News

BSL - Galicia, Spain

Social media are buzzing with the news that at a show in Galicia (Spain), all Rottweilers had to be shown with a muzzle.     

The Spanish legislation is breed specific (BSL) and qualifies the Rottweiler to be one of 13 "dangerous breeds" (sic).     The Galician police has now for the first time enforced the law at a dog show but probably not for the last time.       

Sad, very sad ... inacceptable ... but a reality for which we cannot be blind ! 

Our Spanish friends from the CRE have ensured us that they are following up on things, are in contact with the cynologic authorities and are considering all possible actions.   

On behalf of the IFR, I have offered all help that we can possibly give and I am convinced that all IFR-Member Clubs will do likewise at first request.     

Given the fact that the FCI World Dog Show 2020 will be organized in Madrid, capital of Spain, I have hopes that the FCI will be willing and able to help and will stand at the side of the Spanish dog lovers in their efforts to bring politicians to realism and to change the law ... and that this will concern more and go further than just the entry and participation to the World Dog Show itself.   

A reliable source amidst Rottweiler friends informed me that a proposal will be made to the Spanish governement to exclude from the scope of the law, all dogs that have passed a test of social behavior.    Let's hope that this will be accepted.

It is clear that the situation emphasizes again the need, to not just refer to the breed standard and state that the Rottweiler is even by definition a breed with a social nature, but to prove this and to do this time and time over again, in daily life and in traffic but also in our programs to breed and keep the Rottweiler.     

Organizing tests of social behavior is a constitutional condition for IFR-Membership !   The current Board has therefore drafted a detailed example of such a test to serve clubs that do not yet organize them.

The conclusions of the IFR Meeting in Wohlen 2018, preceded by the Meeting of Delegates 2017 and confirmed by the Meeting of Delegates 2019, have emphasized this need, incl. that testing for social behavior must be part of all breeding programs and/or breed suitability tests.   

The IFR-committee that was founded to examine all existing breeding regulations and breed suitabiity tests wil most certainly be very much aware of this.     

So I urge all Rottweiler friends : let's not sit stil until this happens in our countries too, lets be pro-active and not wait untill it is too late  ...  : let's organize and participate tests of social behavior and make sure that such tests are part of our breeding programs and our activity calenders..   

Do not forget : even if our Spanish friends succeed to convince the governement to exonnerate Rottweilers that have passed a test from the scope of the law, then this may seem a great achievement but it will only be the win of a battle and not yet of the war : there are no dangerous breeds and all Breeds Specific Legislation is senseless and must be abolished ... but preferably prevented.

FACTA NON VERBA.

Dirk Vandecasteele,

IFR-President.