The 5 “W’s” Of LabraData Input

WHO can enter data?

There are many different types of records in the LabraData system. Each is intended to be submitted by specific individuals. For security and privacy reasons, the People records may only be submitted by the person they describe. A privacy and accuracy disclaimer on the form must be signed by the individual submitting the information. Dog records require that the same privacy and accuracy disclaimer be signed. All pertinent health, test, certification, award and other specific information for a dog should normally be submitted only by the owner. Litter records may be submitted by the breeder, however information diagnosed after relocating a dog is treated as "hearsay" information until verified with the current owner.
The exception to these is information from existing public records. For example, dog records that are created as part of a pedigree entry do not require the owner’s permission as they will not usually be linked to an owner. Information about a dog or owner from a catalogue, book or magazine and health or test data that is available from public sources like OFA, CERF or similar organizations may be used to make entries more complete. These sources will typically be used when entering “archive” dogs for historical purposes.

WHAT kinds of data can be entered?

The intent of the system is to make any type of information relevant to the breed available. Several different types of records have been developed to collect and display this information.

People records contain contact information for both owners and breeders. These are linked to individual dogs as they are entered into the system. Eventually these can be expanded to include Veterinarians and Researchers that are frequently referenced in the other types of records.

Dog records contain descriptive and identification data about the individual Labrador. For registered dogs, it can include official name, registration number, registry and DNA profile. For unregistered dogs, there are fields for the name it is usually called, physical description data like height, weight, color, etc., method of identification such as tattoo or microchip, and a place for both birth and death dates.

Certifications/Tests records have information about specific health or other tests of an official nature. This is where data about hips, elbows, eyes, DNA evaluated disorders, heart clearances or other similar tests are stored. The organization providing the test or certification, what was tested, certification or test number, findings, date of the test, and information about the source and time of entry are included in these records. If the source is shown "underlined" it is a link to the website for that organization. The "View" button for an entry presents an image of the document in a pop-up window.

Health records may contain any type of other health information that is not related to an official certification or test. Conditions or traumas that require veterinary treatment or medical management can be recorded. Diagnostic reports and information on cause of death are all included in this type of record. The "View" button for an entry presents an image of the document in a pop-up window.

Titles/Awards records may contain any type of achievement earned by the dog. This includes official titles given by a registry (Champion, Field Champion, etc.) as well as awards or titles granted by clubs or performance organizations (WC, SHR, etc.). Even civic awards (Animal Hero, etc.) may be entered here to become a permanent part of the dog’s history. The "View" button for an entry presents an image of the document in a pop-up window.

Litter records are used to link dogs to a sire and dam or offspring so that accurate pedigrees can be generated by the system. At first, these records will frequently be created by the Data Operators from an official pedigree submitted with the other information for a new dog entry. As more dogs are entered into the system, many of these litter records will have already been created and littermates can be added to them. In addition, breeders may enter information about entire litters before they even go to new owners. In this way, initial data about registration, color, microchips and other facts can be gathered to create a new dog record for each member of the litter. When an owner then enters a dog from this litter for the first time, the record will already exist and can be linked with the new owner to collect additional information – such as registered name, etc. This record is important to the framework of the system and to searching for relevant information about related dogs. Family health histories, physical trends, performance or other information can be easily accessed using the links provided by these records.

Photo records may be linked to either individual dog or people records. These are simple image files and can be submitted in electronic format or as actual printed photos. They are cropped, if necessary, and resized to meet the file size criteria. The "View" button for an entry presents the photo in a pop-up window.

WHERE can data be entered?

All of the different record types mentioned above can be entered using the three simple data entry forms linked from the Submit Data screen.
A Personal Information Form is used to enter detailed contact information for an individual. It includes all the information that is typically entered at the time of a dog submission, but also can collect information on kennel name, website link and club memberships. This form must be received for each individual that is to be linked to a dog.
The Dog Submission Form is the primary tool for collecting information about the dog as well as the owner, breeder and litter for an individual dog. Title, health or certification information that is verifiable from public sources may also be entered on this form if copies of the actual documents are not going to be submitted. A scanned copy of the registration certificate for registered dogs may be uploaded with the form to speed processing. No supporting documents are needed for unregistered submittals.
The Litter Submission Form allows breeders to enter initial information about an entire litter so that individual dog records for members of that litter can be created. Each of the submission forms has a privacy waiver and accuracy assertion that is automatically endorsed by submitting the form.

Once a dog record is viewable in the database, additional documents can be uploaded to update the record. Tests/Certifications, Health Data, Titles, DNA Profiles and Photos all have an upload utility to simplify adding those documents without using the submittal form.

WHEN will data be available for access?

Once the selected submission form has been transmitted to the system, a page containing the information will be displayed and can be printed by the user for reference. The transmitted data is sent to a Data Manager for review and assigned to an individual Data Operator. The Data Operator will then contact the person who entered the data with any questions requiring clarification. Supporting documents may include copies of any registration certificates, certified pedigree, test reports or certificates, veterinary statements, laboratory reports, title or award certificates and/or equivalent documents. When the data entered has been verified by the documentation, the information will become a permanent part of the LabraData online system. Updates, additions and changes can later be made to those records over time.

WHY is data submission done this way?

The LabraData system was envisioned as a long-term data repository for access by all types of users. Owners, breeders, prospective buyers, researchers and those just wanting to learn more about our breed will all have free access to the information stored in the system. In order to make that information easy, consistent and reliable to use, the data is entered in a particular format using searchable keywords and document verification for accuracy. The Data Operators use special entry screens with keyword lookup so that all data of a particular type is coded the same way. The documentation is checked to be sure numbers, names and dates are all correct. Although this does create a bit more effort for both the submitter and the Data Operator, it assures that the information stored in the system is as accurate as possible so that it can be used for reference long after the dog is gone. The LabraData system is designed to be a living history of the breed for users of the future as well as a convenient reference source for today’s enthusiasts.