There was a very moving ceremony held to launch the celebrations to mark 75 years
of enormous achievements by the Federación Canófila Mexicana, AC as it has worked
tirelessly to promote purebred dogs, whilst at the same time overseeing and contributing
to raising awareness about the well-being and protection of dogs and cats, in the
main – although never failing to keep a close eye on what is happening with other
pets.
The Federación Canófila Mexicana (FCM) was in great shape on 15th May
and no wonder, seeing that it was welcoming a sizeable delegation from the Fédération
Cynologique Internationale (FCI) the global governing body for dog breeding and
of which the FCM has been part for many years. The delegation was headed up by the
FCI President, Rafael de Santiago, along with its Executive Director, Yves de Clercq,
and we were also honoured by the presence of representatives from the majority of
our Latin American sister federations, along with two figures from the world of
German Shepherd dogs, Wolfgang Henke and Clemens Lux. At the end of the day, as
the saying goes, we had the cream of the world’s dog breeders with us on what was
a very important day for the FCM.
One part of this commemoration was the opening of the International Dog Breeders’
Forum, which was dedicated to various mainstays of the FCM, such as Thelma von Thaden,
Geraldine Church, Phillys Duffy, Láceles de Premio Real, María Eugenia García and
José Luis García Sánchez. Some very interesting videos of these latter were shown
along with potted biographies of each of them and it should also be pointed out
that the stage looked incredible, as the videos were projected onto a sphere, representing
the global scale of the event, with a spectacular lightshow and sound. We feel sure
that these images will remain in the minds of everyone who was there for a long
time. Before entering the hall and witnessing this whole colourful spectacle, the
opening ribbons were cut, followed by the unveiling of the plaques recording what
had happened there on that historic day, on which the whole of Mexico was also celebrating
Teachers’ Day.
The event got underway with the welcome address made by the FCM’s vice-chairman,
Juan Luis Martínez Gutiérrez who, as well as welcoming everyone present, also expressed
his gratitude to all of the FCM staff for their enormous commitment and professionalism
in carrying out all of the day-to-day work. He also thanked the representative of
the Legal Councillor and the Head of Government. However, above all he emphasised
the importance of dogs within society and in every Mexican family, as a part of
the family unit, which is still so important today. He later handed over to Teresa
Rodríguez, who had the task of continuing the programme of events for that memorable
day.
The Chairman of the FCI thanked the FCM for all its years of tireless effort on
behalf of the star of the show - in other words dogs - and we also heard speeches
along the same lines made by Yves de Clercq and Clemens Lux.
Later on there was the presentation of the book which offers a short but highly
professional summary of the FCM’s long life. It is illustrated with some excellent
photographs showing the long road along which the FCM has had to travel in order
to become what it is now: a highly professional organisation doing noble work in
enhancing the lineage of man’s best friend.
The next item on the main agenda was a visit to the building which will be the new
Animal Health School and which is actually within the FCM’s facilities. It has four
classrooms to be used for theoretical teaching purposes and two further halls for
practical work; the cutting of the ribbon to mark its opening was also placed in
the hands of the FCI Chairman, Rafael de Santiago. Afterwards there was a small
cocktail party allowing an opportunity for discussions and a good time was had by
everyone attending this unforgettable event.
In the evening there was a Gala Dinner, attended by guests and close friends of
the FCM, obviously, including the sizeable delegation from the FCI. This glamorous
event included a well-deserved acknowledgement of the work of Ingeborg Kincaid and
her amazing career as a dog lover with all that that involves, years and years of
experience and professional achievements were recognised by the FCM that night,
and things became even more moving when Ms Kincaid’s grandson came onto the stage
with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Our warmest congratulations, Ms Kincaid!
The following two days included a competition for the dogs, along with events involving
obedience, agility and specialist breed judging. Each of the events drew a huge
number of dog breeders wanting to take part and as a result there were up to 800
dogs entered, as well as 400 more in the specialist categories and a similar number
in the other events. This really was the cherry on the cake because it meant that
we were all fortunate enough to take part in a historic event which will be remembered
for many a long day.
Congratulations to all of the dog lovers who have helped to make the FCM such a
fine organisation. They have certainly all played their part in making it what it
is and they should be proud that here in Mexico we have one of the best dog breeders’
organisations in the world. Congratulations to everyone involved.
MVZ César Miguel Delgado Contreras
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Lecture hall
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Ribbon-cutting ceremony
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Unveiling of the inaugural plate
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Façade
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
International canine forum
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Part of the team
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Panoramic view of the forum
© Hugo Francisco Pascual
Ingeborg Kincaid