BRITCHIS-CHIHUAHUAS

  Australia has banned the registration of merle Chihuahuas.

  Canada Disqualifies merle Chihuahuas from the show ring effective Jan 1st, 2008.

   England has banned the registration of merle Chihuahuas. 

    Germany has banned merle Chihuahuas from breeding and the show ring. 

    South Africa and Mexico are currently working on similar resolutions.

KENNEL CLUB UK (England, Wales, Scotland) HAS OFFICIALLY BANNED MERLE CHIHUAHUAS FROM BEING REGISTERED OR SHOWN.

THE KENNEL Club will no longer register merle (dapple) Smooth and L/C Chihuahuas.

It says it has taken the step at the suggestion of the majority of the breed clubs because the colour is sometimes associated with impaired sight and hearing.
The KC said: “Coat colour in the Chihuahua is complex, because a range of colours is acceptable, but one colour that does not exist naturally in the breed is merle.
"Merle patterning, patches of lighter colour appearing in the coat, is the result of the M gene in the dog. There are two alleles of this gene: MM (merle) and M+ (non-merle), with merle being dominant to non-merle. In some breeds, the effect of the merle allele (MM) is termed ‘dapple’.
"Unfortunately, the effects of the merle allele (MM) are not confined to coat patterning and we know that there can be an increased risk of impaired hearing and sight associated with it. Many breeds are aware of and have for many years dealt perfectly adequately with avoiding the consequences of these health issues.
"However, because the colour has not hitherto been encountered in the UK in Chihuahuas, and the fact that it is not a natural colour in the breed, the KC’s General Committee has decided as a precautionary move to take a different approach. At the suggestion of the majority of the Chihuahua breed clubs in this country, we have decided not to register merle (dapple) Chihuahuas (Smooth or L/c) in order to avoid any future possible problems.”

Article appeared in Dog World Magazine