The Australian Terrier Club of America, Inc.

Sustainability has many definitions in modern society. It is often used when discussing the science around global warming or the fight to pre-serve endangered species. AKC refers to sustainability as any activity that serves to preserve, protect or promote the breed.

Of the 193 recognized AKC canine breeds, the Australian Terrier ranks 136. The top 10 AKC dog breeds actually account for 50% of the AKC registrations. Together, the rarest 50 AKC breeds make up just 1.2% of the registered AKC dogs (Stanely Coren, PHD Psychology Today, 2013). Australian Terriers a vulnerable breed and if we are not vigilant could become extinct along with breeds such as the Alpine Mastiff, English White Terrier, Russian Tracker, Southern Hound, and Tweed Water Spaniel. Breeding decisions today can affect the breed both positively or negatively in the future.

The ATCA Sustainability committee, in its quest to preserve, protect, and promote the Australian Terrier, proposed to start the conversation with-in the community by gathering global information on the breeds population. The following is the result of our effort. While we did everything we could to account for all Australian Terriers, it is understood that there may be a few of our breed in countries not indicated. It is also acknowledged that a number of our breed, in the United States of America (USA), are not registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC). These Aussies, registered with other kennel clubs in the USA, must be considered lost to our gene pool, as they are not recognized. They are not included in this report.

Australian Terrier Sustainability starts with Global Statistics

by Dr Grace Massey & Vicki McKee

(Study Material Copyrighted)