The FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE (FCI) is the supreme authority of the canine culture worldwide. The FCI is responsible for safeguarding canine health and international dog activities to enhance the relations between dogs and humans.

The FCI supports, via its members and contract partners, the well-being of all dogs Worldwide.

Last year, in accordance with its motto For Dogs Worldwide... let’s go further!
the FCI decided to launch a big Joint Communication Forum composed of PR/Communication-persons from the National Canine Organisations and the FCI. This forum’s duties will be to gather, popularise and spread information about the canine world likely to help the federation and its members to fulfil the above purposes stated in the FCI Mission statement.

Society today is developing in a direction we consider to be detrimental to dogs, one example being the ban on so-called dangerous breeds. Our exchanging information and best practices and some organised watch among the 86 members could lead us to seek joint solutions.

Two meetings were held in 2011: in Paris during the World Dog Show and in Leeuwarden during the European Dog Show.

After our second meeting (Leeuwarden, August 31st, 2011), it appears that the issues the JCF would like to deal with in priority are as follows:

• Bad press*.The participants think that the FCI should participate in the media world and react to the negative press by publishing its official view, based not only on facts and on its knowledge, but also providing solutions, strategies and multifaceted perspectives (thanks to its international membership and to its multidisciplinary composition). The JCF could act as THE referent in canine issues, on behalf of the FCI.
• Education/popularisation. The members of the group think that the FCI should also adopt the « non-doggy » person perspective. This will help the general public to build a stronger opinion (and the doggy people to strengthen theirs, if necessary), based on facts and knowledge, thus preventing them from siding with the « anti-dog » trend just because they know nothing, or not much, about the matter. For example, about the banned/dangerous breeds, this could help the FCI and its members to fight anti-dog measures taken here and there and based only on fear and lack of knowledge.
• Health and welfare. A registry of surveys, initiatives, training programmes, scientific research, theses etc. regarding dog health and welfare would not only help the FCI and its members to act and react about bad press and to popularise canine encyclopaedic knowledge, but would eventually establish its authority and credibility as THE biggest canine organisation in the world. Here also, the FCI should be THE referent by creating and updating huge databases about everything one should know or could learn about dogs, again in a multidisciplinary perspective. This is in line with the recommendations of the General Committee, as per the minutes of their last meeting in Brussels, in November 2011. The future of canine activities will benefit from making this information available! In a more pessimistic perspective, it might as well depend on it!
• Best practices. The JCF will be the platform (with publications on the FCI website and other FCI’s media) sharing best practices in the canine field. Instead of facing a difficult situation all by its own, an FCI member could benefit from the experience of another member, for example to prevent laws on banned/dangerous breeds (in what countries does the problem exist ? what countries have good practices to share in this field ? how did some countries succeed in preventing banning laws ?)

Invitations were sent to the Presidents of the European, Asia and the Pacific and The Americas and the Caribbean sections of the FCI to appoint a delegate as representative in the JCF. It is very important that every section of the FCI is represented in the group.

The next meeting will be organised in Salzburg, on May 17th, 2012, on the occasion of this year’s World Dog Show.

Marie Luna Durán
FCI Marketing & Public Relations Manager