Changing your dog's name isn't as simple as calling him something else if there is a registering body involved. There is paperwork and a processing fee--and, until 2008, some registering bodies such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) didn't even allow it. However, the AKC announced in April 2008 that it no longer banned owners from renaming their dogs and created a process to facilitate the change.
Instructions
1. Obtain a copy of the Dog Name Change Authorization from the registering body's website. Most registering bodies provide the forms required for changing a dog's name right on their website, making it easy to locate, print out and complete. Most will also include instructions and a fee chart.
2. Complete the form. Leave no space blank as this may hamper your efforts to change your dog's name and may require you to not only complete the form again, but to pay another fee. At the very least, your incomplete form will be tossed out and you'll have to start over.
3. Mail or fax the form along with your payment. Each registering body will have a specific format that it requires these forms to be submitted. Include a check, money order, or credit card instructions with the submission of your form so that it will be processed. If your payment is missing, most forms will be thrown out.
4. Verify that the change has occurred. Most registering bodies will issue an owner a pedigree that indicate the dog's ancestry, its name and registered owners. You should receive a new copy of this pedigree after the processing of your request has been completed. Some registering bodies may require that you purchase a new pedigree. If so, those instructions should be included with your name- change authorization form. If you do not receive a new pedigree with the dog's new name, follow up with a phone call or email requesting verification of the name change.
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