Animal fancy
Animal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals.
Fancy may include ownership,[1] showing, trialling and other competitions, breeding and judging. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures, such as aquaria[2] and aviaries. Fanciers with means may keep hobby farms or private zoos. There are many animal fancy clubs and associations in the world catering for everything from pigeons to Irish Wolfhounds; members may own many animals or none at all.
Organizations
Some examples of animal fancy organizations are:
- The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) is the largest cat fancy organization in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1910 and as of 2010, it comprises 146 affiliated cat clubs. It licenses cat shows and it issues around 30,000 pedigrees per year. The organization also conducts research into feline diseases through its charity, the Cat Welfare Trust.[3]
- The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) is the largest cat fancy organization in the United States and was was formed in 1906. It has more than 600 member clubs and its work includes licensing cat shows, maintaining breed standards, registering cats and catteries, and running programs to encourage participation in the cat fancy.[4]
- The American Poultry Association is the largest and oldest poultry organization in the world. It licences poultry shows and judges and compiles the American Standard of Perfection.[5]
- The Australian National Kennel Council is the supreme body for dogs in Australia. It registers dogs and maintains breed bloodlines, registers and approves judges, compiles and updates the breed standards for Dogs in Australia and acts as a regulating body for the state kennel clubs, who in turn licence and organize dog shows.[6]
References
See also