History of the ADBA

    The American Dog Breeders Association, Inc. was started in September, l909 as an exclusive association of American Pit Bull Terrier breeders. The residing president, Mr. Guy McCord, was an avid fancier and breeder of the dogs, and was a close friend of Mr. John P. Colby. Mr. Colby was the mainstay of the A.D.B.A. which prompted the boast of being the "home" registration office of the Colby dogs. All members, in good standing, could register their dogs and litters with the registration department upon the yearly payment of $2.50 dues fee. It seems that the exclusive members idea gradually was replaced into an open registry to all owners and breeders of purebred American Pit Bull Terriers, to act as an exclusive registry of the breed and insure the accuracy of this type of records keeping.

     The paper issued at that time, was a one page, pink paper which on the top listed the description of the dog and other pertinent information necessary to serve as a title of ownership on the dog. On the bottom, it listed the pedigree, owner and breeder. We thought it interesting to note that on the reverse side of this paper it read, in part: "The American Pit Bull Terrier is now recognized as a standard breed, where a few years ago, it was un-recognized as a breed. The majority of the American public carried the impression that the American Pit Bull Terrier was synonymous with dogs used for fighting purposes only. This idea has been dispelled by persistent efforts of the breeders who compose this association. Presently, classes for American Pit Bull Terriers can be found at almost every local dog show being held. With concerted effort, our faithful friend will in time be classed as the leading American dog, who will give his life if necessary in defense of his master/mistress. We trust that you will unite with us in our efforts to bring this dog to the destiny he deserves. "The Standard dog of the U.S.A."

     The A.D.B.A. passed from the hands of Mr. McCord to Mr. Frank Ferris in l951. He, along with his wife Florence Colby, (the wife of the late John P. Colby) continued to run the A.D.B.A. on a limited scale, but with ever increasing emphasis on the registration of the A.P.B.T. breed exclusively. In 1973, through the recommendation of Howard Heinzl, Ralph Greenwood and his family purchased the A.D.B.A. from Mr. Ferris, whose advancing age prompted his retirement. (Mr. Heinzl was a personal friend of Frank Ferris and a staunch supporter of the A.D.B.A., as he registered his dogs exclusively with A.D.B.A.) We often wish Frank could have lived to witness the growth of the present association. He would have been pleased.

      In 1976, the A.D.B.A. was petitioned by the owners of the breed, who possessed a very competitive spirit, to develop a standard on the breed by which conformation dog shows could be held. They did not want a standard that copied those of the UKC or AKC, but a standard for those dogs that they owned and continued to breed for the traits of intelligence, character, loyalty, and the athletic prowess that the breed was originally bred for hundreds of years ago. Thereby, they could continue competition, in a legal endeavor. Thus, the formation of the A.D.B.A. Conformation Standard.

     The publication of the American Pit Bull Terrier Gazette started about this same time, and the first issue (Volume 1 - Issue 1) was out of the printers August, l976. Our aim: To enlighten the public to the truth about the A.P.B.T. and promote the positive aspects of the breed, through the conformation shows and the weight pulling events. The Gazette is the official publication of the A.D.B.A. and offers articles of history, pedigrees, ads on dogs for sale and at stud, books on the breed that are available, a bit of humor, dog care, nutrition, show and pulling training, as well as a sounding board for those associated with the breed. We try to bring the past as well as the present to life for our readers, portraying our dogs as they were then, and are now today.

Ask us a Question

 1. How long does it take to get my papers back?

Standard processing- for Litter Registrations, Single Registrations, and Transfer of Ownerships with pedigrees is approximately 4-6 weeks. This does not include mailing time (5 days), weekends or Holidays.

Super Rush- Once the papers are recieved by our office we Guarantee the will be processed withing 2 business days.  They are then shipped Priority Mail approx (2-3 days). 


2. I lost my registration certificate, what now?

The ADBA offers a duplicate aplication from that will replace lost Certificates and Pedigrees, This form can be printed off ADBA web site


3. Can I get a Duplicate Certificate by Phone/Email?

     It is in the customers best interest that the ADBA does not provide this service. All duplicates certificates must be applied for with the duplicate application form. Form must have original signatures, no copies.  

4. Does ADBA start lines?

 The Single registration form does not start lines. It's purpose is to dual register dogs from one company to another. It will also continue lines that may have been dropped due to neglect in registration practices. In this case one or two generations might not be registered but they must tie back into dogs that are registered, or have been recorded in our files. If this is the case, then the owners of the dogs in the background must verify the pedigree by signing the application form.  


5. I found/ rescued an APBT, can it be registered?

     Probably not. A three generation pedigree is required for registration. Any dog that has been found or rescued, probably didn't come with the needed information for registration. 


6. Does my Registration Certificate ever expire?

     No, as long as you have the papers they are still valid. After 120 days of ownership without transferring the certificate into your name, there is a $10.00 late fee that must be paid. Even after the 120 days papers are still VALID.

Papers are only invlaid if the dog is deceased or reported stolen. 


7. What is a Pedigree?

 A Pedigree is the family tree of the dog. This will show the parents, grand parents, and great grandparents, upto 7 generations back. Pedigrees are used to decide what breedings will produce the best results based on the background of each dog. 


9. What titles can be earned by my dog?

   When participating in the shows the titles of  "Champion" "Grand Champion" to different degrees can be achieved. These will appear on Registration certificates and Pedigrees as Ch, Gd Ch, G/C I, G/C II, G/C III, etc. 

To Register A New dog with the ADBA requires a Single Registration Application.
(Important Things to Remember When Single Registering Your Dog with the ADBA)

• We must have no less than THREE complete generations back on the dog that you are registering. We also need to know the complete registered names of all the dogs in the pedigree. This means the breeder's name and the dog's name (example: Smith's "Tonka").
  
• If the dogs in your pedigree are not found in the existing ADBA files we will ask for pedigree verification. This means that you will need to submit a copy of the organization papers (U.K.C., A.K.C.,etc) where the pedigree information was taken from. If are not able to locate this information then we wouldn't be able to register this dog with the ADBA.)
  
• If the sire or the dam of the dog being registered is registered with the ADBA you will need the owners' of those dogs to sign your single registration application. This signature is needed for verification that the breeding between those two dogs did take place.

Click the link below for The A.D.B.A. website.   

http://www.adba.cc/p_home.asp

singleapp.pdf