Fri, 11/14/2025 - 11:17am
Editorial: November 14, 2025
Mexico The 51st State?
President Trump got it wrong, Canada isn’t the 51st state, Mexico can now make that claim. Years after FCI president Rafael DeSantiago tried unsuccessfully to get the World Dog Show, that was to be held in Puerto Rico, moved to Florida failed, we now fast forward to the negotiations that were held and recently announced that the American Kennel Club will sanction a combined American Kennel Club and Federacion Canofila Mexicana dog show.
The Federación Canofila Mexicana is the official kennel club of Mexico and it’s president, Dr. Jose Luis Payro, who worked feverishly to have this come to fruition, is no stranger to us as a well-known and popular gentleman who judges and visits the United States regularly. These negotiations started long ago when Dennis Sprung was at the helm of the organization. This a most significant milestone for the American Kennel Club to hold it’s first sanctioned and licensed dog show outside of the United States. This first-ever collaboration will be a four-day event. Each day will host a AKC sanctioned show and a Federacion Canofila Mexicana Special Attraction Show in order to accommodate every registered breed in the World that is not an AKC registered breed. Dogs can be entered in the FCM Special Attraction Show under their foreign registration number but if you want your dog’s win to be recognized by the American Kennel Club your dog must be AKC registered. This event will be held on November 12-15th, 2026 at the Santa Fe Expo Center in Mexico City. We congratulate the the two kennel clubs on coming to an agreement that is satisfactory to both parties to hold this event. We are especially pleased for Jose Pyro who is a good friend and great supporter of pure bred dogs. Anything that brings the world of pure bred dogs together is a positive move. But it does bring some questions into the bigger picture. We know that FCI member nations can hold national dog shows but what does this mean to FCI when a non-FCI kennel club member like the American Kennel Club goes into a FCI member country like Mexico to hold an event? We, along with Royal Kennel Club of England, have had a long friendly relationship but kept at a distance when it came to membership or hosting FCI events. Is this the beginning of reciprocal events with FCM or its umbrella membership to FCI?? Does this decision put pressure on England to open up its doors? Does this open the door for foreign and FCI member kennel clubs to hold sanctioned and licensed events in the United States? Of course Mexico is not the 51st state, it is a fabulous and beautiful sovereign country to our southern border but with the American Kennel Club spreading its wings over the border, something it has never done since its beginnings in 1884, it will take some getting used to.
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Fri, 11/14/2025 - 11:17am