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 Publicity Officer, 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 (state representatives to the Executive Committee) in the states of Victoria and Queensland and the US state of Hawaii.

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.

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.

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 2005, the Stud Book of the MFCA remains open.

External link

• Mini Foxie homepage (http://www.minifoxie.org)