Mini Foxie Club of Australia, Inc.

The Mini Foxie Club of Australia, Inc. (formerly known as the Miniature Fox Terrier Club of Australia) is an independent breed club dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Miniature Fox Terrier dog breed.

The Mini Foxie Club of Australia Inc. holds Mini Foxie shows, maintains the Mini Foxie Breed Register, produces a quarterly newsletter and has direct communication with its many members nationwide. According to Christine Crawford, the current club president, the club has a highly democratic ethos and member participation is vital and lively.

The club is headquartered in New South Wales and has delegates (regional representatives to the Executive Committee) in the states of Victoria and Queensland, New Zealand and the US West Coast.

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Club history

In the early 1980s, breeders and fanciers began meeting informally to discuss the future of this endemic Australian breed. The political climate suggested that Breed-Specific Legislation to restrict the breeding of non-pedigreed dogs may have been imminent, and it was felt that formal organization would be necessary to safeguard the breed’s future. An organizational meeting to discuss the parameters of the breed and possible Australian National Kennel Council recognition was held at the St. Ives Showground between owners and representatives of the Royal New South Wales Canine Council Wes Stacey and Dr. Harry Spira.

Foundation

On the 20th July, 1986, several prominent breeders including Colin Grant, Gordon Grant and Lou Aarons met at Warwick Farm, Sydney and formed the Miniature Fox Terrier Club of Australia. Gordon Grant was the founding president. The Club drafted a Constitution and wrote a breed standard with the assistance of members of the Royal New South Wales Canine Council.

A significant three-day meeting was held in 1992 at Mason Farm in Deniliquin, New South Wales. This time enthusiasts were joined by owners from South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory to consider amalgamating the clubs that had formed in those areas. It became evident that there were differences over the type of dog that would exemplify the Miniature Fox Terrier. Another point of departure was whether or not seeking recognition by an all-breed kennel club should be an immediate priority; many MFTCA members felt that more time was needed to improve and standardize the breed.

The SA, VIC and ACT owners later organized under the banner of the Tenterfield Terrier. The breed standard of the Tenterfield Terrier has different conformation points from that of the Miniature Fox Terrier.

To comply with New South Wales government requirements the Miniature Fox Terrier Club became incorporated as The Mini Foxie Club of Australia in 1992. The name change was as a result of a challenge to the name 'Miniature Fox Terrier' at the time of incorporation; it was not favoured by the majority of club members at that time.

Attempts at amalgamation

In 1999 the MFCA presented a breed development application to the Australian National Kennel Council. The ANKC received a similar proposal from the Tenterfield Terrier Club very shortly thereafter. Both applications were rejected, and the ANKC advised both clubs that in view of the similarities between the breeds, they should "sort out their differences".

In June, 2000 representatives of both clubs met in Canberra. The mindset of the two clubs was apparently quite different; the MFCA considered the meeting preliminary and sent representatives with a mandate to negotiate; the Tenterfield Terrier Club office-bearers were authorized and planned to incorporate the Mini Foxie Club members; the Mini Foxie Club members were unprepared for this and viewed the proposition as a hostile takeover.

Details as to what happened next are somewhat murky. The ANKC was somehow notified that the issues had been resolved and that the Mini Foxie Club of Australia no longer existed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that several directors of the ANKC were later surprised to find that the MFCA continued operation. The MFCA contended that issues discussed at the Canberra meeting were never resolved, and that a promise to return original MFCA documentation lent to the TTCA was never honoured.

In any case, the Tenterfield Terrier was provisionally recognized in 2001, with a breed standard differing to that used by the MFCA. The MFCA continued to operate as the only breed club dedicated to the preservation of the Miniature Fox Terrier.

ANKC Position

In October 2005, following MFCA allegations of misappropriation of MFCA pedigrees, the ANKC issued a directive to all of its member bodies (state canine councils) concerning the registrations of Tenterfield Terriers.

No dog having a MFCA Miniature Fox Terrier pedigree was to be registered as a Tenterfield Terrier by any state canine council.

The executive of canine councils in each state were directed to only register Tenterfield Terriers with five documented generations, that is, four generations plus the dog on the ground. Any Tenterfield Terriers found not to have the required number of generations were to be deregistered.

Club Registry

The MCFA is one of a few breed clubs that reclassify pedigree puppies after one year, to ensure that they are acceptable for breeding. Adult dogs are graded according to how well they fit the breed standard. An adult dog of pedigree parents must be judged superior to each parent in order to receive a higher grading than its parents.

This type of vigilance in breeding has proved to be highly successful for breed clubs such as that of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. The governing bodies of working dog clubs often have similar requirements and sometimes require field tests for their dogs. A downside to such strict regulation may be that the breed registry grows more slowly.

As of 2006, the Stud Book of the MFCA remains open.

A series of publications and events celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the MFCA has been planned for the 2006-2007 Financial Year.

References

• The 20th Anniversary Show Book: Twenty Years of the Mini Foxie Club of Australia". Curry, A. et al.; Steward, J., Ill. - ISBN 0-9758380-0-8