Petition ANKC to Accept FCI Pedigrees Regardless of Blanks

To the ANKC Board care of Mr Brian Parker,

In light of the recent breed bans in Norway, there has been much speculation amongst the Australian purebred dog community whether other breeds might be similarly targeted and whether bans could be imposed in this country.

Naturally, all ANKC-registered breeders are deeply concerned with the preservation of their respective breeds, and as such, are becoming increasingly congnisant of the crucial importance of genetic diversity in safeguarding their future. The Norwegian bans were imposed purportedly due to health and welfare concerns, and we know many, if not all, such concerns can be attributed to genetics: either directly, in the case of hereditary diseases, or indirectly, when certain phenotypic traits make a particular breed more susceptible to injury or other physical challenges. The only way to eradicate genetic and phenotypic issues is to ‘breed away’ from them: however, if the genepool available to ANKC-registered breeders is too small, we face an impasse.

We, the undersigned, represent a growing group of ANKC members nationwide who believe the 2017 amendments to Part 6, Section 3 of the ANKC Regulations, ‘Imported Dogs’, are preventing us from accessing the breadth of genetic diversity available within the FCI registry, and as such, are damaging the very breeds they were designed to protect. These amendments require imported dogs to possess a three-generation pedigree with ‘at least first and second generations complete and the 3rd generation a maximum of 4 names missing’ in order to be eligible for ANKC registration and breeding, irrespective of their FCI registration status. In other words, even if a desired dog has passed FCI assessment as a purebred representative of its breed and as such, possesses full FCI registration and an official FCI pedigree: the ANKC will not reciprocate this registration if said FCI pedigree does not meet the amended ANKC Regulations’ arbitrary criteria.

As an FCI-affiliated country, why, we ask, is any dog deemed good enough for the FCI, not deemed good enough for us?

On the contrary, in the past, no such caveats have been placed upon importing FCI-registered dogs. Up to and including the March 2016 version of Part 6, Section 3 of the ANKC Regulations, item 3.2(5) merely stated:
‘An original Export Pedigree and Ownership Certificate (if two separate documents) indicating the Australian member’s name and current residential address showing all registration numbers, titles granted and colours by the overseas body.’

In other words, ANKC was able to reciprocate FCI registrations, congruent with our status as an FCI-affiliated country.

However, in the April 2017 version of the Regulations, item 3.2(5) was replaced with 3.2(e), which stated:

"An original Export Pedigree and Ownership Certificate (if two separate documents) indicating the Australian member’s name and current residential address showing all registration numbers, titles granted and colours by the overseas body. The Export pedigree must be at least first and second generations complete and the 3rd generation a maximum of 4 names missing."

(Please note, in the current (October 2021) version of the regulations, item 3.2(e) has been renumbered as item 3.2(c), but the wording is unchanged).

This wording is repeated in 3.9(a).

The introduction of these restrictions has dramatically reduced the number of FCI-registered dogs available for importation by ANKC-registered breeders over the past 5 years, and if this is not resolved, we believe ANKC is in fact in breech of its own constitution, whereby members are bound to ‘take responsible action to reduce the incidence of hereditary diseases in their breeds’ (Section 2). We are being prevented from making our breeds genetically and ethically sustainable into the future.

Therefore, we, your constituents, have united to present this petition to request ANKC amend items 3.2(c) and 3.9(a) of Part 6, Section 3 of the Regulations to include the following proviso:

"Unless the dog possesses an FCI pedigree, in which case, the ANKC will reciprocate the FCI registration, irrespective of the number of names missing in any generation."

Yours sincerely,