It is with deep regret that the Board must inform you that we have received a letter of resignation from the President of the IULH, Mr Guido Perosino.
 
The board would like to thank Guido for his service and leadership. It has been a pleasure to work with him and we all express our deep sadness at the decision which he has had to make. Although Guido will no longer hold a formal position on the ILU board, the Leonberger world is a small one and we look forward to continue enjoying his friendship, knowledge, skills and participation in the community. We wish Guido good fortune for the future.

Guido has resigned due to personal circumstances and the board respects his privacy at this time.

The Leonberger Club of Ireland has advised the ILU that they are no longer affiliated with the National Kennel Club of Ireland. As a result, the club is not eligible to remain a full member of the ILU at this time.

At the September Delegates Meeting, the member clubs voted unanimously to offer Observer Status to the Leonberger Club of Ireland, and this offer has been accepted. This will mean that the club is able to attend meetings and remain in full contact with the IULH. We very much hope that the Leonberger Club of ireland is able to regain membership of the Irish Kennel Club soon and we look forward to welcoming them back as full members of the IULH.

The Polish Leonberger Club (Polski Klub Leonbergera) has made a Formal  Application for Membership of the International Leonberger Union.

A vote on membership will be taken at the next meeting of Delegates in January. In the interim, the Polish Leonberger Club was granted Observer Status by a unanimous vote of the delegates at the Annual Meeting in Leonberg. The board and members welcome our new friends to the Union.

Following discussion amongst the member clubs of the International Leonberger Union, the board notes and accepts the Russian Leonberger Club’s decision to voluntarily suspend their membership of the ILU.

The FCI and its General Committee officially condemn the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. This conflict and aggression cannot leave anybody indifferent and we all feel concerned, sad, and angry. The situation has led the FCI General Committee to hold an extraordinary meeting on Sunday, 27 February 2022.

In order to give the opportunity to our Members/Contract Partners and any other persons to express their solidarity and help towards the Ukrainian people, their dog lovers/breeders/keepers, the FCI will open a bank account, specially for this purpose, where all donations are welcome and will be forwarded, with full transparency, to help the Ukrainian Kennel Union (UKU) and the Ukrainian breeders badly affected by the war and in serious need, living either in Ukraine or having fled to neighboring countries.

Any amount and donation will be welcome and will be used entirely and solely for the above purpose, in full transparency.


Details of the account:FCI – Solidarity with Ukraine
SWIFT CREGBEBB
IBAN BE67 7320 6383 9387
Account number: 732-0638393-87CBC BANQUE ET ASSURANCE
Avenue Albert 1er, 60
5000  - NAMUR
BELGIUM
Thank you all for your support and sense of solidarity with the Ukrainian people!

The FCI General Committee members:
Dr T.Jakkel, FCI President
G.Jipping, FCI Vice-President
B.Müller, FCI Treasurer
M.A.Martinez, 
R.de Santiago
C.Molinari
J.Hindse, President of the FCI Europe Section
JL.Payro, President of the FCI Americas and Carribbean Section
D.Santos, President of the FCI Asia, Africa and Oceania Section

The Board of the ILU supports the recent statement by the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and condemns the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. This conflict and aggression cannot leave anybody indifferent and we all feel concerned, sad and angry.

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Army has also put entire families of our dog community in complete distress. This war has placed our breeders and their dogs at great risk, directly threatening their welfare and their lives. Many have had to flee, others are surviving in precarious conditions, hiding in shelters where food and basic commodities are becoming very scarce. Yet, in these terrible and trying times, they have not abandoned their dogs!

In addition, the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH) strongly condemns the further escalation of violence against the Ukrainian population. Due to the participation of Belarus in this anti-national invasion initiated by Russia, all Exhibitors and Athletes from Russia and Belarus are excluded from VDH exhibitions, exams and sports events.

The German Leonberger Club (DCLH) has affirmed that these rules will apply to the forthcoming Leonberger World Show to be held in Leonberg in 2022 and that all Russian and Belorussian resident Leonberger owners will be excluded from this event.

The board of the ILU welcomes and supports the decisions by the FCI, the VDH and the DCLH.

We are pleased to announce the formation of the Judges Working Group. The initial members of the working group will be ...

• Natalia Romanova (RU)
  
• Agi Hejja (US)
  
• Petra Junehall (SE)
  
• Stefania Bonati (IT)
  
• Milan Pavlovsky (CZ)
  
• Carla Dusseldorp (NL)
  
• Wolfgang Mayer - deputy coordinator
• Guido Perosino - Coordinator

The first meeting of the group will take place on 17th February 2022. Member Clubs that wish to participate may still send names for inclusion in the Working Group.

Due to the pandemic travel restrictions potentially limiting the number of foreign participants and therefore affecting the status of the event, The Russian Club will delegate its right to host IULH World Championship in 2022 to the German Leonberger Club as discussed at our meeting in September 2021. The new dates of the IULH World Show in Germany will be coordinated with IULH Board.

The Union looks forward to the IULH World Show being able to return to Russia as soon as the situation allows.