Incorporation of WCAC and AAFC recognition of the SSSD evolving breed
THE WORKING CANINE ASSOCIATION of Canada was incorporated on 31 July 1997 under the Animal Pedigree Act (1988) as an animal pedigree association under the terms of the Act. It was incorporated specifically in respect of the Seppala Siberian Sleddog as an evolving breed, which was recognised as such by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at that same time. WCAC By-laws were approved and certified by AAFC on 10 March 1999. The task of the Association is to identify animals of the Parental Generation of the SSSD (in accordance with the Breeding Guidelines that are part of WCAC's Articles of Incorporation) and to keep pedigree and stud book records of subsequent breeding. Once the breed has reached the Third Filial (F3) or later generations in sufficient numbers, WCAC may petition AAFC to inspect the stock involved and to grant recognition to the SSSD as a "distinct breed" under the terms of the Act.
Present status of WCAC
WCAC languished for a few years after the initial effort of securing the incorporation of the Association, recognition of the evolving breed, the creation of a breed standard and of By-Laws for the Association, and identification of the Parental (P1) Generation of the breed. The loss of four of our initial Directors made activity difficult due to lack of a quorum and for awhile there was little interest in the new breed. That difficult period is now in the past and WCAC has been reactivated with renewed energy and enthusiasm.
The work of identifying the Parental Generation of the Seppala Siberian Sleddog is now largely complete, unless previously unknown or unavailable dogs should turn up. (That seems unlikely due to the recent precipitous decline in numbers and breeding of the McFaul/Shearer bloodline in the other registries, and to the failure of the Solovyev bloodline to establish itself in Europe where most of the stock exported from Russia found a home.) The task of the moment now becomes the advancement of the F2 and F3 generations, the integration of the import bloodline with the McFaul/Shearer rootstock, and the dissemination of breeding stock in Canada and elsewhere, of course along with the vital record-keeping of pedigree ancestry and new breeding, work that is the soul of any animal pedigree association.
What is being done now?
The burden of the many and varied chores that go with reactivation of WCAC is proving to be very heavy, rather more than the breed founders can bear. Configuration of a registry database, data gathering and entry, preservation and digitisation of photographs and documents, design of logos, banners, and ultimately a new website for the Association, the translation of SSSD documents into French, so that we can better serve members in the historic Seppala heartland of Québec, design of forms and certificates, preserving an ongoing photographic record -- the work truly seems endless. And people remind us, over and over again, that a "Complete Seppala Siberian Sleddog" book must be written! Without the aid of energetic and committed younger WCAC members, it is hardly possible that all this can be accomplished at the same time.
Recently a filial association of WCAC, the International Seppala Association, was incorporated in Whitehorse under the Yukon Societies law, to assist WCAC in promoting the SSSD breed worldwide and to keep pedigree ancestry and breeding records for the Seppala Siberian Sleddog outside of Canada. ISA has its own constitution and by-laws, its own ancestry database and a Board of Directors interlocking with that of WCAC. Thus the scope of the SSSD breed development initiative is expanded globally.
Becoming a WCAC member and an SSSD supporter
We urgently need a few motivated people to help WCAC to carry out its objectives; we urge those who feel sincerely interested in the breed and willing to commit themselves to creating a secure future for the descendants of the Leonhard Seppala dogs to contact us, to join the WCAC, and to assist us in the hard work of keeping WCAC moving along as a viable animal pedigree association. Most particularly those whose ambition is to become SSSD breeders should first become WCAC members and thoroughly understand the parameters of the project. It is not possible to participate in the breed development project "through the back door" by acquiring and breeding "percentage Seppalas" from the USA or elsewhere and then trying to obtain WCAC P1 status for them. "Dual registration" of sleddogs as SSSDs and CKC/AKC Siberian Huskies is not possible, nor will dogs not wholly descended either from WCAC Parental Generation stock or from pure McFaul/Shearer and/or Solovyev bloodlines be given P1 status except in rare and exceptional cases.
Interested persons are encouraged to read the objectives of WCAC and the canine eligibility rules, to examine the By-Laws, to download, fill out and return the WCAC membership application, and to join the WCAC/ISA news and announcements loop by subscribing to the Yahoo Groups "Seppala Siberian Sleddog" email list and bookmarking the Sleddog Legacy Online newsletter. WCAC membership also automatically confers full ISA privileges, including use of the ISA Pedigree Knowledge Base online Seppala pedigree search facility, which contains Seppala ancestry records going back eighty and ninety years to the original Leonhard Seppala dogs and Siberia imports.
Contact Address:
Réjean St.-Pierre, Acting Secretary/Treasurer
Chenil L'Islet
266 des Pionniers Oest
L'Islet, QC G0R 2B0
email: restpier (at) videotron.ca
