In planning BeaCon’s long-term future during the spring of 2026, we surveyed over 120 Bearded Collie owners. That survey also included an option to volunteer for BeaCon’s Board of Directors. As a result, four new Bearded Collie enthusiasts have joined the board, representing four countries: Sweden, the USA, and Australia. This broader geographic representation opens the door to more localized outreach and closer connections with owners in each region.

Several of our new directors have a specific interest in expanding health registry participation among Beardie owners within their region. We look forward to learning how their unique approaches take shape. Others bring volunteer experience in fundraising that will strengthen our existing efforts to support BeaCon’s activities.

There is also strong interest among our new directors in the management of BeaCon’s health registry database — the only public resource documenting trends in disease incidence within the breed. What we learn from this data helps identify researchers whose work may benefit Bearded Collies. For our breed, over 20 years of research into the autoimmune diseases Addison’s disease and symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy has revealed genetic loci that are disease-related, both in causing the disease and in offering protection from it. A more recent project is underway studying a different autoimmune disease (Immunophenotyping canine IMHA to better understand disease heterogeneity and determine optimal treatment strategies, University of Minnesota).

Readers are invited to meet the new directors on the About page.