How to Apply for an AKK from TOPAZ
To be considered for one of our dogs or puppies, you will need to successfully complete ALL of these following steps:
STEP 1 - Make sure that you meet these requirements: (1) you are over 21 years old; (2) you have read and understood this page thoroughly; (3) you have met and interacted with an AKK in person for at least one hour; (3) you can pick up your AKK from me in person.
STEP 2 - Follow our Facebook page for litter announcements and news. When you see a post about an available puppy, follow the instructions in that post to apply. My approval decision will be made based on the answers to the application you submit. Puppies will be offered to the first best-fit home identified.
STEP 3 - Once approved, I require a CAD$800 deposit to hold a matched puppy until pickup day. Balance of payment is due on pickup day.
Priority for placement will be given to homes who commit to attaining show/performance, socialized pet (CGN, SPOT), and/or working dog (Therapy Dog, Service Dog) credentials with their AKK.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much does an Alaskan Klee Kai cost?
In general, you can expect to spend CAD$2500-5000 on a legitimate Alaskan Klee Kai puppy depending on which breeder you work with. The actual price of the puppy is likely around the $3000 mark in its native currency, but then you must factor in additional costs such as exchange rate (if purchasing from outside of Canada, transportation, taxes etc. On occasion, older, retired, or rescued puppies/dogs may be available at a lower to no cost (contractual terms may apply).
TO.P.A.Z. puppies for companion pet homes are currently priced at CAD$2800 including any applicable GST/PST/HST. I do not charge differently for certain traits (size, eye color etc), nor do I alter prices according to supply/demand.
What does "Registered", "With Papers" or "Pedigreed" mean?
TOPAZ's dogs and puppies are UKC Purple Ribbon registered - meaning that their purebred ancestry is confirmed as registered purebreds for a minimum of 14 ancestors (3 generations – parents, grandparents and great-grandparents). Sometimes oopses do happen and these rare exceptions will be fully disclosed to buyers and reasons provided.
The terms “registered dog”, “pedigreed dog”, and “papered dog/dog with papers” are interchangeable and refer to an animal that has traceable lineage records kept by a reputable registry. Think of it as the official birth certificate and family tree documentation for your dog. The registration certificate, or "paper", contains important information pertaining to your dog, including a unique registration number, date of birth, gender, color and markings, parentage, breeder name and owner’s name. IT IS PROOF OF YOUR DOG'S LEGITIMACY. It is NOT an indication of any better or superior qualities to be possessed by your dog. You SHOULD NOT be expected to pay more by hundreds if not even thousands of dollars for any eligible dog's papers, as a breeder’s cost to register a puppy is approximately $50 when done promptly and correctly. However, an unregistered dog typically means that something went wrong (or someone messed up) up the lineage of your dog.
The Alaskan Klee Kai breed is currently predominantly registered with the United Kennel Club (UKC). While also legitimate, the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) is considered an obsolete registry and only few people continue to use it. As of late 2020, the breed has been accepted into the American Kennel Club (AKC)'s Foundation Stock Service (FSS), a first step of obtaining AKC pure breed recognition. However, it is NOT YET POSSIBLE to obtain full registration with AKC. The breed is currently NOT recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), and will not be until AKC recognition has first been established.
It is important to understand that a dog’s “papers” DOES NOT mean its vet records, microchip info or city license info. Similarly, a “registered” dog DOES NOT refer to being microchipped, tattooed, licensed or having file records at a vet, groomer, or training school. It is entirely separate from any contracts, paperwork, guidelines or other “pieces of paper” that your breeder hands over to you along with your puppy.
Make sure that the AKK you’re buying is UKC registered!! Be aware of scams and non-UKC registered or mixed breed puppies posing as purebred Alaskan Klee Kai!
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In many scams, you will send money but never see any puppy.
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Unscrupulous people who post on classifieds sites may advertise any fluffy baby dog as an “AKK without papers” knowing they will fetch in thousands of dollars from unsuspecting buyers. These dogs are usually non-purebred.
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If your AKK is only ARBA registered, ask the breeder as to why the dog cannot be UKC registered as it is the preferred registry.
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Alaskan Klee Kai are currently NOT full AKC, CKC (Canadian) or FCI (Europe/worldwide) eligible. Any other registries (such as ICA, Continental Kennel Club, APBR) are NOT considered legitimate, as they did not obtain approval from the parent breed club nor the breed developer in the listing process.
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Miscellaneous non-reputable registries will call anything with 4 legs and a tail an AKK as long as the person registering it pays the bill.
What are "Pet", "Performance", "Show", "Breeding Prospect" qualities?
ALL our puppies are “Pet” first, which as the name implies, they will make a great addition to the good-matching home.
“Show” quality means that the puppy is correct in conformation according to the breed standard. It DOES NOT mean the puppy comes with breeding rights. In fact, all our other puppies will be sold explicitly on a spay/neuter or a non-breeding (in the case of homes who wish to compete in dog events) contract, unless a special arrangement has been made otherwise. "Performance" quality is similar to "show" quality, except the emphasis is placed on working aptitude instead of conformation.
"Breeding prospect" quality are "show" quality puppies intended for breeding in the future. Specific stipulations regarding quality exam, health clearance, and show/performance credentials must be met before approval for breeding use will be granted.
** If you wish to breed your AKK, please reach out to me to discuss potential mentorship opportunities. You MUST be willing to become involved in training, testing, and competing with your AKK to be considered. **
What is "Health Testing"?
"Health Testing" goes beyond a routine vet exam. Every dog should have been cleared by the vet as physically healthy and fit simply for its wellbeing regardless of purpose.
For the Alaskan Klee Kai breed, responsible breeders will ensure that their breeding dogs have at least received OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of Animals) clearances in Thyroid, Cardiac (heart), Patella (knee) and Eyes. Breeders who choose to publish these 4 results will receive a CHIC number for the dogs. Some breeders will also have blood tests run on the dogs to make sure that their blood count, liver function and kidney function are good. Few breeders have recently started including hip dysplasia testing via OFA despite that this condition is not prominent in this breed.
Some additional (but not required) breeding stock testing include genetic screening such as diversity profile (UC Davis), and overall traits (Pawprint Genetics, Embark etc.). Two optional testing recommendation by OFA are dentition (via vet exam) and Factor VII (via DNA).
Health testing is not 100% guarantee, as perfectly healthy parents can still produce defective puppies. That’s just luck of the draw and how Mother Nature keeps us humble. However, breeding without health testing is like gambling blind, and is just an irresponsible thing to do, when problems that could otherwise be avoided are now passed on to the next generations.
TOPAZ's breeding dogs have all undergone OFA testing and have met or surpassed all requirements to obtain their CHIC certification. Many of our dogs are further DNA profiled via Embark, and/or for genetic diversity via UC Davis. All TOPAZ puppies are FVII clear by descent, unless otherwise specified.
How do I meet the breed?
Join the Facebook group Alaskan Klee Kai Canada to find out about breed meetups in your area. This is in my opinion the best way to learn about the breed, since you will be able to meet dogs originated from different breeders and their owners.
If you reside near Mississauga ON, I will also be happy to arrange a meet-and-greet with you. Email me to request an appointment.
How long is the wait for a TOPAZ puppy?
AKK is a small breed that produces small litters (2-4 puppies on average). Since each breeding's timing and result vary, depending on when you are looking, the wait time can be minimal to as long as two years. For those waiting for specific attributes (appearance, parentage pairing, breeding prospect quality etc), the wait can be indefinitely longer.
How do I fill out an application?
When I have puppies to place, you will find announcements on my Facebook page with the instructions on how to requrest a link to the application form via email.
Please make sure you meet my placement criteria of having prior in-person breed experience before applying.
I make my approval decision based on the answers to your application. Please take your time to complete it and include as much detail as possible.