These are what we usually think of when we hear that a dog has “papers.” Registration papers prove that your pug is a purebred and is registered with the AKC. That's it. Papers are nice to have, but they're no guarantee of quality or good health or anything else. They're useful if you plan to show or breed your pug, or you can frame them and hang them above Pugsley's crate, but otherwise they're not really good for anything except paper training.

Under AKC rules, any person who sells dogs that are represented as being AKC-registrable must maintain records that give full identifying information with every dog sold. This information may be stated on a properly completed AKC registration application, on the sales contract, or on a written statement — signed by the seller — that gives the dog's full breeding information. This information must include the following:

• Dog's breed, sex, and color

• Dog's date of birth

• Registered names of the dog's sire and dam

• Name of the breeder

When you take your puppy home, the breeder should give you what's known as a blue slip. The blue slip is a form that you fill out with your puppy's name and your name as the new owner. You and the breeder must both sign the blue slip to formalize transfer of ownership. Then you can send the form to the AKC with the registration fee.

Once the AKC receives the form and fee, it transfers ownership from the breeder to you, and you'll be issued an individual registration certificate. It has a purple border and can be framed if you want to show off your pug's “papers.” If you were ever to sell your pug to someone else, you would use the back of this certificate to transfer ownership.

Limited Registration

If your puppy is being sold as pet quality, the breeder may check a box on the blue slip that says “limited registration.” This means that although your puppy will be registered, any offspring he produces would not be registrable. Nor can pugs with limited registration be shown in conformation, although they can participate in obedience trials and other AKC performance events. You'll receive an orange-bordered limited registration certificate after submitting the form and fee.

What if your puppy develops into a nice-looking pug with a great temperament and you decide you'd like to show or breed him? If the breeder agrees that the dog is of good quality, she can rescind the limited registration and give your pug full registration. You can't do it without her consent, though.

Registration Blues

If you want to register your pug, don't leave the breeder's home without the blue slip. Even the best-intentioned breeder can let things fall by the wayside once puppies are gone. Don't expect the AKC to resolve the dispute if you are promised papers and then don't get them. If the breeder won't give you the papers until your pug is spayed or neutered, be sure that's spelled out in the contract so you have something in writing stating that you are entitled to the papers once certain conditions are met. If the breeder still doesn't send you the papers, you then have evidence you can take to court — if the dispute goes that far.