1. Members neither wholesale dogs nor will they buy from anyone who does wholesale dogs.

2. ALL (this includes every member, not just breeders) members will provide with any dog they should sell, give away, or transfer ownership in a signed guarantee in writing which says (at a minimum):

"From the day you receive your dog and for the entire life of your dog, you may return your dog to us. If you cannot afford to prepay the shipping costs, we will prepay these costs for you. You will receive a refund as follows: When and if we are able to sell your dog to a new owner, we will forward the proceeds from that sale to you less only the prepaid shipping costs we paid to get the dog back. In all cases where the dog is returned we promise to not have the dog destroyed as a matter of convenience, but to locate another home we believe the dog will permanently live as a happy family member or will keep the dog as a member of our own family for as long as it is capable of enjoying a happy life. Also, if it should occur that within the first 30 days after you've received the dog you are dissatisfied with it for any reason, and you return the dog and all properly endorsed registration papers and we will immediately refund you the price of the dog less only the prepaid shipping costs we paid to get the dog back."

3. Members dogs will be allowed the choice to live as family members and not kenneled. This is not meant to exclude those who would crate or kennel their dogs while they are not home. It means as a general rule when family members are at home, dogs are not excluded from but are allowed to be in the quarters and company of the family, as any other family member would be. A dog which needs to also go outside or into a non-family area should be provided a dog door or other means to enter the family quarters and enjoy the family's company when it wants to.

4. Members support the efforts to reduce genetic health defects and willingly collaborate in collecting information so as much as is possible is known about the genetic status quo in all breeds. Members participate in the Health Surveys, and on the email list, and report all health problems which occur in any dogs they produce or own. This information may be available for public examination on web pages maintained by the email listowners. INNTC's email lists provide a place for candor and cooperation in dog breeding. The purpose of INNTC's thrust for candor in breeding is perhaps said better by a quotation:

"Every breeder will produce defects if he breeds long enough. Those who tell you that they do not produce defects have either stopped breeding, breed hardly at all or are being economical with the truth. Defects are going to occur in any species and many of them will appear quite out of the blue with no warnings or previous clues to the fact that this defect was 'in the line'. There is no crime in producing a defect. Crime, if any, lies in what you do about a defect. If you bury yours quickly and keep quiet about it and I do the same with mine then, sooner or later ... the penalty for not having been honest ... [will be paid by] the breed we probably profess to love. We must collaborate .... in collecting information so that we can all know as much as is possible about the status quo in the breed. "

--Practical Genetics for Dog Breeders, Malcolm B. Willis, page 216 [our addition in braces]

5. Members will not recommend as prospective owners to any breeder, or as breeders to any prospective owner, any person who is known to violate the spirit of the CREED.

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