Page 11 - 4TH QUARTER 2017

AN INTERVIEW . . . N INTERVIEW . . .
A
with our list of members. Our net
revenue also continues to increase
yearly, and to this day, among 90 FCI
member countries, we are ranked #6
with regard to registrations. The PCCI
is now the center of the Asia Pacifi c
cynology with the head offi ce of the
FCI Asia and the Pacifi c Section now at
our PCCI headquarters.

What sticks to everyone’s mind when
one talks about Philippine cynology
today is the now famous Philippine
Circuit. This all started when we won
the bid for the FCI Asia and the Pacifi c
Dog Show in 2011, which was then
followed by the now defunct multiple
country CAC shows. The Philippine
Circuit is now one of the most popular
shows in the world. Everyone talks
about this famous show every January
held in Manila. I take pride in talking to
people around the world about these
shows that have taken the dog show
world by storm. No one could have
ever imagined our once “little” PCCI
going global. We Filipinos should be
proud of the Philippine Circuit because
it is OUR show.

The Philippine Canine Club has been
in existence for 55 years this year. Its
name comes synonymous with the
pedigree dog in the Philippines. As our
club continues to grow, we are faced with many more challenges. Time has come where we need to start focusing on
the welfare of the pedigree dog. It is time that the PCCI starts overseeing, directing and improving breeding practices,
resolving issues surrounding genetic diversity, research into dog health and ensuring that dog showing is a positive force
for change. We must now try to ensure that we educate breeders to produce healthier dogs that are fi t for function. My
next initiative will be to focus on promoting health clearances before breeding because we must realize that pedigree dogs
come from a much smaller gene pool and so the risk of inheriting identical sets of genes from both parents - either good or
bad - are increased, and so the risk of certain diseases is higher. This will defi nitely be a challenge but it is only by education
that we can accomplish this – and it is for the future of our dog sport.

Another initiative I would like to promote is to have a “Quality Breeder” program. This is where buyers of pedigree
dogs can be assured of quality and better dogs from reputable PCCI breeders. With the increasing number of puppy
registrations yearly, which hit 90,000 in 2017, we must start separating the serious breeders from the so-called “backyard.”
This will greatly educate the prospective buyers about purchasing from breeders who are committed to improving and
maintaining excellent breeding standards. This won’t be but we do need to start somewhere.

I have always dreamt of having a World Dog Show in the Philippines. I know that we are now capable. Unfortunately,
we don’t have the facilities to host an event on such a large scale. It was funny how at one show in China in 2014, I was
having coff ee with Gopi Krishnan, Franki Leung and Denis Kuzelj when I brought up the wild idea of having the WDS
in China. It was an interesting discussion while we were doing our statistics and counting possible votes. When the
fi gures were fi rmed up, we immediately called Andy Gong and Tim Hsieh who then immediately fl ew over to meet with

9