Australian Shepherd Club of America

What Australian Shepherd Club of America does

The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA), established in 1957 in Bryan, Texas, is the largest independent breed-specific club in the United States and serves as the official parent club and registry authority for the Australian Shepherd breed. Its core product is the ASCA Registry Services — a pedigree and DNA profile database for purebred Australian Shepherds. The DNA Parentage Verification Program, initiated in 1994 with a 130-sample pilot by ImmGen, Inc., uses approved laboratories Orivet Genetics (US/Canada) and Certagen GmbH (Europe) to issue DNA-CP (Certified Profiled) and DNA-VP (Verified Parentage) designations; DNA data processing is transitioning to the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory in 2026.

ASCA sanctions nine competitive dog sport disciplines — conformation, agility, obedience, rally, stockdog herding, tracking, dock jumping, scent detection, and Most Versatile Aussie (MVA) — and operates a Junior Showmanship youth program and a Hall of Fame. Programs are open to all breeds, not just Australian Shepherds. Operations are administered through the ASCA Business Office in Bryan, Texas and the Aussie Times editorial office in Bloomington, Indiana, supported by an online Members Portal (portal.asca.org) for self-service membership, event sanctioning, results uploads, and DNA kit ordering; the website offers multilingual support in English, German, and French.

The business model is nonprofit membership-driven: annual membership subscriptions grant access to the registry, quarterly Aussie Times magazine, monthly newsletters, and competition eligibility; incremental revenue comes from event sanctioning fees paid by affiliate clubs, title recording fees, magazine advertising, and pass-through DNA testing fees routed through partner labs. Distribution is via a US-international affiliate club network spanning at least ten countries, an annual National Specialty event held at rotating US locations (2026-2028 commitments already booked), and partnerships with health/genetics (ASHGI), rescue (ARPH), and dock-jumping organizations (Ultimate Air Dog, International Dog Sports). The ASCA Foundation operates as a related 501(c)(3) for health, welfare, and scholarship programs.

Name

Australian Shepherd Club of America

Legal name

Australian Shepherd Club of America

Website

https://asca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Australian Shepherd Club of America is a nonprofit membership-based breed club founded in 1957, serving as the official parent club and pedigree registry for the Australian Shepherd breed and sanctioning competitive dog sports across the US and international affiliate networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Breed Registry Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAEAJAO

Companion/Specialty Animal Breeding & Genetics Services (non-livestock)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Animal Breeding & Genetics Services

SECONDARYAFAEALAC

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Animal Welfare, Boarding & Production Support Services (non-veterinary)

SECONDARYAFAEALAM

Livestock Showing, Training & Performance Support Services (Non-veterinary)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Animal Welfare, Boarding & Production Support Services (non-veterinary)

Keywords

• Breed registry services
• Dog breed registration
• Canine DNA verification
• Dog sports competitions
• Breed club membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to registry services, Aussie Times magazine, monthly newsletter, and eligibility for ASCA merit and finals competitions.
2. DNA Testing Services: DNA profiling kits sold through Orivet Genetics (USA/Canada) and Certagen GmbH (Germany/Europe) for parentage verification. Kit cost is included in the pricing through these approved laboratories.
3. Event Sanctioning Fees: Affiliate clubs pay fees for sanctioning conformation shows, obedience trials, agility trials, rally trials, stockdog trials, dock jumping events, tracking tests, and other competitive programs. Separate contact emails for different competition types.
4. Aussie Times Publication: Quarterly professionally produced magazine in color format available to members. Single copy sales available at cost of production and postage. Limited back issues available for purchase.
5. Title Recording Fees: Fees for recording competition titles (conformation championships, agility ATCH, obedience OTCH, rally RTCH, stockdog WTCH, tracking titles, dock jumping DTCH, scent detection titles) earned at ASCA events.
6. Aussie Times Advertising: Advertising space sold in the quarterly Aussie Times magazine. Advertising rates and online payment options available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ASCA is the parent breed club and official registry for the Australian Shepherd breed, providing DNA-verified pedigree registration, sanctioning of competitive dog sports events across multiple disciplines (Conformation, Agility, Obedience, Rally, Stockdog, Tracking, Dock Jumping, Scent Detection, and Junior Showmanship), publishing the quarterly Aussie Times magazine, and coordinating rescue, education, and youth development programs through its network of affiliate clubs and the affiliated ASCA Foundation.

Product overview

ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) is a breed registry and competitive dog sports organization offering a comprehensive suite of programs and services. The core offerings include the ASCA Registry Services for maintaining DNA profiles and pedigree records, and the DNA Program for parentage verification through partnered laboratories. ASCA organizes competitive programs across multiple disciplines including Conformation, Agility, Obedience, Rally, Stockdog, Tracking, Dock Jumping, Scent Detection, and Junior Showmanship. Additional programs include the Most Versatile Aussie (MVA) competition, Hall of Fame recognition, and the quarterly Aussie Times newsletter. The organization operates the ASCA Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit for health and welfare initiatives. All programs are accessible through the ASCA Members Portal and Online Event Sanctioning platform. The organization hosts the annual ASCA National Specialty featuring multi-discipline competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASCA Registry Services

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UC Davis-VGL (Veterinary Genetics Laboratory)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026ASCA DNA data is transitioning/transferred to UC Davis-VGL for processing. Members experiencing issues with DNA data transfer must associate their ASCA membership number with their Orivet account.
• Certagen GmbH (VHLGenetics)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1997ASCA's approved laboratory for DNA profiling services for German and European ASCA members. Contact: (+49) 02226 871600 or [email protected]. Address: Marie-Curie-Str. 1, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany.
• Orivet GeneticscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1994ASCA's approved laboratory for processing DNA samples from US and Canadian members. Members can purchase DNA kits directly through Orivet. Contact: (509) 483-5950 or [email protected]. Address: 3020 Fairlane Farms Rd, Suite 4, Wellington, FL 33414. Membership number must be associated with Orivet account for DNA data transfer to UC Davis-VGL.
• Ultimate Air Dog (UAD)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved Dock Jumping Organization for ASCA Dock Jumping titles. ASCA-approved jumps count towards IDS titles. Members download results from UAD website and submit with recording fee to ASCA.
• International Dog Sports (IDS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved Dock Jumping Organization for ASCA Dock Jumping titles. New for 2025: ASCA Jumps also count towards IDS titles. ASCA verification form required for IDS site upload.
• ImmGen, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology company whose founder Dr. Jerry Caldwell presented to the ASCA Board of Directors in 1994, leading to the establishment of ASCA's pilot DNA program with 130 volunteer samples.
• ASHGI (Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth and genetics research organization dedicated to Australian Shepherd health. ASCA supports ASHGI through its Foundation. Resources include health screening guidelines, disease and defect information, and coat color genetics documentation.
• Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpful (ARPH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRescue organization serving hundreds of Aussies each year, always in need of foster families. ASCA website directs prospective owners to ARPH for rescue adoption.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Kennel Club: AKC is the largest purebred dog registry in the United States, offering breed registration, DNA profiling, conformation events, and a broad portfolio of performance/companion events. It directly competes with ASCA for Australian Shepherd breeders and competes across nearly every competitive program ASCA offers, but with significantly broader breed coverage and institutional resources.
• The Kennel Club (UK): The Kennel Club is the UK's primary canine registry and operates conformation and working dog events with broad breed coverage. It is a broad incumbent peer to ASCA's registry and event model, with comparable functions but executed at a much larger national scale.
• Fédération Cynologique Internationale: FCI is the world canine organization coordinating over 90 national kennel clubs, including many European countries where ASCA has affiliate clubs. It is a broad incumbent peer for international breeders and event sanctioning in the same geographies ASCA serves.

Direct peers

• Canadian Kennel Club: CKC is the primary canine registry in Canada, offering breed registration and conformation and performance events. It competes with ASCA for Canadian Australian Shepherd breeders and event participants and overlaps on the performance dog sports side.
• United States Dog Agility Association: USDAA runs agility-only competitive events with national title programs and a tournament structure, directly competing with ASCA Agility for competitors, hosts, and titling recognition in the agility discipline.
• Australian Shepherd Club of Canada: ASCC is the Canadian counterpart breed club for Australian Shepherds, providing a separate registry and competitive programs in Canada. It is the most direct breed-specific peer to ASCA, splitting the North American Aussie community along jurisdictional lines.
• United Kennel Club: UKC is a multi-breed registry with a strong emphasis on performance and working events, including conformation, obedience, agility, and herding. It is a direct competitor to ASCA's registry and performance event portfolio, particularly for working/versatility dog owners seeking alternatives to AKC.

Emerging players

• Canine Performance Events (CPE): CPE runs agility, rally, and scent work events open to all breeds with a flexible titling structure. It is an emerging player offering overlapping competitive programs that compete with ASCA's agility, rally, and scent detection offerings.

Regional players

• Australian National Kennel Council: ANKC is the national kennel council for Australia, the breed's country of origin recognition. While not directly competing with ASCA in the US, it serves as a regional registry and event body for Australian Shepherds in the breed's home region, shaping global breed standards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-shepherd-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Australian Shepherd Club of America