With so many Boerboel registries being used, I think its time to try to help people understand the differences.
If you are an average pet owner, registry may not matter to you one bit. If you are a pet owner that would like to go out and earn some titles or show in conformation with your BB, then registry will make a difference. If you are an owner who hopes to one day either use your male as a stud OR have a litter yourself, then it is important that you understand the different registries and how they work or don’t work together.
Please note that I am not an expert on any of the registries, this is just a basic overview to help others understand. I am also only including the registries most used at this time. I am not familiar enough with every registry out there to include them in this list.
SABBS –
South African Boerboel Breeders Society. While SABBS came into existence in 2012, it was originally established as the SABT in 1983. This group was the group that founded the Boerboel as a breed in SA. Therefore, you will often see “the original Boerboel registry” attached to its name. Although SABBS has changed multiple times, it is still widely used abroad and in North America as the first choice in registry.
Here in North America, SABBS conducts annual appraisal venues yearly in different locations. An appraisal is a time where each dog is measured against a set of standards and graded against it. This is not a ‘show’ and the dogs are judged against their own merit, not against another dog. The appraisers are highly experienced individuals in the Boerboel breed.
The score you see behind a dog’s name, ie. Fuller S’Bu Muzikayise 87.3%, is their appraisal score. The scores are very confusing currently because there are several registries using an appraisal system and none of them are the same. Also, in 2017 SABBS radically changed their system, lowering scores over all. The point of this paragraph is: Don’t pay attention to appraisal scores, they are a tool that one should use to help understand the conformation of a dog and to make proper breeding matches to improve the breed.
While conformation shows within SABBS have been held in South Africa for many years, they have just begun to hold conformation shows during appraisals here in North America. There have been puppy shows for several year, but in 2018 the first shows with all ages were held.
A litter of puppies whose sire and dam have been appraised and registered with SABBS are eligible to receive birth certificates through SA Studbook which is the official South African landrace registry. Boerboels are not fully registered until appraised.
SABBS currently accepts and registers black Boerboels.
NABBA –
North American Boerboel Breeders Society. NABBA was started in 2013 at a time when the black Boerboel was removed from the SABBS breed standard. As has happened in the history of the breed, a faction broke off from SABBS to begin this organization. It operates on the same level as far as appraising and registering Boerboels but exists only here in North America and has their own registry. The birth certificates issued through NABBA are not interchangeable with SABBS. NABBA does accept the color black.
AKC –
Most everyone is familiar with the American Kennel Club. It is THE all breed club for the United States. The ABC “American Boerboel Club” is the parent club for the Boerboel for the AKC. This means that the ABC determines what is acceptable as far as the standard. Only Boerboels who meet the original breed standard are accepted for full registry with the AKC. This mean that if a Boerboels parents are not already registered with AKC, then that Boerboel has to have it’s pedigree checked and a new one issued through the ABC in order to be accepted into the AKC for full registration. Please note: ANY Boerboel with an unknown or black dog in the pedigree will not be accepted.
The AKC also has a program where mixed breeds can be registered, participate and earn titles in specific venues. These dogs are not eligible to be in the conformation ring, but can enjoy the benefits of competition. If your Boerboel has black or an unknown in it’s pedigree, you can register as a mixed breed and participate in these events.
BI –
Boerboels International. This is another registry that does appraisals, although they are very few and far between here in the United States. They do encourage a good deal of DNA and health testing which is favorable. Hopefully as they grow, we will see more venues in order to get our dogs appraised and registered through them. BI does not accept the color black.
UKC –
The United Kennel Club is similar to AKC in events provided and they also have venues in Canada. The UKC does not accept the color black.
SUMMARY:
It is important to understand that when breeding dogs, you must have both parents in the same registry in order to receive birth certificates or registration for the puppies. As a puppy buyer, you should be fully informed by the breeder as to the registries the puppy is associated with and what you can or cannot do with that registry.