CLUB ITALIANO DEL LEONBERGER
Affiliated to the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana (ENCI)
Member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
June 6, 2026
Ref: CIL/2026/WDS-Bologna/001
Re: Official Response to Public Criticism Concerning the FCI World Dog Show 2026, Bologna – Leonberger Judging
Dear Mrs Junehal,
The Board of the Club Italiano del Leonberger (hereinafter “CIL”), acting in its official capacity and in full coordination with the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana (ENCI) and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), has been made aware of the statements you published on the social media platform Facebook concerning the judging of the Leonberger breed at the FCI World Dog Show 2026, held in Bologna, Italy. The present letter constitutes the Club’s formal and official response.
We wish to state, categorically and without reservation, that the FCI World Dog Show 2026 in Bologna was organised and conducted in full compliance with all applicable FCI regulations, and in particular with the Regulations for FCI Dog Shows (effective 1 January 2026, hereinafter “Show Regulations”) and the FCI Regulations for Show Judges (in force from 1 April 2025, hereinafter “Judge Regulations”), both issued by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, Place Albert 1ᵈʳ, 13, B–6530 Thuin, Belgium. The entire event, including the judging of the Leonberger breed, unfolded without any irregularity, procedural breach, or departure from the established rules.
- The Accusation of Unethical Conduct Is Unfounded and Defamatory
Your public statements insinuate, if not explicitly assert, that the judge appointed to evaluate the Leonberger breed conducted him/herself in a partial and unethical manner, and that the organisation itself acted improperly. The CIL firmly rejects these allegations. The judge performed his/her duties in strict conformity with Article 6 of the FCI Show Judges Code of Commitment to the Welfare of Pedigree Dogs (hereinafter “Code of Ethics”), approved by the FCI General Committee in Dortmund in October 2010 and amended in September 2020, which provides:
“The show judge has to ensure that the judging in his ring proceeds effectively, each dog being judged and treated equally and with respect and using the same procedure throughout his judging. A judge should treat all exhibitors in a friendly and polite manner.”
(Code of Ethics, Article 6)
This standard was met in full. The accusation of unethical conduct, levelled against an identified judge solely by virtue of indirect but unambiguous reference to him/her, the dogs concerned, and the event in question, constitutes a defamatory act. The CIL considers such allegations to be both reckless and unfounded.
We must emphasise that the gravity of your conduct is compounded by the standing of the individual against whom these insinuations have been directed. The judge appointed to evaluate the Leonberger breed at the FCI World Dog Show 2026 in Bologna is a professional of the highest calibre: a specialist of internationally recognised expertise in the Leonberger breed, whose long and distinguished career has been consistently marked by rigorous adherence to the FCI breed standard, by absolute integrity, and by an impartiality that has earned him/her the esteem of the global Leonberger and wider cynological community. His/her reputation has been built over decades of dedicated and exemplary service to the breed, and is beyond reproach.
To cast public doubt upon the professional conduct of such a figure – without evidence, without following any of the formal complaint procedures provided for under the FCI regulations, and by resorting instead to social media commentary – is an act that the CIL regards as not merely legally reckless but profoundly disrespectful toward the entire cynological institution. It is precisely the standing and the lifelong commitment of this judge that renders the attack all the more serious and, in the view of this Club, all the more reprehensible. The FCI Code of Ethics exists to protect the integrity of judging and the dignity of judges; the conduct you have engaged in strikes at the very foundations of that protection.
- Judges Have No Control Over Entries: The Regulatory Framework
It appears that the substance of your objection is that the appointed judge had, at some point in the past, bred or co-owned dogs now exhibited in his/her ring by their current proprietors. The CIL must draw your attention to the fact that judges exercise no authority whatsoever over the entries submitted to a show. Entry is an exclusive right of the dog’s owner, governed by the Show Regulations. Dog shows are not social or entertainment events: they are, by their very nature, instruments of zootechnical selection, and it is a fundamental obligation for all dogs intended for reproduction to be regularly evaluated at such events.
Demanding that a judge refuse to assess dogs that were previously bred by or in association with him/her would not only be contrary to the rules but would amount to blatant discrimination against those dogs and their owners. Such a requirement finds no basis in any FCI regulation. On the contrary, were a judge to refuse to evaluate a dog duly registered in the catalogue and properly admitted to the ring, this would itself constitute a serious disciplinary violation. Article 9 of the General Duties set out in the FCI Regulations for Show Judges is explicit in requiring that judges fulfil their assignments as accepted.
Moreover, Article 1(b) of the Code of Ethics establishes that “the show judge shall at all times comply with the FCI Regulations for Show Judges, the FCI Show Regulations, the FCI circulars regarding health, behaviour and judging of dogs as well as the specific health related rules contained in the FCI Breeding Regulations.” Any unilateral refusal to evaluate an entered dog would be a direct breach of these obligations and would expose the judge to significant disciplinary measures under Article 12 of the FCI Regulations for Show Judges (Penalties) and Articles 48.2 of the FCI Statutes.
III. On Impartiality and the Prohibition of Discrimination
The Code of Ethics, at Article 5(a), requires that “a show judge will apply and take in consideration the official FCI standard of the breed concerned while he is judging.” The evaluation of a dog must be based solely and exclusively on its conformity to the breed standard. Any other criterion – including the dog’s provenance, its breeder, or any prior relationship between the judge and the dog’s owner – is wholly irrelevant and inadmissible. To penalise a dog on account of its origins, rather than on an objective and impartial assessment of its qualities, would be not only contrary to the regulations but profoundly discriminatory and unacceptable.
Furthermore, Article 2 of the Code of Ethics requires that “the show judge shall carry out his judging of breeds in a positive manner” and that he “must be a good representative for dog breeding and for the world of pedigree dogs.” The judge fulfilled this obligation without exception.
- The Actual Breach of the Code of Ethics: Criticism of a Fellow Judge in a Public Forum
We must now address a matter of particular gravity. The CIL has ascertained that you hold, or have held, the status of FCI show judge. As such, you are personally and professionally bound by the same Code of Ethics to which you purport to hold the judging panel accountable.
Article 8(c) of the Code of Ethics provides, in clear and unequivocal terms, that “the judge must always be respectful of the work of his fellow judges.” Article 9 of the same Code, in the section headed “Judges and Social Media,” further specifies that “judges should consider their participation in social media as any public and social interaction,” and expressly prohibits: “(a) criticizing specific dogs, exhibitors, handlers or breeders” and “(c) taking part in forums or discussions on specific dogs/breeds before or after a scheduled judging appointment for these dogs/breeds.”
Your Facebook posts constitute a direct and serious violation of these provisions. By publicly criticising the work of a fellow judge – however indirectly the reference may have been framed – and by engaging in public commentary on the judging of specific dogs at a completed show, you have acted in breach of the Code of Ethics that binds you. The Code is explicit: “Actions of judges that bring embarrassment to the NCO, fellow judges or the canine world in general can be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with Art. 48.2 of the FCI Statutes and 26.11 of the FCI Standing Orders” (Code of Ethics, Article 10).
- Notice of Formal Complaint
In light of the above, the Club Italiano del Leonberger hereby reserves the right – and indeed intends – to file an official complaint before the Fédération Cynologique Internationale for your violation of the FCI Show Judges Code of Commitment to the Welfare of Pedigree Dogs, and specifically of Articles 8(c), 9(a), 9(c) and 10 thereof. This complaint will be submitted in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 48.2 of the FCI Statutes and Article 26.11 of the FCI Standing Orders, and will be lodged jointly with ENCI as the relevant National Canine Organisation.
We equally draw your attention to the fact that, under Article 8(d) of the Code of Ethics, “the judge must report immediately any criticism – accompanied by evidence and facts – which is not based on a positive view but is intended to put him in a bad light or to harm his reputation – to the show organizing committee.” The judge whose work you have impugned has been duly informed of your public statements and of this Club’s response.
The CIL wishes to make clear that it does not take this action lightly. We have the utmost respect for the international Leonberger community and for all parties who engage in good faith in the development of the breed. However, the integrity of the judging process, the reputation of the professionals involved, and the credibility of our national and international institutions must be defended. Unfounded public accusations of the kind published on your Facebook profile cannot be allowed to go unaddressed.
We invite you to reflect upon the gravity of the statements made and to give this matter your most serious consideration.
Francesca Molinari
Club Italiano del Leonberger
REGULATORY REFERENCES CITED IN THIS LETTER
- FCI Show Judges Code of Commitment to the Welfare of Pedigree Dogs (adopted October 2010; amended September 2020). Available at: https://www.fci.be/medias/JUG-COD-en-12634.pdf
- FCI Regulations for Show Judges (in force 1 April 2025). Available at: https://www.fci.be/medias/JUG-REG-20250401-en-19727.pdf
- Regulations for FCI Dog Shows and Complementary Rules for World and Section Shows (in force 1 January 2026). Available at: https://www.fci.be/medias/EXP-REG-en-20260101-22363.pdf
- FCI Statutes, Article 48.2 (Disciplinary Provisions).
- FCI Standing Orders, Article 26.11 (Disciplinary Provisions).
