What is The Westie Foundation?
The Westie Foundation of America, Inc., (WFA) is a non-profit corporation, recognized by the IRS as a 501(C)(3) organization. The mission of the Foundation is to provide financial aid and other support for medical research to benefit the health and quality of life of West Highland White Terriers; and to develop and communicate information regarding the health, care, breeding and quality of life of Westies to Westie owners, Westie breeders and veterinarians.
We will be funding research projects that focus on:
- Preventable diseases through genetic testing;
- Curable diseases through improved medications and treatments;
- Controllable diseases through improved medications and therapies. (Medications, treatments and therapies will include holistic as well as conventional medicine.)
We plan to provide information on how breeders can obtain simple and inexpensive genetic tests for determining carriers of genetic disorders so they can make better informed decisions. We plan to develop educational materials to help breeders learn to utilize the new diagnostic tools and treatments to breed better dogs and improve the quality of life of their Westies.
What the Foundation is not:
The Foundation will not tell breeders which dogs to breed or not to breed. The Foundation will not tell breeders which test(s) to perform or whether or not to register the results. Those decisions are the right of each breeder and stud dog owner.
The Foundation will not operate a registry. Registries are operated by OFA and CERF. The data from OFA and CERF input forms provided by the dog owner will be posted on the AKC Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) with the approval of the dog owner.
How will the Foundation complement the West Highland White Terrier Club of America (WHWTCA) Health Committee?
As the Foundation mission statement clearly states, our primary mission is to “...provide financial and other support for medical search...”. The best way to achieve that goal is with a charitable organization so that all of your contributions are tax deductible (i.e. an IRS approved 501.c.(3) organization). The Foundation is such a charitable organization. The WHWTCA does not meet the IRS requirements for charitable status. Our early financial success indicates that our charitable status is important to donors.
The WHWTCA Health Committee could be one of the beneficiaries of the Foundation's fund raising efforts. As an example, the WFA funded the printing and distribution costs of the 1999 Westie Health Survey. The survey was initiated and primarily developed by the WHWTCA Health Committee, and sent to 6,000 Westie owners. The WHWTCA Health Committee will also provide input from the WHWTCA membership to help the Foundation establish research priorities. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the Health Committee as well as other WHWTCA committees and the WHWTCA Board of Directors.
A Large Constituency:
The constituency of the WFA is all Westies and all Westie owners. The financial resources of the WHWTCA the Westie regional clubs have limited their ability to reach the far larger audience of Westie owners.
How can you learn about the Foundation's activities?
We plan to use a variety of communication vehicles to communicate our plans, activities, and results. They will include:
- a Web Site on the Internet;
- a periodical that will be sent to all contributors;
- articles in the Westie Imprint;
- press releases to all major dog publications.
Public Disclosure
2011 IRS Form 990 Return
(9.9 MB PDF)
