The Painted Desert is a spotted hair sheep. Only Spotted sheep are eligible for registration. Photographs are required for registration, and white markings must be clearly visible in the photos.

Spotting has occurred in Barbados sheep and its crosses with Mouflon (Corsican , Black Hawaiian and Texas Dall). Some breeders have used Rambouillet, Merino, and four-horned breeds to improve horns. However, it then takes a few generations of back crossing to hair sheep to retrieve the wool-shedding trait.

Registration is based on two important factors: color and hair coat. Mature spotted hair sheep and their spotted offspring will be registered as FOUNDATION stock IF they carry no more than 1/8 of domestic wool sheep in their pedigree. Any sheep showing a wololy coat will not be considered for registration in the Foundation registry. Spotted lambs of unknown background may be registered TENTATIVE section until they reach one year of age and shed their baby wool. With the submission of new photos showing coat, the Tentative certificate will be replaced by a Foundation certificate. Ideally, photos should be taken after shedding or before a thick winter coat is put on. You are asked to make note of any known wool breeding close in the bloodline. This is obviously a honor system. Please don't misrepresent your sheep on the application and thus to buyers. If you do, sooner or later you'll be found out.

If you wish to record the pedigree of sheep in your flock that are spoted but have more than 1/8 wool breed in their bloodline (example: those using Jacob or Navajo in their program to achieve a 4-horned Painted Desert), you may do so in the Appendix section. This is for percentage wool, not pure wool. This is to keep track of pedigrees only and does not imply that the sheep is a Painted Desert. You are not required to use this section; it is offered as a courtesy only. The object is to strive for color and hair.

You must be a member to register sheep. See membership application on links tab. Please keep accurate and up to date flock records. Record dates of births, numbers, deaths, sales, illnesses, treatments, vaccinations, dewormings and etc. These records help you decide which sheep you need to keep and which you can part with.

Please don't have a bunch of rams running with your ewes, even young rams. Rams have been known to bred ewes at four months of age. Keep records of what ewe are running with what ram. If you don't know which ram sired that pretty lamb, it defeats the whole purpose of the registry. We want to know who is producing color.

Keep records of all your sheep, not just the ones that are registered. We are establishing our gene pool, and even those solid colored ewes and rams are important. They could be color producers. However, if they aren't producing it don't dilute your chances of color by keeping them in you flock. They might cross better with someone else's bloodline.

Beginning January 1st, 2021 only ewes of unknown history are permitted to submit registration applications for inspection. Ewes are not required to have a registered sire for registration eligibility. If you are registering a ewe for inspection, please submit 4 photos for with the registration application.

The 4 photos will be as follows (1) front facing photo, (1) rear facing photo, (1) left side facing photo and (1) right side facing photo. Photos must be clear and unobstructed of the ewe being registered. Please contact the registrar for further explanation

MEMBERSHIP

Memberships run from January 1^st to December 31^st of the same year. Single membership and family membership costs the same. All family members’ names must be on the application for membership recognition. Please renew as soon as possible to avoid removal from the membership list or member links page on the website. It is the responsibility of the member to make sure that they are current on any dues or fees.

FLOCK NAME

This is issued to your flock as a prefix when registering sheep. Flock names are to be less than 17 characters, including spaces, and must not be inappropriate or of a suggestive unprofessional nature. Once a flock name has been assigned it is no longer available for use outside of the original member. If a member would like to submit another flock name instead of the one assigned, there is a recording fee of $35.00 USD for the change.

FEE SCHEDULE:

FEES

Annual Family Membership (Jan 1-Dec 31)..............$25.00

Lifetime Membership.............................................$200.00

PDSS/THSOA Sheep Registration..............................$7.00

Dual Sheep Registration (if eligible).........................$12.00

Replace Damaged Certificate.....................................$7.00

Transfer of Ownership (Member)...............................$5.00

Transfer of Ownership (Non-Member).....................$10.00

Application for Gold Star Ram (GSR) award.............$10.00

Application for Recognition of Merit (ROM) award...$10.00

Revised fees: 5/6/2020

REGISTRATION APPLICATION

Breeder fills in breeder and owner portions, ie. the entire application, if he/she wishes to keep the sheep or desires to sell his sheep already registered. If the breeder is selling a lamb with an application, then he fills out the application as stated above, but fills in the buyer info in the OWNER section. Breeder should fill in their flock name in NAME OF SHEEP TO BE REGISTERED portion of the application. Send one photo of each side of sheep to be registered (total of TWO). The head must face camera in at least one photo to show the horns on rams or horned ewes. If desired, multiple photos may be sent for the registrar to choose from.

If you are mailing the application and photos in, please submit FOUR photos (two of the left side and two of the right side).

One set of photos is required, one each of left and right side (total of TWO). Photos should be sharp and clear, in good light, without other sheep crowding around and with uncluttered backgrounds. Cloudy or shadowy photos or photos of sheep still with winter coat will be returned and delay registration. A close up of small markings on minimally marked sheep may help, but markings must be visible in registration photos.

Photos may be emailed or mailed. The photos will be on the certificates, so the quality of the photo is of importance. All photos are cropped and scanned by registrar so no need for severe cropping of photos with scissors.

Photos become the property of the PDSS, remaining with the application of said sheep and may be used in articles (with credit) or other promotions of the registry.

Note: If you are mailing the application and photos in, please submit FOUR photos (two of the left side and two of the right side).

REGISTERED and UNKNOWN SHEEP

The registries are for PDSS or THSOA registered sheep, the registry do not recognized outside registries. The PDSS and THSOA honors each other registry’s sheep only. Unknown sheep cannot be listed in the stud book. The stud book lists by registration numbers that are assigned as they are entered into the record. There will be no “blanks” in a pedigree. If a sheep wasn’t registered, it cannot have registered parents listed in the pedigree.

Note: The call names of an unregistered parent can be recorded, but no further pedigree will be recorded behind unregistered sheep. No exceptions. If you own a solid colored sheep with unknown or only one registered parent, consider having breeding stock papers issued, which will give the sheep a number and record any pedigree.

HARDSHIP

A solid colored lamb from two regular foundation PDSS registered parents may be “hardship” registered at an additional fee. Any other solid lambs will be registered as “breeding stock” in order to preserve the pedigree. This is to allow breeders to use an exceptional solid colored sheep in their breeding program, but also prevents straying from the goal of spotted sheep.

BREEDING STOCK

A solid colored lamb from one regular foundation PDSS registered parent may be registered at an additional fee as breeding stock. However, any solid colored sheep that is produced from a breeding stock registered parent is not eligible for registration. Registration is based on three important factors: Color, Hair Coat, and Horns (rams). The many goal of the registry to keep with the breed characteristics of colorful spotted sheep.

REPLACEMENT or

UPDATED CERTIFICATE

A new certificate will be issued to replace a damaged certificate or to update photos. Include photos if needed. The replacement fee is the same as a registration fee. You cannot request a new certificate to “skip” over the previous owners. All previous owners will still be recorded on the new certificate and the transfer documentation must be provided. For any additional questions regarding replacement or updated certificates, please contact the registrar.

TRANSFER FORM

This form must be filled out every time a sheep changes ownership and must accompany original certificate to the PDSS registrar. If multiple transfers are being recorded at one time, a transfer fee is owed with each transfer form. ALL transfers are shown on the back of the certificate to show the sheep’s history. New certificates cannot be issued to show a current owner on the face of the certificate.

STUD SERVICE CERTIFICATE

This form is used when a ewe is sold bred to verify the pedigree of the lamb/lambs she is carrying. It is also used when a ewe visits another farm for breeding to verify the pedigree of the resulting lamb/lambs.

Note: In the case of sales of pregnant ewes, the resulting lamb will carry the flock prefix of owner at time of lambing.

MULTIPLE BREEDING AGE RAMS IN A EWE FLOCK

The Painted Desert Sheep Society and Trophy Hair Sheep of America considers any ram older than 16 weeks to be of breeding age. Members are required to maintain a flock with only ONE RAM in their ewe flock. If multiple breeding age rams are intermingling with ewes in a co-ed flock the registries will require DNA results to register any and all future offspring to verify parentage. It is the breeders responsibility to ensure that paperwork matches parentage and if questions arise to the accuracy of parentages for any reason the offspring will require DNA testing to register them with the PDSS or THSOA. The registries do not accept the theory that a dominant ram will retain breeding rights in a co-ed flock.

It is each and every members responsibility to let the registrar or advisory board members know of any infractions on this rule in order to maintain the integrity of the registries, the breed, and the members themselves.

It is also recommended that buyers do their research on breeders, their flock management, and integrity.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Sheep excluded from registration are polled rams, sheep with polled breeding (true Barbados, Katahdin, St. Croix, Dorper, etc), rams with scurs, sheep that are wooled, sheep with more than 1/8 wool breeding, monorchidism, cryptorchidism, hermaphroditism, defects of the eyelid, and sheep not showing color in registration photos.

CODE OF ETHICS

No member shall exhibit behavior unbecoming a PDSS/THSOA member, knowingly mislead the public, or misrepresent their sheep. In some cases the registry might take grievances before a committee. An infraction can result in reprimand by suspension of membership. Repeated violations can result in permanent revocation of membership and therefore privileges. A person who has had their membership revoked due to Code of Ethics violations and no longer has PDSS/THSOA privileges cannot sign or submit any paperwork to the PDSS/THSOA. No exceptions.

An updated list of suspensions can be located on the members page under disciplinary actions. Please contact the registrar before buying regarding suspended/revoked persons.