From the President

The decade just ended saw some major changes in our breed and our club, and some noteworthy accomplishments and achievements for the FBDCA.  Here are some things that stand out in my mind.

First, the bad news is how the rapid growth of our breed has far outstripped the growth of our club.  In 1999 there were 1,278 Frenchies registered with the AKC, the breed was ranked #73 in popularity,  and there were 352 FBDCA members.  In 2009 there were 7,480 Frenchies registered (counts for Nov. and Dec. 2009 were estimated as the average of the first 10 months of the year), a year ago we were #26 in popularity and are likely to be even higher now,  and there are now 538 FBDCA members.  So although the number of members is now 1.5 times the number in 1999, the number of French bulldogs being registered is nearly six times the 1999 figure.  Frenchies are increasingly being bred by people not involved with the parent club for French bulldogs.

In a related development, in 1999 few Frenchies were being taken in by rescue, but in 2009 FBRN alone took in an average of nearly one per day.  This sad increase is echoed by the other Rescue groups, and is related to the increased popularity of the breed coupled with the economic downturn which has affected pets as well as their owners, and which has resulted in decreased financial support for shelters and rescue organizations in general just at the time when the need is increasing.  This situation is critical and likely to remain so for some time to come. 

But the news is not all bad.

After a century of existence the club has finally begun protecting its name, logo, and other properties by copyright and trademark.  In an era when the internet makes it easy for the unscrupulous to steal others’ intellectual properties this has given the FBDCA legal ownership so that it may take action against anyone who tries to use its properties for his own gain.  The process of legal protection began in 2004 and should be routinely done with all significant intellectual properties that the club produces in the future.

In 2004 the club-affiliated FBDCA Charitable Fund was formed to provide tax deductions for donations to fund health, rescue, and education activities.  The Fund receives income through the Silent Auction at the national specialty, memorial donations in memory/honor of people and dogs, and tax-deductible gifts that may be earmarked for specific projects or topics.  The granting process is described on the FBDCA website in All About Us / FBDCA Charitable Fund where information about donations is also available.

The French Bulldog Donor Advised Fund of the Canine Health Foundation (CHF DAF) supports health research on issues important to Frenchies.  During the past 10 years we have contributed $60,800 to help fund 35 research projects on many different topics, including cataracts, several types of cancers, brachycephalic airway problems, premature disc degeneration, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, use of canine stem cells in  treating disease, infertility, degenerative myelopathy, canine influenza, and heart disease.  We raise funds for this primarily through memorial donations and with the annual Art Auction held at the National Specialty.  Individuals are also encouraged to become members of the CHF and support that organization’s many important programs.  For more information see our website page Helping Frenchies / Supporting Research or visit the Canine Health Foundation website at www.akcchf.org.

During the last decade we’ve seen our national specialties grow and change.  Ten years ago, our shows generally consisted of a day (at most) of seminars and meetings followed by a two-day national specialty with Obedience, Puppy Sweeps and Conformation.  In 2009 we had a day of events that included numerous health clinics and a three hour educational seminar, then a one-day Independent Specialty, and a three-day National Specialty with Obedience, Rally, Puppy and Veteran Sweeps, Conformation, and the new “Breeder Class” special event as well as numerous other ancillary events.   Our new National Specialty Oversight Committee is now working hard to set up our specialties about three years in advance so as to provide enough time for planning and organization.  At present we have shows scheduled for 2010, 2011, and 2012.

At the end of 1999 we did not even have a club website, the first of which was set up in March 2000.  Amanda Ashley and later Kelly Wilcox did great jobs developing it using the extremely time consuming system available in those early years.  The changeover of our website to a very large, sophisticated and versatile “Content Management System” in 2008 marked a quantum leap in our ability to manage club affairs, communicate with members, and provide info and education to members and the general public.   Our club’s increasingly important electronic communications have allowed the club to “go green” which saves considerable money on printing and mailing, enormous amounts of volunteer time and effort, and has the additional environmental benefits of using fewer natural resources and producing less trash.  While those relatively few members who are not online do continue to receive the necessary club communications via the US Postal Service, our website has allowed us to provide much more, and more quickly, to the members who do use the internet.  We hope that in the future all members will be able to use our website and communicate via email.

A chatlist for FBDCA members only was set up in March 2007 to encourage an open exchange of ideas and information between members and the Board in a concise format. Members are encouraged to ask questions, make suggestions, and exchange information on issues related to the Club. To date fewer than half our members have signed on.  We encourage members to do so as this is a good way for information to be shared quickly.  You can opt to read it only online, to receive posts as individual emails, or to receive a daily “digest.”  To be invited to join, just email club secretary, Pat Kosinar, (pkosinar@sunflower.com) and she will issue an invitation.

 
We started the last decade with 6 local/regional French Bulldog clubs; we began this year with 12 in varying stages of development.  A network of active Frenchie clubs throughout the country can be of great help in public education through Meet the Breed and RDO events, and also in putting on national specialty shows.  If there is a local/regional club near you, please support its activities and events.  If there is none, consider organizing one.  Information about how to go about this is on our website at All About Us / Regional Clubs.  We encourage the regional clubs to work with the FBDCA Public Education Committee in educating people about our breed so as to provide a consistent message.

At our annual meeting in 2008, the members voted to do away with the old and outdated Standing Resolutions and in their place the Board has begun compiling a Policies and Procedures manual for all aspects of club governance.  This is a work in progress, and will provide guidance for future boards and committees and give some continuity as the composition of those bodies changes through the years.  Unlike the old Standing Resolutions, the Policies and Procedures manual will be more easily updated and permits adaptation to changing circumstances, which the old Standing Resolutions did not.  The P&P Manual is on our website in the public section in All About Us.
We have set up new committees and expanded old ones to manage various club programs and activities; a list of these is on the club website and the Policies and Procedures manual contains the committees’ Mission Statements and Operating Guidelines.  We encourage members to read the committee reports in our Board Minutes so that you are up to date as to what they are doing.  A list of committee chairs is on the website along with email addresses so that you may contact them easily if you have questions or suggestions. 

In recent years the FBDCA has produced two important educational items: the CD entitled Judging the French Bulldog which includes not only the main presentation given at judges seminars but other important breed resources.  For the past three years this has been given to all attendees at the national specialty, and it is available on our club website in the Boutique. Our new educational booklet French Bulldogs: The Basic Course was sent to all members last year, is available for Meet the Breed events, and is available on the website boutique.  This booklet has been nominated for three prestigious awards in the annual Dog Writers Association of America competition.  Financial support for the first printing was provided by a generous donation to the FBDCA Charitable Fund, earmarked specifically for this purpose.  This is a good model for how our Club and Charitable Fund can work together in specific projects.

The next decade will have its challenges as well as its opportunities. We already know that the increasing popularity of Frenchies is one of those challenges. One way to meet this particular challenge is for each and every club member to commit to educating others about our breed.

Jan Grebe, President