The Briard Medical Trust was established by the Briard Club of America in 2005. It was organized under the IRS code as the Briard Club of America Health and Education Trust, a separate 501(c)(3) organization to allow for tax deductible donations. Although the organization is separate from the BCA, the Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees, among whom one Trustee must be a current BCA Officer or Director. The remaining Trustees must be BCA members.

Goals of the trust

• To develop and enrich understanding of the diseases and genetic anomalies which affect Briards, in part through establishing and updating a database of health information about the Briard.
• To support and promote the study of and research on the genetics and health issues which affect the Briard.
• To develop and make available to the general public and the purebred dog fancy information about the proper care, treatment, breeding and development of Briards as it relates to the health and well-being of individual dogs and the breed as a whole.

In order to better determine the health problems we have joined with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to participate in their breed health survey project. We strongly urge ALL Briard owners to take the survey.

Our Eye Committee holds annual clinics at the BCA National Specialty. Eye specialists examine the dogs for PRA or any other eye conditions, and usually we will have blood draws to be submitted for CSNB analysis.

In our commitment to education, the Trust endeavors to have a speaker on health issues at each of the BCA National Specialties. In addition we keep Briard owners informed through articles on our website as well as in the Dew Claw.

Since 2005 we have sent at least one member to the AKC Canine Health Foundation Conference in St. Louis. Reports of these conferences are published in the Dew Claw.

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