Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Philippine Canine Club, Inc.
The Philippine Canine Club, Inc. (PCCI) is an organization with a tradition of service to its various stakeholders. As a registry for purebred dogs, it has continually worked with values such as integrity and accountability. Being an organizer and active participant of various events, most of which are competitive in character, that promote the love for purebred dogs in particular and all dogs in general, it holds sacred the value of sportsmanship and fair play. Such values underpin this Code of Ethics and Conduct.
The Code of Ethics and Conduct shall serve as a guide that members of the Philippine Canine Club, Inc. may follow in performing their roles as purebred dog lovers, club officers, breeders, exhibitors, professional handlers and judges. It is understood that membership with the PCCI means that an individual completely understands and fully accepts the Code of Ethics and Conduct and that, its violation, or that of the Constitution and By-laws, and applicable Rules and Regulations, may result to disciplinary action which may, depending on the gravity of the violation, lead to suspension or even expulsion from the Club as provided for by the Constitution and Bylaws.
Basic Values
The PCCI shall live with these foremost values:
Service Orientation
Integrity
Sportsmanship and Fair play
Accountability and Sense of Responsibility
Conduct as a Member
Any individual who loves or is interested in purebred dogs and who is willing to abide and be bound by the Constitution and By-Laws of the PCCI, its applicable Rules and Regulations, and its Code of Ethics and Conduct, may apply and be accepted as a member, and subsequently enjoy the rights and privileges of membership.
1. A member shall comply with the Rules and Regulations of the Philippine Canine Club, Inc., its Constitution and By-laws and the Code of Ethics and Conduct.
2. A member shall conduct himself in a manner that reflects positively on his person, the breed(s) that he keeps, the Affiliated Club that he is a member of, the Board of Directors and various committees of the PCCI.
3. A member shall not knowingly or recklessly misrepresent the PCCI or its Affiliated Clubs.,
4. A member shall not make false or misleading statements concerning his breed or other breeds or breeders.
5. A member shall constantly strive to improve his knowledge of his chosen breed or breeds, and his knowledge of the requirements for the care, welfare and betterment of dogs.
6. A member shall ensure that all dogs under his care are properly controlled, housed, fed, watered, exercised, groomed, socialized and appropriately trained, and receive veterinary care as required.
7. A member who leaves a dog owned by him, and registered under his name, in the care of another person shall remain ultimately responsible for that dog until the registration of the dog has been finally transferred to the other person as reflected on the date of transfer at the back of the registration certificate.
8. A member shall positively enhance the reputation of dog owners by ensuring that dogs owned by the member are not a danger or a nuisance to the community.
9. A member shall not participate in nor support any activity that involves cruelty or injury and/or harm to dogs, and in relation with dogs to other animals.
10. A member shall refrain from the use of any slanderous or defaming statements or innuendo against another breeder, a specific dog/kennel, the PCCI or its affiliated clubs, and Judges, on any public forum including social media. Use of social media to disparage the PCCI or any PCCI member will be viewed as an overt act prejudicial to the PCCI and to the dog sport and will not be tolerated and will be appropriately sanctioned.
Conduct as a Board of Director and as an Officer
The members of the Board of Directors and those that function additionally as officers exercise the critical stewardship functions for the PCCI. They set and model the values and key ethical directions that the organization must observe in order to remain socially relevant while at the same time continue to support the love for purebred dogs that has been PCCI’s starting point and remains to be the main rationale for its existence.
1. Members of the Board of Directors as well as PCCI’s officers shall avoid situations of conflicts of interest or impropriety. Those who have personal or pecuniary interest on any
business organization with which the Corporation has an existing or intended transaction shall fully disclose the relevant facts of the situation ahead of their appointment or before the start of any negotiation or discussion that may lead to a business transaction between PCCI and the enterprise in question.
2. Directors and officers shall deal fairly with PCCI’s prospective, current or previous members; suppliers; the government; competitor(s) and other affiliated organizations both
local and international
3. Directors and officers shall not take undue advantage of their position through misrepresentation of material facts, concealment, manipulation, or any other form of unfair
dealing practice
4. Directors and officers shall treat everyone with respect and act in good faith and with integrity and sense of professionalism at all times.
5. Directors and officers shall not accept gifts or invitations of any form from any supplier, customer or business partner of the PCCI, or from any third person or entity with existing or intended business dealings with the PCCI, except when the gift or invitation is:
▪ directly attributable to purely familial or personal relationships
▪ only of nominal value
▪ a simple promotional item or is part of the supplier’s public relations program; or
▪ part of business meetings or discussions.
6. Directors and officers shall conduct business in accordance with Philippine laws and regulations.
7. Directors and officers shall strictly observe company rules that provide for restrictions to access to classified information and controls on the release of such information to other companies, agencies, parties or to the general public. They shall maintain the integrity of all company documents and records and protect them against unauthorized or improper alteration, forgery, concealment or destruction.
8. Directors and officers shall be responsible for the proper use of all company assets and resources, which include, but are not limited to, information, facilities, equipment, software, vehicles and supplies owned or leased by PCCI or are otherwise in its possession, They shall use company assets and resources efficiently, responsibly and for legitimate business purposes only.
Conduct as a Breeder
Being first and foremost a purebred dog Registry, the PCCI recognizes the key role that its members who breed dogs play in the promotion of the love for purebred dogs. The Registry was created to serve the Breeders who in turn, must exercise diligence, self-discipline and honesty to help ensure the Registry’s integrity. The Breeders are likewise expected to exhibit responsibility for their breeding efforts as well as ensure that they treat their breeding dogs and puppies humanely at all times.
1. A Breeder shall make every effort to learn about the structure, anatomy, action, inherited traits and behavior of the dog, especially where such learning applies to his chosen breed or breeds.
2. A Breeder shall educate himself to recognize the correct conformation of his chosen breed or breeds, familiarizing himself with the PCCI breed standard and representative dogs, prior to breeding a stud dog or a brood bitch.
3. A Breeder shall at all times breed for the improvement of the breed as exemplified by the PCCI breed standard.
4. A Breeder breeds only animals that are in good health and which are physically and temperamentally sound.
5. A Breeder strives to produce puppies of such quality that they will serve to improve and complement the breed and, in good faith, avoid breeding individuals known to have, or are strongly suspected of having, a serious inherited disease or defect that will likely be passed on to offspring and that, if inherited, would significantly affect the quality of life of any offspring that would be produced.
6. A Breeder must represent each puppy sold as accurately as possible.
7. A Breeder must be willing to act as a mentor to persons with whom they place puppies and encourage an open dialog for the life of the dog.
Conduct as an Exhibitor
The PCCI organizes various events that showcase outstanding purebred dog characteristics to promote greater awareness among its breeder members. It also stages or participates in other events that exhibit other valuable canine characteristics to heighten their appreciation and increase overall public awareness, with the ultimate goal of broadening the love for dogs.
Members who participate in such events are known as Exhibitors. Exhibitors may personally handle or show their own dogs or opt to hire professional handlers to do so.
An Exhibitor must show good sportsmanship and good will at all dog-related events organized by the PCCI, its Affiliated Clubs, or which it co-organized or participated in. Winning and losing with grace is the minimum standard of good sportsmanship and all forms of competition. Good sportsmanship and general civility are consistent. The Exhibitor must, during such events, display adherence to fair play, honesty, courtesy, and vigorous competition, whether inside or outside of the ring.
1. An Exhibitor shall primarily be concerned with the health and welfare of his dogs in and out of the ring. Further, he shall devote extra effort to make sure that his exhibit’s health and welfare are looked after from the time it leaves its residence to the time it goes back. He shall ensure that the exhibit is safely transported, has access to feed and/or water, as appropriate, is not unduly exposed to situations, persons or other exhibits that could cause it harm.
2. An Exhibitor shall respect and follow all rules on Exhibiting and Showing as prescribed by the PCCI.
3. An Exhibitor shall always be courteous to fellow Exhibitors, Professional Handlers and to the Judge (s).
4. An Exhibitor shall clean after his Exhibit and assist in maintaining cleanliness and orderliness in the event venue.
5. An Exhibitor shall observe proper decorum at all times during an event. He shall wear the acceptable attire, per PCCI guidelines, when inside the ring.
6. An Exhibitor shall accept constructive criticism.
7. An Exhibitor shall decline to enter or exhibit under a judge where it might reasonably appear that the judge’s placements could be based on something other than the merits of the dogs.
8. An Exhibitor shall refuse to compromise the impartiality of a judge. He shall,
- Make sure that he will not enter the ring of a Judge who was the breeder of his exhibit.
- Make sure that he shall not offer any information to the Judge to influence the latter’s decision.
- Make sure that he will not offer any inducements to the Judge to influence the latter’s decision.
9. An Exhibitor must not smoke, drink alcohol or use a mobile phone while showing inside the ring.
Conduct as a Professional Handler
Showcasing a dog’s attributes in various events organized or participated in by PCCI has always involved human involvement. An individual who handles participating dogs and who receives financial compensation for doing so is known as a Professional Handler.
The Professional Handler, performs the role of the Exhibitor in showing the dog but for a fee. He therefore must, in addition to meeting the minimum acceptable behavior required of an Exhibitor, also ensure that he shall conduct himself according to the additional guidelines stated below:
1. A Professional Handler must ensure that the welfare of the dogs in his care is a priority, not only at dog shows but at home and on the road. He shall place their well-being,
security, and safety above all other business considerations. He has ultimate responsibility for the dogs under his care.
2. A Professional Handler shall conduct himself in a sportsmanlike manner at all times in his relationships with fellow handlers, assistants, exhibitors, judges and clients, which
includes courteous verbal interchanges and a professional appearance.
3. A Professional Handler shall abide by all published PCCI rules applying to registration and dog shows.
4. A Professional Handler shall conduct his business relationships with clients in a fair and honest manner, based on a pre-announced and mutually agreed upon rate schedule and handler/client agreement.
5. A Professional Handler shall provide his clients with their ribbons, trophies and information about their dogs’ placements at each show in a timely manner.
6. A Professional Handler shall provide his clients with itemized monthly billing statements, if applicable.
7. A Professional Handler shall ensure that his clients thoroughly understand payment and release terms.
8. A Professional Handler shall confirm with any previous handler of a new or prospective client that a valid outstanding balance does not exist, and will not handle any dogs for a client with a valid outstanding balance with a previous professional handler.
Conduct as a Judge
Dog events, being mostly competitive in character require the application of a judging procedure to determine how each competitor eventually gets ranked or how a participant meets a prescribed standard of performance. In both situations, the presence of an individual(s) who has been sufficiently trained to apply the appropriate judging procedure and assess the degree to which the standards are being met becomes a necessity. Thus, the need for the Judge who must be knowledgeable about the task at hand, who has the appropriate skills to carry out the job given the social and environmental pressures, and most of all, the integrity and the credibility to dispense fair and honest judgement over the competitors or participants.
A judge must ensure that his behavior in dog-related events or situations shall not cast a shadow of doubt on his ability to dispense fair, rational and objective judgement and should be mindful to always create a level playing field for the competitors in the event where he is adjudicating.
1. A Judge shall act with professional decorum at all times.
2. A Judge shall give every exhibit and exhibitor fair and equal opportunity in each and every class.
3. A Judge shall act in a polite manner while carrying out each judging assignment.
4. A Judge shall present himself in attire that satisfies the dress code prescribed by the PCCI Judging Committee. Such attire must also be acceptable, appropriate and comfortable for each judging assignment.
5. A Judge shall punctually report to the show chairman to fulfil his judging assignment.
6. A Judge must excuse from the competition an exhibit which, at any time during the judging procedure, shows an obvious physical impediment or qualities that are considered disqualification in the exhibit’s breed standard, cannot be handled or may be regarded as vicious.
7. A Judge shall not enter or exhibit any dog at any Conformation Show if said show is being held with another show at which he is appointed to judge, if the former is being held on the same weekend, at the same venue, by the same organizing club or where the entries for both shows are printed on a single catalog.
8. A Judge shall excuse from competition any exhibitor (and his exhibit), who offers information to the Judge that may be regarded as designed to influence the latter’s
decision. He should report the incident to the Chairman of the PCCI Show Committee.
9. A Judge shall report to the Chairman of the PCCI Show Committee if he is approached to favor or disfavor a particular exhibit.
10. A Judge shall report the matter in writing to the Chairman of the PCCI Show Committee if he is approached with an inducement and/or bribe to advantage or disadvantage an exhibit.
11. A Judge shall not smoke, drink alcohol or use his mobile phone to make or receive calls while inside the ring.
12. A Judge shall not criticize by act or word the work of other judges, nor offer criticism of any previously judged dog(s) to anyone including other officiating judges during the course of the show, except for authorized ringside mentoring.
13. A Judge shall judge exhibits in accordance with their relevant breed standard.
14. A Judge shall not read the show catalogue of the show he is judging before he has finished judging all his assigned classes for that show.
15. A Judge shall not solicit judging assignments.
