Emergence of a new Canine World Order
Jim Engel
Over the twentieth century there was a relentlessly cultivated persona of dignity, gravitas and rectitude in governing canine bodies such as the British Kennel Club, the AKC, the VDH and the FCI. This provided enormous influence and power to the internal cabals that came to predominate. But just beneath this surface façade tension and strife reigned: between serious working advocates and the financial interests of the quasi commercial pet and show breeders, between the FCI and the WUSV, between nations determined to control their own destiny and breed establishments determined to impose wider control and wield international power. These tensions have escalated in the new century. The recent German court decision empowering the WUSV and reigning in the arbitrary and capricious reach of FCI Eurocrats is much more than victory in a petty politaical squabble, it marks a real paradigm shift, heralds the advent of a new world order.
As a result of this empowerment the WUSV has emerged from the cloud of legal ambiguity to play a much more robust role in international German Shepherd affairs going forward. Other similar associations, such as FMBB, will share the benefit of this ruling.
As portrayed in their own mission statement the self-perception of the FCI establishment is that of the "The highest authority of the canine culture.." This goes far beyond their charter from the national organizations to provide service and ease the process of international intercourse for the good of all concerned. Legal remedies have thus become necessary to reign in this gradually assumed authority. Hopefully the court enforcement of anti-competition laws will provide the opportunity for FCI leadership to reevaluate and adapt their roles and persona so as to move forward in the spirit of cooperation, respecting and supporting the prerogatives of the national organizations, particularly the breed specific clubs, in the conduct of an equitable market of pedigreed dogs.
This struggle has gone on almost without public notice, the social media being diverted and preoccupied with the more trivial aspects of seemingly unrelated events. Since the premature and quickly repudiated announcement in December of last year that SV judges were to be prohibited by the FCI from serving beyond German borders everybody with a grudge, a festering resentment or hearing opportunity knocking came out of the woodwork to celebrate the demise of USCA, to kick at them while they seemed to be down. Nobodies from nowhere were gleefully sending out meeting invitations to all sorts of club officers and would be players to join in the creation of a new American culture, sans USCA, in line with the grand world order that seemed to have been promulgated by the FCI. Prominent local club owners, professional coaches, were pronouncing USCA over, dead in the water, and that they were stepping forward to lead the migration to the GSDCA. Pending legal action limited WUSV and USCA public comment, leading to widespread fear, uncertainty and doubt. Although there was apparently some hope or even expectation that the AKC would fall in line and accommodate tighter European relations, thus diminishing the importance of the WUSV bond to the GSDCA, this did not materialize.
Much of this angst was entirely unnecessary, due primarily to SV underlings who had prematurely thrown in the towel to the FCI behind Dr. Messler's back. Although this was immediately repudiated putting the genie back in the bottle was just not in the cards. As a response to the FCI national level WUSV leaders were in the process of evolving legal strategy based solidly on fundamental principles of European competition law. Pending legal action limited what was properly said in public, but last week these legal efforts were finally vindicated in the German courts.
The ruling in favor of the WUSV clubs (represented in court by USCA and the Spanish club) and against the VDH and the FCI enables SV judges to preside at USCA trials and shows, which is potentially of enormous importance, a true paradigm shift. Beyond this immediate effect the spirit and wider implications of this ruling will permanently curtail unfettered FCI arrogance and arbitrary power. While we must keep in mind that this is a preliminary injunction rather than a final ruling and that in a complex legal environment anything is hypothetically possible the outlook is most favorable. Never the less we must be aware that all is not really over until the fat lady sings.
But even the FCI knew beforehand that freedom from arbitrary, external restraint in commercial affairs is a strong legacy and tradition in the EU legal culture, that while this was a big win in a major battle it was not in any way unexpected or likely to be overturned. Previous rulings in very similar cases have consistently produced such results. The prospect of ultimately prevailing is thus high and even if not completely shackled the FCI arrogance will be permanently knocked down several notches.
These developments are likely to define the international canine landscape for decades to come. USCA emerges with a strong, much more deeply binding relationship with the SV and WUSV that is now beyond interference from petty FCI Eurocrats or anyone else. They remain and will endure as by far the largest and most prosperous North American working dog entity. President Vadim Plotsker, a key player in the legal effort, has emerged as a significant figure on the world canine scene, carrying on the strong leadership legacy going back to the Alloway era
The FCI was from the beginning by and for the quasi commercial show dog and pet sales interests and has historically been passive aggressive toward any real working culture; thus the curtailing of their arbitrary power is in the long term best interest of all serious working dog trainers and breeders. (This was demonstrated by the NVBK people in Flandres in 1963, an example that should have been taken much more seriously by the working community at the time.) The recent legal development has given the SV and the WUSV much more latitude for independent initiatives, which they are apparently fully prepared to embrace.
For many past months, even years, the conventional wisdom had been to pay no attention to the ongoing WUSV / FCI squabbles, that these things came and went, always get sorted out among the bureaucrats with no apparent change in anything of importance to the ordinary breeder or trainer. But this has been an illusion.
In reality the root of the conflict between the FCI and the WUSV is deep and existential, not something that can be papered over beyond transient accommodations. The FCI leaves breeding considerations and registration eligibility to member nation organizations, which, like the AKC, will generally register virtually anything sent in as long as the check clears. (Recently there has been a collection of stud dog DNA, but no effort at establishing standards of health, vigor or working character.)
The SV from the von Stephanitz era forward, later including the WUSV, has taken a fundamentally different approach, that is held that in order to be bred a dog or bitch must not only emerge from registered parents, they must exemplify and fulfill breed essentials in terms of structure, vigor, freedom from genetic defect, trainability and working propensity. This was the original reason for the Schutzhund trial, which the SV should bring back. While there have been and remain serious lapses in living up to this lofty ideal, the expectation has been there from the beginning.
These are thus existential, irreconcilable differences that make real integration and cooperation between the FCI and WUSV impossible unless there is fundamental change to one or the other. In a very similar way, USCA and the GSDCA have inherent differences which while allowing accommodation and short term cooperation can never be reconciled without serious, fundamental changes to the foundation of one or the other. Eventually, if both sides continue to push, the GSDCA is going to have to decide between an affiliation with the AKC or the WUSV, that is a merger with USCA acceptable to the WUSV would inherently be on terms unacceptable to the AKC.
These legal developments have all sorts of long term implications. One pregnant possibility would be for the WUSV, FMBB and other international breed specific entities to join forces and create a real World IPO Championship, leaving the FCI Eurocrats and the rest of the show dog establishment out in the cold. Perhaps this would have the potential to evolve into an international alliance of truly working based breed entities entirely separate and independent from the FCI.
Background and Reference:
American Consequences of the WUSV VindicationDownload the Police Dog Book
Glossary
Orginizations and Conflicts
Legacy Lost, the Other Breeds
The Americans
Style and Opinion Sports
Has Sport Subverted the Trial?
How We Play the Game
Commercialization of Schutzhund
The Mother State