After a spectacular celebration of the Centenary of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, those of us who sit on the General Committee of the FCI set ourselves the task of carrying on with our work for another hundred years of services dedicated to dog lovers all over the world in an atmosphere of companionship and with a team working on targets which have been set with the aim of getting straight to grips with the challenges of the future.

One of the great challenges we face, in all Sections of the FCI, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, relates to laws which set out to restrict dog ownership and declare many of our current breeds to be dangerous. I am aware that all of the Sections of the FCI are engaged in legal battles either to prevent these laws being passed or to repeal those which are already in force.

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Rafael de Santiago
FCI Vice-President

FCI Japan International Dog Show in Tokyo on March 31 & April 1, 2012

FCI Japan International Dog Show which is the annual dog show of the Japan Kennel Club (JKC) headquarters was held in Tokyo over the weekend of Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2012.

Although we could not hold this event last year due to aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, with the cooperation of everyone involved, we have come to hold our show this year with 2,064 dogs of 122 breeds.

Considering there were only about 300 dogs exhibited for the first dog show held in 1950 commemorating the establishment of the JKC, the number of both breeds and dogs exhibited to this event has grown rapidly over these 60 years.

Besides the Japanese judges, prestigious judges from Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Uruguay, Australia, India and the United States have come to join us for this dog show, and having exhibitors from other Asian countries also added an international flavour.

The first day of the show on Saturday, March 31, the breed competition for the breeds belonging to FCI Groups 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 took place in the morning, and in the afternoon, the Best Of Breed winners of respective breeds competed in the group competition.

On the second day of Sunday April 1, the breed competition for the breeds belonging to FCI Groups 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9, and the group competition for the respective Best Of Breed winners took place. After that, Mr Kari Järvinen from Finland judged the Best In Show with the Best In Group winners of both days presented. As a result, a Siberian Husky was selected for the King, the best male in show, and a Golden Retriever was selected for the Queen, the best female in show respectively. And from between the King and the Queen, Mr Järvinen awarded the Best In Show to a male Siberian Husky “MISANGA JP LAVENDER” (JKC HU-00017/08).

Besides the dog show, the JKC Junior Handling Competition 2012 and the JKC Agility Cup 2012 were also organised, while rescue dogs and herding dogs have demonstrated its performance making a huge appeal to spectators. In addition, the handling lesson for dog owners and a training session for pets were offered to the general visitors, and at the same time, many dog related products were sold at the shopping booths which were quickly crowded with lots of people buying products for their dogs.

Moreover, we set up a booth for rescue dogs in the venue and raised funds for the disaster victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We, the JKC, have been actively conducting such fund-raising activities at various events held in throughout Japan ever since the earthquake disaster.

Furthermore, we have displayed the winning works of the JKC Dog Picture Contest and the JKC Photo Contest at the venue as well.

We are certain that all exhibitors and visitors have fully enjoyed this event to the fullest.

International Section
JAPAN KENNEL CLUB