International Progressive Dog Breeders' Alliance - History

History

The International Progressive Breeders' Alliance, IPBA, was founded in 1996. IPBA is composed of three subsidiary animal registries, the IPDBA for dogs, the IPCBA for cats, and the IPEBA, intended for non-domestic exotics, which may include wolves, lynxes, lions, and other wild species.

The IPDBA, like the other two IPBA subsidiaries, is made up of chartered breed or species associations which have full control over their breed or species standard. As of early 2006, three of the dog breeds the IPDBA recognizes are affiliated with IPDBA-chartered breed associations.

The stated purposes of the IPBA, applicable to all three of its subsidiaries including the IPBDA, are:

1. to provide "creative freedom" to breeders to develop new breeds and preserve old breed lines "as they wish without interference from registries." The IPBDA acknowledges any registrations accepted by its member breed clubs, without further oversight. The IPBDA does not administer and revise breed standards. This is left to the member breed clubs.
2. to provide a means of international networking among members of each subsidiary animal registry (dogs, cats, exotic non-domestic species including canids and felids).
3. to unite breeders to work together to protect all breeds of animals and their hobby from restrictive legislation.

The reference to restrictive legislation likely includes breed-specific legislation and bans on hybridizing domesticated animals with wild canids and felids, or bans on owning such hybrids, or bans owning non-domestic species whether purebred or crossed with other wild species, such as ligers.