FEDERATION FOR THE AMERICAN  STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER

Dear Members of FAST- 

As the new President of our great organization, I am writing this open letter to express my views on the direction FAST should take in the new millenium. 

First, I believe that FAST is, or should be, an umbrella organization which preserves, pro- motes and protects worthy members of our breed - and there is but one breed - regardless of which registry or registries also record their lineage. By "worthy members of our breed," I mean those dogs which have good temperament, dogs which are mentally sound, trainable, and trustworthy around people. Our Social Compatibility Test is one important tool for recognizing dogs which meet that standard. Prejudice against our breed is still rampant. Though we've won some battles against breed- specific laws in the United States, we've also lost some battles in this country and abroad. This alone should provide owners of dogs in all registries strong motivation to unite. Either we all hang together or we'll all hang separately! 'Me name game doesn't work anymore to protect our dogs. The opposition has wised up. They, too, have access to dog books and the Internet, and by golly they recognize that the APBT and the AST are the same breed with the same ancestral lines, so to cover their bases many ordinances name both, as well as mixes and related breeds. We must, therefore, reach out to people with dogs in all registries, encouraging them to join us in promoting mentally and physically sound dogs, in fighting breed-specific legislation, and in advancing responsible dog ownership both by education and intensive screening of buyers to avoid law-provoking incidents. To increase interest in FAST, I still strongly believe in making FAST's titles and events more widely available, by encouraging regional events. Not everyone is able to travel thousands of miles to our annual FAST-Fest. It is especially important to have the SCT available widely so it can gain legal respectability where the suitability of our breed in modem society may be questioned. I'd also like to see FAST offer obedience and weight-pulling titles and possibly agility titles. We have our own weight-pulling rules, and of course we'd have to formalize rules and regulations for obedience and agility. Unfortunately, moving weight-pulling and agility equipment takes a bit more than the average station wagon or mini-van, so we might have to cluster with other clubs in various areas and rent their grounds and equipment. This would not be cheap, but if we opened our trials to other breeds and mixed breeds, it might be financially possible. We already allow other breeds to gain the SCT. 

Areas with enough members interested in Schutzhund could hold an event for FAST or alternatively FAST could, upon agreement with another Schutzhund trial-giving club, declare that club's trial our National Championship for the sport and offer special prizes to dogs of our breed that perform successfully there. This would be something like what many specialty clubs do when they declare conformation classes at another all-breed kennel club's show to be their Specialty. Finally, membership in the AWDF with the goal of eventual FCI recognition has been the aim of FAST from its founding. We should continue working to that end. Surely we can think of ways to raise the $500 membership fee. Our biggest problem is the need to develop a registry that meets FCI requirements. If the AWDF delivers on its promise to make a program for doing just that available in the near future, then that goal is more readily attainable. Single breed registries can be quite successful, especially if they open their performance events to all breeds. Witness the success of the Australian Shepherd Club of American, the true Parent Club of that breed and the largest single-breed registry in the United States. Within two hundred miles of my home, there are now at least 14 ASCA-sanctioned specialty dog shows and all-breed obedience trials each year, plus several herding trials. I see no reason why FAST couldn't do as well eventually. Let's get the whole world to recognize what great working dogs we have! 

Sincerely, 

Calise A. Shoemaker, President