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Subject: Important Update from CHF President Wayne Ferguson
September 13, 2007
Dear AKC Delegate,
It is with deep regret that I feel compelled to write to each of you
today. As you may know, a proposal has been made and statements
levied against the Canine Health Foundation with regard to a
"drifting apart" nothing could be further from the truth. The
American Kennel Club and the Canine Health Foundation remain
committed to our combined mission of helping our dogs live longer
and stronger – and it is with this mission and your dedication in
mind that we are enjoying the most successful year in our
Foundation's history.
A bit of background is in order. Several weeks ago, I was asked to
meet with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the AKC Board of
Directors – the purpose of which was unclear to me at the time,
however, it was quickly clarified by Mr. Menaker and Mr. Merriam. I
was advised that the AKC was demanding eight Board seats on the CHF
Board of Directors effective immediately in order to regain
"control" of the CHF. Given we only have 23 existing Directors, and
that we are an independent 501(c)(3) organization which is not owned
by the AKC, the proposal was tantamount to a hostile takeover.
Given the impudence of the proposal in light of our independent
status from AKC, I asked to survey members of our Strategic Planning
Committee (which has been diligently working all year on defining
the focus and vision of CHF) for guidance. After surveying the
Committee, I conveyed to Ron and David that real concerns existed
with regard to the proposal particularly since CHF has made great
strides in the last three years. Nevertheless, they requested a
face-to-face meeting with the Strategic Planning and Executive
Committees, which occurred on September 9, 2007.
At that meeting, Mr. Merriam issued an ultimatum – agree that a
third of the Board be ceded to the AKC, or lose funding and our
offices entirely. We were collectively shocked by both the tone and
message that was delivered. We concluded this meeting with the
request to first discuss the matter with our full Board and then
reconvene; however, in spite of our request, Mr. Merriam denied us
that opportunity.
At the conclusion of the Delegates' Meeting the following afternoon,
David informed the Delegate Body that distance had been created and
that problems exist at CHF. Furthermore, two apparently
dissatisfied CHF Board Members rose to support these allegations. I
should add that these Directors have never raised such concerns at
CHF Board of Directors meetings, nor have they raised these issues
to me in private.
We are not distanced from the AKC. In fact, just four years ago, we
moved our offices to the AKC Operations Center in Raleigh to take
full advantage of our alliance with the AKC! As an alliance
partner," the American Kennel Club – our namesake – should be proud
of their accomplishments with regard to the CHF. As a proud "parent"
AKC should be pleased at our independence and success, not mandating
us to conform. I would have expected that they would have been
pleased that we have been expanding our vision to include global
ventures benefiting all dogs.
As an example, in the last couple of years, CHF has continued to
expand its reach into the worldwide canine research community –
effectively seeking out new technologies and capitalizing on the
renowned expertise and knowledge of canine researchers throughout
the world. We are the largest international non-profit to fund
research exclusively for our dogs, and that inspires us. Our Board
and our Staff have worked carefully to build CHF's reputation in the
research community – for a listing of our accomplishments, please
visit our website at
www.akcchf.org.
Folks, AKC is represented on our Board, yet none of these
allegations were supported through a cooperative spirit, but rather
an antagonistic one. Do we have problems? Of course we do! What
growing organization doesn't? But we diligently work to improve on
our successes and eliminate our weaknesses as we move forward
working for you and your dogs. I believe that you and your clubs
want a free and independent CHF, not a puppet or pawn of any of our
strategic alliances. Only independence and free-thinking ensure an
effective and efficient CHF. I firmly believe that to hobble us
through misguided representation on the Board of Directors will
essentially slow the process and nimbleness of the Foundation
considerably. Think of it, contention on the Board is not something
we should strive to but rather eliminate.
CHF continues to garner high praise from independent accrediting
firms such as Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) and the
Independent Charities of America – this is based on our fiduciary
and financially responsible practices and the hard work and
dedication of our professional staff. This praise is only heaped
upon a small percentage of the one and a half million charities
nationwide – we're in an elite class, therefore you can imagine my
dismay at the AKC's erroneous allegations against our finances.
In the coming weeks, we will be exploring ways to preserve the
independent status of the CHF that its Founders – members of the AKC
Delegates' Membership – envisioned by setting the organization up as
a separate 501(c)(3). We take our independent 501(c)(3) status very
seriously. We also take very seriously the current threats to expel
us from our offices and the potential "cutting off" of historical
AKC funding unless we allow the AKC to "stack" our Board. Please
rest assured that we are looking at creative ways to maintain both a
good relationship with the AKC and the independence required for our
501(c)(3) status. Bear with us – I can assure and attest that our
dogs' needs and your expectations as supporters and donors of CHF
will be deeply considered and valued during this trying time.
Sincerely,
Wayne E. Ferguson
President
For Additional Information:
Hostile Takeover of CHF by AKC
Response letter from CHF Executive Committee and Board Members
AKC Response letter to it's Delegates and Parent Clubs re:CHF
comments or news
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