April is FULL of wins!

First, I'd like to start off by announcing that the AKC's FSS representative presented the Bouvier des Ardennes to the board and we got approved! Upon fulfilling AKC's request for further breed information for education purposes, AKC will officially display the breed in their eligible FSS breed list and the BdA will have their own page. Additionally, we may now register our Ardennes with the AKC for studbook record keeping, litter tracking, and competition in events. I few AKC and UKC judges have congratulated us and reached out to soft prepare us for breed education in the future. Major win!

Second, I'd like to thank Dr. Casey Knox who is the veterinarian on Wisdom Panels genetics research team. She very kindly offered us an opportunity to develop the BdA breed code through a number of different efforts that will enlist the help of our BdA friends in Europe. Success of this project will allow future puppy buyers in the US to test their dogs with DNA health test kits and their breed results will come back 100% purebred Bouvier des Ardennes.

Third, we have submitted all necessary paperwork to the state of Georgia and to the IRS for establishment of the Bouvier des Ardennes Club of America. This is a crucial step to gaining support and ensuring quality control of registered BdA in the US, education for judges and exhibitors, coordinating events with AKC and UKC, and having an official representative to track metrics across the country. More to follow.

We engaged the research team with UKC last month in regards to metrics for registered Ardennes in UKC. While their privacy policy does not allow for them to divulge how many dogs they have enrolled, they are able to share the names of dogs who have titled. Currently Ansem is the only BdA in the US to win a UKC title. An exciting mark for our history, but we hope to change this over time if we want the breed to grow.

Last, but certainly not least - Ruffian had a positive report from our reproductive vet. We did a semen analysis and it came back with favorable results. We will start appropriate supplements and monitor Rumi over the next few months in hopes we have a heat cycle. Our repro vet will support us through this process and we have decided to proceed with a surgical AI to maximize the potential for success.