ChessieBook imports data from a variety of sources, including the AKC, OFA and private individuals who have maintained data about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers over many decades. Although such imports provide a lot of data, the data is not always consistent across various sources and it is often incomplete for various reasons.

As such, ChessieBook depends on dog owners and breeders to review and maintain data on individual dogs, because only they know all of the data about a given dog. As needed, volunteer librarians verify the accuracy of the data and coordinate with the owners and breeders to resolve any inconsistencies. In this way, data entry is shared effectively across the entire community, while still maintaining an accurate data repository.

The Process

1. Users request an account providing their full name and email address. Administrators will create the account and assign a security password.
2. Users add / edit data for any dogs owned by or bred by them. Breeders may enter data for any dog that they have bred until the owner edits the data. At that point, only the owner can edit the data. This allows breeders to enter data for dogs owned by someone who can't or doesn't want to maintain data themselves.
3. Volunteer librarians verify the accuracy of the data entered using publicly accessible information (e.g., OFA records) or by soliciting copies of official (e.g., AKC or UKC title certificates) from the user. Such copies can be as simple as a photo image of the original document.
4. Users submit an inquiry for any data that they think is incorrect, providing whatever documentation they have found. Librarians research the issue and determine if the data should be modified accordingly.