCA competition trials, prior to, during, or after trials. In the event a mismatch profile is discovered before the HTCA trial the HTC will be temporarily disqualified from trials (without reimbursement unless otherwise decided by the Board of Directors) until further investigation. If the mismatch profile is discovered after the HTCA trial the consequences will be determined by the Board of Directors.

 

 

STORAGE AND ALTERNATIVE USE OF DNA SAMPLES

 

The DNA samples will be stored and in the legal custody of the HTCA’s approved laboratory, storage facilities, and/or the HTCA. The DNA samples are owned by the HTCA. The HTCA and/or approved custodians will store the genetic material for subsequent genetic testing and future research purposes.

 

 

MULTIPLE SIRED LITTERS   

 

Please be advised on Multiple Sired Litters: if the two sires are closely related (i.e. father and son) an extended profile on ALL dogs involved might be required to determine the true sire of each pup. If this is the case it will be an ADDITIONAL $100 per dog (i.e. dam, sires, and all pups who cannot be determined without the extended profile) and this is NOT a guarantee that the extended markers will differentiate the pups between the sires. Further markers might need to be ran which will cost additional. It is HIGHLY advised that owners do not breed a dam to two or more related males; otherwise, it could cost the owner additional in DNA charges. 

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For litters that cannot be appendix papered until DNA is processed. In cases where multiple sired litters may have occurred (whether by design or by accident), the breeder and/or owner will DNA profile all possible sires, dam, and all progeny unless DNA is already on record for the sire or dam. Or in cases where a dam becomes bred without the breeder’s knowledge, all possible sires, dam, and all progeny from that litter must be DNA profiled. To avoid any penalties or late fees the owner will need to have the sire, dam, and all progeny DNA profiled and the litter application submitted before the 90 day mark of the litter whelping date. Litter Registration Rules apply. Owners will have up to the one (1) year anniversary of the litter to complete all necessary DNA profiles and submit the litter application, however, penalties and fee’s will be added after 90 days of the litter whelping date. Since the litter may have multiple sires or unknown sires, the owner can list all sires on the litter application and submit the litter application, with or before the DNA kits are submitted, to the HTCA DNA Administrator.

 

To order DNA kits for the parents and/or progeny, the owner will need to go to the database and order or fill out the Mail-in Order Form and list how many puppy kits are required for a ‘Multiple Sired Litter.’ The DNA kits will be assigned an appendix number that goes to a specific gender and color. Once the blood is drawn from a specific puppy, it is the owner’s responsibility to correspond each puppy with their identifying ‘appendix number’ before, during, and after the DNA results have arrived. Basically, each blood drawn goes to that specific puppy from there on out and once that blood is placed on a DNA kit (ex. 564-1) then that's who that puppy is from there on out. The numbers DO NOT fluctuate once DNA is involved. Once the DNA kits have been processed the association will mail the owner the puppies appendix papers and DNA certificates. The HTCA will not be responsible if during the DNA processing time the puppy’s identities are mixed. If this happens, the breeder/owner is responsible for any re-testing that is necessary because of this mix-up.

 

HTCA suggestions for puppy identification are: mark gender of each puppy and coat description, color coordinated collars, or a tattoo. These are just examples, however, puppy identification is solely up to the breeder/owner. Appendix papers will not be issued until all DNA testing is done. Once the DNA profiles have been processed the sire will then be added and the appendix papers will be mailed to the owner. If registration is done prior to knowledge of multiple sires or the correct sire, all of the involved progeny will be placed on a Non Breeding Status until corrective measures are met. Corrective costs will be the responsibility of the breeder unless no longer available. ‘Corrective Rules’ may apply. To keep track of your puppies’ identities, click the following link to open a ‘Puppy Identification’ form to fill out and keep for your records: Puppy Identification.

 

 

DNA PROFILE MISMATCH INSTRUCTIONS

 

If a mismatch profile is discovered, the breeder/owner has several options to sort out the mismatch profile. If the breeder/owner feels they may have contaminated the initial DNA sample when collecting it from their HTC, they can order and send in another DNA kit to re-check (same fees apply). And/or the breeder/owner could DNA test more HTC’s that could potentially be the correct parent(s). 

 

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION/FROZEN SEMEN FROM A DECEASED MALE

 

If using frozen semen from a living HTC male the sire and dam will need to be DNA profiled and the litter application submitted prior to the 90 day mark of the litter whelping date to avoid any penalties or late fees. Litter Registration Rules apply. Owners will have up to the one (1) year anniversary of the litter to complete all necessary DNA profiles and submit the litter application, however, penalties and fee’s will be added after 90 days of the litter whelping date. Appendix papers will not be issued until DNA testing is done.

 

When using frozen semen from a deceased male a DNA profile can be created by using a direct sample of the frozen semen along with a letter submitted to the HTCA from the semen collection facility stating the HTC’s name and when the semen was collected.  

 

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CORRECTIVE MEASURES:

 

 

PHASE 1, CORRECTIONS

 

If, during the voluntary phase, a mismatch DNA profile is found there will not be any fines or revoked privileges due to incorrect registration by a breeder as long as said breeder works with the HTCA to correct all mismatched profile(s). If more than one mismatch offense occurs the offenses will be resolved without lifetime suspension, however, the breeder will be responsible for any costs that occur because of the mismatch(s) and getting it corrected. Any progeny that was wrongfully registered will be the responsibility of the breeder; even if he/she no longer owns any of the progeny, the cost still falls on the breeder. If the breeder/owner who is responsible for the mismatch(s) is no longer a member or unavailable the current owner may assume responsibility for any costs to correct the mismatch. If the owner does not want to bear the cost then said dog and any offspring will no longer be registered.

 

 

PHASE 2, CORRECTIONS

 

If, during the mandatory phase, a mismatch DNA profile is found the dogs that have been incorrectly registered with the HTCA will be subject to revoked registration. All known owners/breeders will be notified, an investigation may ensue, and owners or breeders at fault may be subject to fines. All membership privileges will be revoked and members will be placed on an inactive membership until the issue is resolved.  All costs incurred by the HTCA and laboratory in determining the correct DNA lineage from all dogs involved will be the responsibility of the breeder, owner, or responsible individual(s) before membership privileges will be restored. When mandatory DNA corrective measures are taken, the individual’s responsible for DNA registration errors are subject to a $500 fine. 

 

All mismatch cases will be treated on an individual basis and will be reviewed and determined by the Board of Directors. 

 

 

CORRECTIVE RULES

 

 If a DNA test proves the falsification of the pedigree of one or more progeny from a litter, the HTCA Board of Directors may revoke the registration papers of the alleged sire, dam, and all progeny from that litter. HTCA Board of Directors may also revoke registration papers on any or all registered litters produced by either dog prior to the DNA test. All known dog owners or breeders from all generations affected by the incorrectly identified parent will be sent a letter from the HTCA within 30 days of the discovery of the error. The dog or dogs in question and those affected by unknown lineage will be placed on a Non Breeding status and pedigrees will be modified to correctly reflect their unknown lineage. The breeder of the dog in question will have 30 days to provide needed DNA samples to the HTCA approved laboratory. The cost will be the responsibility of the breeder(s) of the dog(s) in question. Should a request for DNA samples be delayed beyond specified time periods, or denied, HTCA may revoke registration papers on all dogs involved in the investigation of the potentially ‘unknown’ lines within the pedigree and modify the pedigree to reflect this fact. If the sire and dam do not verify the mismatch, the owners and the HTCA will have options to request further investigation and DNA testing (example: grand-sire, grand-dam, great-grand-sire, great-grand-dam and siblings). The expense of this further investigation will be the responsibility of the breeder(s) of the dog(s) in question. If the results of the investigation resolve the DNA profile mismatch/registration errors, new registration certificates will be issued with the newly identified parent(s). When the investigation results have been determined the HTCA will announce the registration corrections on the website under the heading of HTCA Registration/Pedigree Correction Announcements. If any owner or co-owner of a dog refuses to cooperate with the HTCA, the Board of Directors may revoke or deny any registration papers and may suspend all membership services and privilege or suspend any members and issue any necessary fines. If circumstances arise that are not addressed under these rules the Board of Directors has the authority to make a ruling or determine the outcome.