CODE OF ETHICS OF THE CANADIAN FINNISH SPITZ CLUB

General Requirements

• All members shall when engaged in the normal course of caring for, breeding, selling, exhibiting, trialing and/or judging purebred dogs, abide and uphold the principles of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club and those of the Canadian Kennel Club.

• All members shall strive to gain respect for their participation and that of their fellow members in the foregoing activities and to make the best possible contribution to the improvement of the quality, temperament, health and welfare of the Finnish Spitz breed.

• All members shall accept any majority vote of the club as the wishes of the club.

• All members of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club will make a conscious effort to represent the breed in a positive manner.  They will not engage in the misrepresentation of the breed nor intentionally make misleading or false comments against fellow owners, breeders, exhibitors, or against the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club, the CKC or its members.

• All members will provide for all animals in their care clean, comfortable quarters. These will be warm in winter and cool enough for comfort in summer. All animals will be fed a quality diet and be kept in the best possible physical condition. All animals will be given adequate space to live and exercise in. Whenever necessary, prompt veterinary care will be provided.When it has been deemed necessary to end their dog’s life, owners will ensure that this is performed in a humane fashion by a veterinarian.

• As education is a core value to the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club, members of CFSC are expected to provide prospective owners (and the public at large) with information about the pros and cons of this breed.  Provision of such honest and unbiased information about Finnish Spitz will help to ensure that prospective owners can make informed decisions as to the appropriateness of including a Finnish Spitz in their family.

• To encourage all Finnish Spitz fanciers who demonstrate enduring commitment to the breed to become members of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club through sponsorship or other assistance.

• Each member must realize that their behavior reflects the public image of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club and will act accordingly.

• Nothing in this Code of Ethics shall be interpreted to be in violation of the rules and regulations of the Canadian Kennel Club or the Constitution and By-Laws of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club.

Breeder’s Requirements

• Anyone breeding a Finnish Spitz (bitch or stud dog owner) will ensure that all the puppies are registered with the CKC (or recognized equivalent in their country of residence).  Per CKC regulations, all puppies must be permanently identified (by microchip or tattoo) prior to leaving the breeders premises.  Breeders shall provide a written contract that outlines the expectations and responsibilities of all parties involved, and the breeder will provide ongoing support to owners.

• Anyone breeding a Finnish Spitz (bitch or stud dog owner) is responsible for all of the progeny for the lifetime of every animal.  Should the situation arise that a Finnish Spitz enters rescue or is in need of re-homing, the breeder of that dog must either take the dog back or assist the owner in rehoming the dog.

• No ethical breeder will put puppies on generic web classifieds for the sole purpose of immediate sale or knowingly sell their puppies to a commercial distributor (e.g., pet store or dog broker), nor allow a dog or puppy to be given away as a prize.  They will not engage in overbreeding, nor will they engage in or encourage breeding merely as a source of income or profit.  An ethical breeder will sell pet quality puppies with a non-breeding registration. All puppies shall be sold under a contract that stipulates the breeder’s expectations regarding the care and rearing of the puppy and which includes a return to breeder clause.

• Anyone breeding a Finnish Spitz (bitch or stud dog owner) will use purebred Finnish Spitzes only and will neither breed nor sell a Finnish Spitz that cannot be registered with the CKC.  They will only use animals that are healthy. Anyone who claims that their dogs are free of certain diseases or genetic diseases, must (when requested) provide written proof showing the up to date/current disease-free certification.

• Breeders will not knowingly misrepresent their puppy’s potential nor place any puppy prior to 8 weeks of age.  All puppies must be examined by a veterinarian prior to placement and a record of that vet check (along with its worming and inoculation record) must accompany the puppy at placement.

• It is strongly recommended that dogs selected for breeding should possess examination reports and certifications to evaluate and document their health testing status. These reports should be publicly available in an approved online database such as OFA. Approved online databases include registries under management of veterinary professional associations; registries maintained by non-profit organizations with veterinary staff or advisory boards; and university-based registries under veterinary advisement. DNA tests are not yet available for some diseases that affect the Finnish Spitz but  will certainly be added over time. However, in a general sense, the decision to certify with OFA or DNA test or not should include considerations such as: the seriousness of the disease, the reliability of the test, the prevalence of the disease in the breed, and the presence of affected or carrier dogs in the vertical pedigree. The ideal use of both OFA screening as well as DNA tests is to prevent producing affected puppies, while at the same time maintaining genetic diversity and gradually decreasing the prevalence of the disease gene(s) in the breed.

Acceptance and Enforcement

Each prospective member by becoming a member of the Canadian Finnish Spitz Club, will affirm that they will comply with the club Code of Ethics. Alleged violations of this Code of Ethics must be reported to the Executive. All such complaints will be investigated and dealt with under the Articles, Sections and Parts set aside for same in the Constitution and By-Laws.

Each member agrees to allow inspection of their kennel facilities/house, sales contract and breeding records if the board deems necessary in the investigation of a violation of this code of ethics and/or the by-laws.