Is the American Bulldog FCI Recognized?
The American Bulldog is not fully recognized by the FCI. The breed has no official FCI breed number or standard.
What Is the FCI?
The Federation Cynologique Internationale is based in Thuin, Belgium, and includes 98 member countries. It is important to understand that the FCI is not a registry -- it governs and coordinates national kennel clubs around the world. Each member country has its own national kennel club that handles registrations.
How Do European Breeders Register Their American Bulldogs?
Without FCI recognition, European American Bulldog owners turn to breed-specific and bully breed registries:
- ABRA -- accepts FCI pedigrees for dual registration
- EBKC -- European Bully Kennel Club, with shows across Europe
- UKC -- United Kennel Club
- National breed clubs in individual countries
The Path to FCI Recognition
For a breed to gain FCI recognition, it generally needs to be recognized first by the kennel club of its country of origin. For the American Bulldog, that means AKC recognition would likely need to come first. The breed is currently in the AKC Foundation Stock Service -- the first of three stages toward full recognition.
The debate over whether FCI recognition would benefit the breed is ongoing in the community. Thousands of European American Bulldog records are already preserved in the Archive.