Background History

The Danish-Swedish Farmdog (DSF) is a rare and versatile  working breed originating centuries ago on Scandinavian farms.  In 1987, kennel clubs in Scandinavia officially recognized the breed as purebred.  However, to be recognized as purebred outside the native countries, the breed needed acceptance by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI).  Denmark and Sweden worked together to attain this goal, and in 2008, provisional FCI status was granted and Danish-Swedish Farmdogs registered and pedigreed in Scandinavia became eligible to compete in World Shows and other international events sanctioned by the FCI.
 
Over the past 12 years, the DSF breeding program in the United States has emerged and many fine specimens of the breed are being produced. US-born DSFs did not attain FCI status in 2008 when their Scandinavian relatives did because US-born dogs  are  registered and pedigreed by the American Rare Breed Association, an organization not recognized by the FCI.  Only one organization per country may be recognized by or have a reciprocity agreement with the FCI,  and in the US, the American Kennel Club (AKC) holds that status.

In October of 2010, DSFUSA, LLC, submitted application to the AKC-Foundation Stock Service® on behalf of the Danish-Swedish Farmdog hopes of acceptance.  We believed it was important for US-born Farmdogs to have the same opportunities as Farmdogs in FCI-member countries abroad.  In January of 2011, DSFUSA was notified that the Danish-Swedish Farmdog met the criteria for acceptance and had been formally approved by the AKC-FSS®.

The Danish-Swedish Farmdog is not eligible for registration with the AKC, however, it is eligible for registration with the AKC Foundation Stock Service® Program (FSS®).  The Foundation Stock Service® provides the Danish-Swedish Farmdog an avenue for recognition by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) for participation in FCI sanctioned events.

The American Kennel Club created the Foundation Stock Service® (FSS®) to fulfill the needs of rare breed dog fanciers. The Foundation Stock Service® is an optional record-keeping service for purebred breeds not eligible for registration with the American Kennel Club. With the FSS®, the AKC staff of experts maintains the pedigree, ownership records, and a stud book.  The AKC has extensive experience of more than 100 years of protecting the integrity of registries for purebred dogs.

Based in Belgium, the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)  licenses international shows in its 72 member countries, including the well-known annual World Show. FCI maintains breed standards for all its 341 recognized breeds. It does not operate a registry but accepts pedigrees for show purposes from the registries of its member countries. FCI has a reciprocity agreement with the AKC, the Canadian Kennel Club, and The Kennel Club (of England), which are not members.

References/Forms:  American Kennel Club website.
© 2010-2011 Original content by M. Farquhar Chang with sole permission granted to DSFUSA.
Photos with permission.