# Breeders not on AMA



## BBoo (Jun 20, 2018)

I thought I should make a separate post for this question.
Why are some breeders not on AMA? For example Chrisman seem to be highly regarded (and super cute) but they aren’t on AMA. Is there a reason some of them choose not to be registered?


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Are you referring to the breeders list, or simply membership?

If you are referring to the AMA breeders list, an eligible member might not have puppies or might not feel the need to show the public via that list that they have puppies.

If you are referring to membership in the AMA, I don't really know about the ins and outs of that. I rescue or foster rescued dogs and rarely go to shows anymore just to look. 🙂


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

AMA membership is voluntary and the membership requires endorsements of current members, kennel visits, and adherence to a strict code of ethics. I don't know why any specific breeders aren't members, but personally, I would look for AMA membership in anyone I was obtaining a puppy from. I'm also mom to rescues including my most recent adoptee who was clearly a mixed breed and had way too many litters judging from the appearance of her body, so if you're looking for a Maltese puppy, AMA membership is important.


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## Cassieb2 (Nov 8, 2021)

Christman was an AMA member for many years. My understanding is that they doing very limited breeding and very little showing. They have been absent from the major shows for the last couple of years. I was always a big fan of their dogs. Some breeders don't feel the need to belong to AMA. That doesn't necessarily make them bad, but members of the AMA members make sure they are working toward improving the breed.


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## BBoo (Jun 20, 2018)

Thank you. That is what I was wondering about. If a breeder stops showing, but is still breeding, is that something to be concerned about or is that pretty typical? There are some breeders that are on AMA but haven’t shown in years.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

BBoo said:


> Thank you. That is what I was wondering about. If a breeder stops showing, but is still breeding, is that something to be concerned about or is that pretty typical? There are some breeders that are on AMA but haven’t shown in years.


It depends. Why are they no longer showing? Where are they getting sires/dams from? How many litters are they producing? Are they breeding in association with others who then show the dogs? There are a lot of reasons why, and I'd want to know more.


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