IWG – Objective 10 - CIABS
As many of you already know we can do very little in Italy to force breeders and owners to follow specific rules.
Pedigrees are issued by ENCI and, at present, the breeder (CIABS member or not) must just produce the FCI pedigree of the parents to have his/her litter registered with ENCI/FCI pedigrees.
Since our work depends on internal rules and must take into account the fact that our members collaborate on voluntary basis, here are our future plans to reach Objective 10:

1) Collecting data
● Questionnaires - Dead and living BMD
   - End 2006: a questionnaire will be sent to the owners of dogs registered in 1999
   - 2007: the same with dogs registered in 2000. The answers will allow us to make a first evaluation
      about the health of the breed in Italy. We’ll also get precious information about life conditions, type
      of food, skin diseases, place where the dog lives, etc…
   - 2008: dogs registered in 2001. These data should confirm the previous ones. After that, we’ll see if
      it is useful to go on sending the questionnaire to the owners of the dogs registered in 2002, 2003
      and 2004
● Delegazioni Regionali (CABBI), Delegazioni Provinciali
   - the delegations have the task to promote sense of responsibility and to explain to owners the
      importance of giving data, in particular related to health/death
   - as regards health they will be in touch with Clinics and Vets to collect data of their patients (BMD)

2) Breeding Committee
A new Breeding Committee will start in 2007, it will work in particular for health / longevity and include specialists in the medical–scientific field, involved in breeding strategies for long-life, healthy BMD.
One of the first tasks of the Committee will be to revise the request to obtain the “selected breeding” (Riproduzione Selezionata / ENCI)

3) Project Longevity
Barbara Gallicchio DVM started a scientific study 2 years ago collecting data (health and death) in order to find relatively old males and females whose relatives did not die young; the aim is to develop new blood lines from the patriarchs and matriarchs, planning the mating to get long-life families. CIABS is co-operating to the study making BMD death / life information available.
The co-operation with other clubs abroad is also important for this study
(www.asetra.it)

4) Project Death Causes
We are having the first contacts to develop a study on national basis about death causes:
● puppies in the first 12/15 days of life
● autopsies on adult dogs

5) Health Fund
It was created in February 2006. It supports initiatives in the interest of BMD health.

6) 20th Anniversary of CIABS Foundation - Symposium
● Scientific information about health and longevity
● Judging BMD