The largest archive of pedigree dogs in East Africa lies hidden in a small building on the showground of the East Africa Kennel Club (EAKC) in Kenya. Here the EAKC manages 99 years of history of all pedigree dogs in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. They also manage the pedigrees of Rwanda, Mauritius and Burundi. The Executive Secretary, Neeltje Rosenstok, takes care of all activities in the office, including registrations. “We have a lot of information on paper. Some papers are so old, that they almost disintegrate. Luckily, we have now listed over 13,000 dogs in ZooEasy.”
East Africa Kennel Club
“We keep all records of registered pedigree dogs. Think of descent, hip scores and show results. We are a reliable source that breeders trust when they need the right information.” Registering dogs is a challenge in Africa. Neeltje says: “Kenya is leading the way in the region. We stay small in the world; we register an average of 700 new dogs a year. We are important to breeders because we issue official, internationally recognized pedigree documents, which are necessary to import or export dogs.”
From typewriter to pc
The EAKC has consciously opted for digitization. “My predecessor worked with a typewriter. She filled in a registration card for every puppy. But paper records are at risk if there is a fire.” That’s why Neeltje started the registration in Excel files. At the same time, she and the chairman looked for suitable software. “We chose ZooEasy, because it is user friendly. They have imported my Excel files with over 10,000 dogs. Now every dog is in the database and we add five generations of ancestors per litter. But we haven’t had the time to update our historical records.”
Nicer certificates
With the arrival of ZooEasy, the certificates have also been redesigned. “They look nicer and are more difficult to copy. Because all our data is digitized, we can issue new certificates faster.” Neeltje hopes that the choice for ZooEasy will lead to more transparency and convenience. “The new generation breeders are interested. I hope our digitization is more attractive for breeders who are located far from us.” She believes that little patience is needed. “There aren’t many breeders now who appreciate the value of real pedigrees. Breeders with a good eye for quality and health do see the value, and can confidently guarantee a type of dog.”