Dear Sir or Madam, dear dog handlers and friends of working dog sport!
It is a great pleasure for me that we are visiting Spain for the first time with our World Championship for Utility Dogs. Organizing this World Championship, which is the world’s most important event in Utility dog sport, is a great challenge. We have a very committed team in Spain that has already put a lot of effort into the preparation. I am convinced that we will have a very well organized World Championship.
In addition to the sporting competition, this event also offers the opportunity for an international exchange of experience and the cultivation of friendships and the formation of new friendships among like-minded people.
In addition to the sporting activities, there should also be time to see the sights of the city and the surrounding area. Spain has a lot to offer. Use the days to enjoy the beauty of the region.
Utility dog sport is an ideal field of activity for our working dog breeds. Dogs need species-appropriate activities! Only busy dogs can be happy dogs. Due to the variety of these tests, nose work, harmony between dog and handler and control in a high appetite behavior, they place high demands on the disposition of the dogs and the training by the dog handlers. It is the supreme discipline in dog sports. Utility dog sports are repeatedly subjected to unjustified criticism, especially in Central Europe. This sport is the basis for maintaining and further improving the characteristics of working dogs. We want socially compatible dogs with working dog characteristics that are suitable both as family dogs and as service dogs and rescue dogs.
Preparing a world championship involves a great deal of effort and requires the help of many volunteers. I would like to thank the Spanish Cynological Association and the entire team for preparing and holding this world championship.
I wish the participants who qualified for this world championship in national selections every success. I am convinced that our experienced judges will guarantee that it will be a fair sporting competition.
So I wish everyone a pleasant stay in Spain, which will remain a pleasant memory for a long time.
Supervisor B/C – Mr. Robert Markschläger (Austria)
President of the FCI Working Dog Commission