BLACK Russian Terrier color preservation

This petition is for breeders and owners of the Black Russian Terrier to sign to preserve our breed and only allowing the black color to be able to be shown and registered in UKC  . 

Here is what the International Black Russian Terrier Club wrote to the BRTCA that the UKC did not bother to consider when allowing the standard to be changed.  

International Black Russian Terrier Club

City of Moscow

TEL: +7 916-126-25-06

To the Black Russian Terrier Club of America:

Discussions surrounding the black-and-tan color of the Black Russian Terriers are ongoing and, like you, we have them too.  But at the present time there is no real subject for discussion because the breeding, show, and standard commissions of the Russian Kynological Federation have issued a decision.

Before 2006, puppies of this color received registration cards with a note "not acceptable for breeding" and "the color is not accepted by the FCI." Thus, we had an opportunity to analyze, via the bloodlines, the possibility of planned breeding of the black-and-tan dogs in the breed. With the permission of the show and breeding commissions, we showed these dogs at the club's specialized shows, but they were not awarded titles. At the level of CAC (national) and CACIB( international), dogs of this color were not allowed.

During the experiment many details were clarified, prompting the Standard, Show, and Breeding Commissions of the RFK to discontinue the experiment.  I will mention a few of those details. 

- Not all breeders reported the birth of such puppies and culled them instead, as it is close to impossible to find buyers for colored puppies registered as not breedable;

- when pups were born, not every breeder could precisely recognize the color, and we had situations when only at 2 months old was it clear that a puppy was saddled rather than black-and-tan, and those pups received no papers at all;

- in order to closely study the inheritance of this color, it would be necessary to follow very strict rules for breeding black-and-tan dogs exclusively and not mixing them with black ones . Such experiments are only possible when based out of a government kennel, such as the Red Star Kennel where the breed originated. But the original breeder was opposed to accepting the black-and-tan color and accompanying change to the breeds name. Some of the breeders, who in the beginning supported this color, later started to insist on the mixing of colors. After so many years of selecting for the black coloration, we could not allow the spread of these colors across the breed.

After 2006 the Breeding, Standard and Show Commission of the RFK ended the experiment with their verdicts and closed the subject of the black-and-tan Brts . In certain parings, there are still non-black puppies born, but these have already become isolated events.

Returning to the subject of the assests and faults of the black-and-tan dogs, we can note that black-and-tan dogs were a good type of dog and very close to the standard BRT in build and coat. However, they were often overly aggressive. Saddle dogs were very close in build to the Airedale and had an explosive temperament, were overly reactive and difficult to manage, all which does not correspond with the BRT standard.

As our many years of experience show, pigmentation is closely linked with the stability of the nervous system. This is why it is necessary to select for reinforcing the pigmentation of the eyes, gums, and coat. Black dogs most closely align with our image of the desirable Black Russian Terrier- based on their type, their exterior, their temperament, and their working abilities. 

In conclusion, the International Black Russian Terrier Club considers it imprudent to add other coat colors to the breed standard and to change the name of the breed. 

Respectfully,

President of the International Black Russian Terrier Club

M.V. Gerasimova (signature)