WHY WE NEED ARBA

The American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) is a dog registry for over 130 rare breed dogs.  For the Danish/Swedish Farmdog (DSFD), ARBA is the only dog registry outside Scandinavia recognized by both the Danish Kennel Club and the Swedish Kennel Club.   ARBA validates the Danish/Swedish Farmdog in the United States.  Without the ARBA registry, US-born farmdogs would not be recognized as a breed.  By maintaining pedigree records, ARBA provides documentation the DSFD is a purebred dog for the purposes of other dog registries (i.e., dog sports registries), and to protect against specific canine legislation (i.e., mandatory spay-neuter).

ARBA registers the following:  

• Foreign-born farmdogs, previously registered by an approved Scandinavian registry
• US-born farmdogs produced from previously registered foreign-born farmdogs
• US-born farmdogs produced from previously registered US-born farmdogs.

What ARBA registration means to US Farmdog owners and breeders:

1. US-born and ARBA registered DSFDs may participate in dog shows in the US, Denmark and Sweden.
2. US-born and ARBA registered DSFDs may be sold from the US to Denmark and Sweden.
3. US-born and ARBA registered DSFDs may breed with Danish (Danish Kennel Club registered) and Swedish (Swedish Kennel Club registered) farmdogs, and the litters they produce will be recognized as purebred DSFDs in Denmark, Sweden or the US.

ARBA provides conformation show venues across the country, offering numerous opportunities for breeders to show potential breeding stock for “breeding approval.”  Breeding approval is a requirement of the Danish Kennel Club, Swedish Kennel Club and the Danish/Swedish Farmdog Club of America (DSFCA).  Breeding approval is a quality control measure that helps insure that breed typical and healthy dogs are utilized in breeding programs.

ARBA provides DSFCA venues across the country for our annual National Breed Specialty (NBS) show.  Each year, DSFCA partners with ARBA to sponsor our NBS.  Because there are so few DSFDs in the US, DSFCA membership numbers are very small compared to other dog breed clubs, and revenue largely depends on membership fees.  At this point in time, DSFCA cannot afford to sponsor an independent specialty show each year.  By partnering with ARBA for our NBS, both organizations benefit.  ARBA receives and processes the NBS show entry fees, DSFCA has a venue for the NBS, and participating DSFDs receive points toward ARBA titles.        

ARBA provides other important services including: Judges Seminars; Public awareness and education; Conformation Dog Shows; Championship Titles; Obedience Titles; Canine Citizenship Program.

ARBA currently offers the appropriate type of registry for the DSFD.  The DSFD breed is not yet recognized by the FCI.  The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is an international kennel club based in Belgium whose purpose is:
“to encourage and promote breeding and use of purebred dogs whose functional health and physical features meet the standard set for each respective breed and which are capable of working and accomplishing functions in accordance with the specific characteristics of their breed; to protect the use, keeping and breeding of dogs in the member countries; to support free exchange of dogs and cynological information between member countries and initiate the organization of exhibitions and tests.”

Because the DSFD is not yet FCI recognized, the breed cannot be registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC).  AKC offers a foundation stock registry for purposes of a breed’s potential future AKC recognition, but that is not the same as an AKC registration.  At this time, DSFCA is not considering foundation stock registrations due to the small number of farmdogs currently in the US.  At some point in the future, we may reach a population marker where foundation stock registration makes sense, but this is not likely to happen before the breed receives FCI recognition.

Many AKC recognized breeds receive public attention which generates an increased public demand resulting in the exploitation of a breed for profit.  Because AKC does not require AKC-registered dogs to be breeding approved, there is no quality control measure for puppies produced.

Unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills will breed any and all males and females regardless of their health, temperament, conformation, and pedigree compatibilities.  This type of breeding would decimate the currently healthy DSFD population in the US.

DSFCA’s mission is to preserve the DSFD in accordance with its countries of origin, and we align ourselves with policies and procedures followed by the Danish and Swedish Kennel Clubs.  DSFCA provides the connection to the breed clubs in Denmark and Sweden ensuring that the DSFD develops uniformly on both sides of the Atlantic.  ARBA provides the registry recognized abroad allowing purebred farmdogs to move freely between the US, Denmark and Sweden. Together, DSFCA and ARBA provide what is needed to protect and responsibly promote our rare and wonderful breed.