Registration & Process » Registration Turnaround Time

Understanding the Registration Process

Before one can understand registry turnaround time, one has to first understand what an Official Registration is and is not.

What an Official Registration is NOT

• Registration Number slapped on a Census (hearsay) pedigree is not an Official Registration
• Animals not owned by the person trying to register them or without the Breeder-Signed IDGR-IGSCR Registration Certificate is NOT an Official Registration
• Lack of breeder-owner-owner signed TRANSFER (when goat or dam is acquired from another person). Submitted to the Official Registry does not give ability to Officially Register an animal. There is a ton of deliberate fraud, theft and accidental breedings all over the USA, Canada and Britain. Plus in many countries it is against the law to enter incorrect data about an animal on its documents. The USDA in the USA requires Transfers and that ownership records be kept for at least 5 years
• Lack of Official USDA-approved Identification (Scrapie Tag, Microchip, Official Registry-approved Tattoo) are required on all goats/sheep who are under 6 months old and are still intact before being moved to new ownership. The record of ALL this identification must be kept by the owner. This information must be sent to the Official Registry if any Registration is to occur, as the Registry must track this. No Official Registration may be done without proper Identification tracked to the breeder. Without it, there is no real way to know that the goat is the correct goat, without DNA verification through the registry.
• Basic idea is that the correct information must be shared on the application for registration before any Official Registration with any registry will be started. It is the duty of any Official Registry to provide the most factual Identity of a Regstration as possible.
• A Registration is NOT a pedigree. Most goat and sheep Registrations do have a 2-generation ancestral Pedigree (parents and grandparents). Many other species typically have no pedigree at all on the Official Registration Certificate. With many other species the pedigree is a completely separate document called a Pedigree Certificate. All of the Goat Official Registries such as IDGR-IGSCR have an Official Extended pedigree available to its full members IF the person owns the goat.
• Assumed Pedigree has NO place on any official registry database. Official Registrations deal in fact and not assumption.
• Because there is so much theft all over the world of animals, we cannot give an Official Purebred Registration Certificate for animals whose supposed owners have no proof of ownership. Think how you personally would feel if someone came on your property and took your goat. Then the thief obtained an Official Registration Certificate with them as owner of your goat…!

What an Official Registration Certificate IS

• Official Record of Identity of the animal. That is all that an Official Registration Certificate is.
• Extensive analysis must be completed by the Official Registrar in order to ensure that the animal is Registerable, vs Recordable
• Ownership and Identification must be tracked through the Official Registry in order to allow the animal to be Officially Registered

IDGR-IGSCR has created special herdbooks

• We have worked with breeders and the Livestock Conservancy to create a series of Official Registration Herdbooks which allow goats who are missing a few bits of small non-crucial information. The goat can grade up to a higher herdbook over the space of a few generations IF the owner/breeder starts ensuring correct data is attached to the goat from there-on-out. AND if the correct DATA and IDGR-IGSCR DNA is shared with IDGR
• We have created a special new program for IDGR-IGSCR DNA verification, which will give an Elite Registration Certificate. This is the highest Registration Certificate and ensures (to the best ability) that the animal is what it is reported to be. Very highly documented.
• All Fullblood San Clemente Island must have an Elite Certificate, or they will not be admitted to the Fullblood Herdbook. Must not show any other breed genetically or must come from herds who are Officially traceable to the Island and have no other breeds on their farm.
• Purebred San Clemente Island goats with an Elite Certificate must also have the same credentials as the Fullblood, but likely will not Officially trace to the Island in the Official Registration, due to many old breeders not registering their herds. In order for a Purebred to have an Elite Registration Certificate, they must show a very high concentration (very little) of any other breed.
• Wild Herd: This like a commercial cow herd situtation where multiple bucks and does run together. IDGR has developed a very special program that will still give pedigree of the animal. The wild herd is a Qualified IDGR Wild herd where the herd owner agrees to follow a few simple procedures to allow the Official Registration to occur.
• Qualified Herd Certificate for old established hers who typically do not register: Same qualifications as per the Wild Herd Certificate program.

What is a Grade Goat, you might ask

• A goat who is not Officiall Registered for various reason, even though it may be Genetically a Fullblood or Purebred
• A Grade goat may move up to a Purebred IF the documentation and IDGR-IGSCR DNA are done. If the goat has no information, it will need to be tracked genetically to ebsure that is is not one of the Red-flagged animals who may be in a dispute of ownership
• If all is in order then after 4 Generations it may be admitted to the Purebred Herdbook.
• There is a current movement to crossbreed (multiple breeds bred together) with the San Clemente Island goat. Many farms also have multiple breeds on their farms. Because of these practices, we cannot Officially Register San Clemente Island goats on farms who are suspect of being crossbreds or who are bred on a farm with multiple breeds of goats, until IDGR-IGSCR DNA is complete. We cannot move currently a goat up to Purebred status if it is a modern crossbred or bred up to almost purebred status. The true San Clemente traits that were present on the Island must be present. Crossbreeding will allow non-San Clemente Island goat traits to crop up. This will be taken under advisement with IDGR and the Association to discuss further.

So lets talk Turn Around Time for Receiving the Official Registration Certificate

• 1-3 weeks ONCE THE FULL APPLICATION IS SENT TO THE IDGR OFFICE. The Application is not complete until all the required information and IDGR-IGSCR DNA is received and paid for, which includes up-to-date Transfers. Until the information is sent to the IDGR office, the registration will not be worked on.
• Turnaround is in Digital Official Registration format. We have no control of the post office time frames. We have long sent folks their Official Digital Registration Certificate
• Hard copies are mostly what folks want when they think Official Registration Certificate. That is what takes time to produce.

How to speed up the process

The speed depends on a three-fold process

• Associations job is to support the Official Registry and help educate the public. We currently work with SCI Goat International to aid in this process of education. An Association’s role is also to help reach out to members and support what is needed for official Registrations
• Registry (IDGR-IGSCR) works one-on-one to educate people. Soon we plan a series of workshops and trainings and also videos of instruction. IDGR has a long history of working hand in hand with breeders and owners to work with their needs and problems. We create new programs to make things easier.
• Breeders/Owners keeping accurate records, pulling hair samples on their entire herds, doing DNA through IDGR-IGSCR, obtaining and keeping correct Seller-signed transfers, clear photographs. Then submitting registrations for application and transfer in a timely manner and through the correct forms and methods of transmission to the Officail Registry.

Essentially, we all need to work together to ensure the Security of this breed for years to come. It is the Official Registratation that alone will allow this breed to move from the Critical to Threatened list. Only through the Official Registration (as per Livestock Conservancy words), the Official Registration Certificate is the only way to ensure the goat is a true San Clemente Island goat and is trackable.

We at IDGR are the Official Registry for the San Clemente Island goats. We have the Primary Source Documentation in order to know the correct pedigree and all information on the San Clemente Island goats. The San Clemente Island Foundation (International) also has extensive history, as do other breeders.

In order to have fast turn around, we need to all work together for a great experience. Lets make this fun, but let us also support the Official Registration and Breeder/Owner Record Keeping.

We appreciate you all.