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Dog News The Digest of American Dogs Volume 27, Issue 16 April 22, 2011
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Breeders:Christopher
Vicari&
Manny
Comitini
Gunner
isa
thirdgeneration
BestIn
SpecialtyShow
Winner!
BestIn
Specialty
BestIn
Specialty
Show
Win
nin
gSh
owW
inn
ing
4 Dog News
BY SARI B. TIETJEN
BY PAT TROTTER
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
BY ANDREW BRACE
BY NICK WATERS
BY LESLIE BOYES
BY AGNES BUCHWALD
BY CARLOTTA COOPER
BY M.J. NELSON
PATRICIA GAIL BURNHAM
BY CHARLES ROBEY
BY SHARON PFLAUMER
BY SHAUN COEN
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
BY DESI MURPHY
BY ALLISON FOLEY
BY SEYMOUR WEISS
BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
BY KIT RODWELL
BY LESLIE SIMIS
10 Editorial
14 The Way It Is
18 Inside the Sport
22 Question of the Week
26 Brace Yourself
30 Display of Affection
34 Bests Of The Week
38 Ten Questions
42 Rare Breeds of the World
46 A Nation of Pet Lovers Loses Its Way
50 A Salute to Old Dogs
54 Veterinary Ethics
56 Are You Disaster Ready?
58 Treibball
60 Off The Leash
62 A Weather Debacle, Sir Bateson... And More
64 The RKF
66 True North
68 Our Literary Legacy
76 The Gossip Column
84 Click – Sacramento Kennel Club
96 Click - The Hound Classic
106 Click - The Way We Were
112 Letters To The Editor
All advertisements are copyrightedand owned by DOG NEWS, HarrisPublications, unless received camera-ready. Permission to reprint must berequested in writing.
DOG NEWS (ISSN 0886-2133)is published weekly exceptthe last two weeksin December byHarris Publications,1115 Broadway,NewYork, N.Y. 10010.Periodical Postage paid at NewYork.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes toDOG NEWS,1115 Broadway,NewYork, N.Y. 10010
114 dog show calendar
118 handlers directory
120 subscription rates
122 classified advertising
124 advertising rates
ContentsAPRIL 22, 2011
4 Dog News
BY SARI B. TIETJEN
BY PAT TROTTER
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
BY ANDREW BRACE
BY NICK WATERS
BY LESLIE BOYES
BY AGNES BUCHWALD
BY CARLOTTA COOPER
BY M.J. NELSON
PATRICIA GAIL BURNHAM
BY CHARLES ROBEY
BY SHARON PFLAUMER
BY SHAUN COEN
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
BY DESI MURPHY
BY ALLISON FOLEY
BY SEYMOUR WEISS
BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
BY KIT RODWELL
BY LESLIE SIMIS
10 Editorial
14 The Way It Is
18 Inside the Sport
22 Question of the Week
26 Brace Yourself
30 Display of Affection
34 Bests Of The Week
38 Ten Questions
42 Rare Breeds of the World
46 A Nation of Pet Lovers Loses Its Way
50 A Salute to Old Dogs
54 Veterinary Ethics
56 Are You Disaster Ready?
58 Treibball
60 Off The Leash
62 A Weather Debacle, Sir Bateson... And More
64 The RKF
66 True North
68 Our Literary Legacy
76 The Gossip Column
84 Click – Sacramento Kennel Club
96 Click - The Hound Classic
106 Click - The Way We Were
112 Letters To The Editor
All advertisements are copyrightedand owned by DOG NEWS, HarrisPublications, unless received camera-ready. Permission to reprint must berequested in writing.
DOG NEWS (ISSN 0886-2133)is published weekly exceptthe last two weeksin December byHarris Publications,1115 Broadway,NewYork, N.Y. 10010.Periodical Postage paid at NewYork.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes toDOG NEWS,1115 Broadway,NewYork, N.Y. 10010
114 dog show calendar
118 handlers directory
120 subscription rates
122 classified advertising
124 advertising rates
ContentsAPRIL 22, 2011
Dog News 5
Number 1* Silky Terrier
GCh. Brenda
Multiple All Breed Best In ShowMultiple Specialty Best In ShowMultiple Toy Group Show Best In Show
*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed
Owned by Diane Adamcik, Debra Caselli, and Pam LaperruqueConditioned and Owner Handled by Pam Laperruque, Ramona CA
April 7, 2011Arizona Toy Dog FanciersJudge Mr. Bradley Jenkins
Thankful for “Pure Silk” Moments
Brenda “Bags” Another One!
GCh. Brenda
6 Dog News
DOG NEWS is sent to all AKC approvedConformation Judges every week on acomplimentary basis. No part of this publicationcan be reproduced in any form without writtenpermission from the editor. The opinionsexpressed by this publication do not necessarilyexpress the opinions of the publisher. The editorreserves the right to edit all copy submitted.
PUBLISHER
STANLEY R. HARRIS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SEAN K. GAFFNEY
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
SHAUN COENY. CHRISTOPHER KING
ACCOUNTING
STEPHANIE BONILLA
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EMAIL [email protected]
WEB ADDRESS: www.dognews.com
SUBSCRIPTIONSIAN MILLER
212 462.9624
CONTRIBUTING EDITORSSharon Anderson
Lesley BoyesAndrew Brace
Agnes BuchwaldShaun Coen
Carlotta CooperGeoff CorishAllison Foley
Yossi GuyJohn Mandeville
Desmond J. MurphyM. J. Nelson
Robert PaustSharon Sakson
Gerald SchwartzKim Silva
Matthew H. StanderKarl Stearns
Sari Brewster TietjenPatricia Trotter
Connie VanacoreCarla Viggiano
Nick WatersSeymour Weiss
Minta (Mike) Williquette
DOG NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERSChet JezierskiPerry Phillips
Kitten RodwellLeslie Simis
* *
*
DOG NEWS COVER STORY - APRIL 22, 2011
Dog News 7
**
*The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed points*The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed points
8 Dog News ALL - BREED POINTS
Dog News 9
10 Dog News
THE UPS AND THE DOWNSAKC reports in the April Board Minutes that overallaggregate Entries were up by 5.29% for January andFebruary which trend continued through the end ofMarch. Conformation was up by 3.78% while Agil-ity was even higher! That sounds good but keep inmind that the rise in gasoline prices nationally mayhave an adverse affect on show entries but let’shope not. Many people may elect to stay closer tohome which could benefit local shows and clustersin the more heavily populated metropolitan areas.For now though the outlook for entries generallylooks most promising. Not on the upswing howeverwere the revenue’s in AKC’s first quarter which weredown 6% lower than the prior year with operatingexpenses 1% higher than the previous year. On theother hand AKC investments generated close to$500,000 more dollars in the first quarter of this yearthan it did in the same period last year. Also theBoard has increased the recording event fees forfirst entries in Agility,Rally and Coonhound events to$3.50 which makes all fees consistent with all otherAKC Events. So use these figures as you will-somewill find them negative others positive! So what’snew--is this any different than what is going on inour national political financial debates? Some findproblems with everything, others see no problemsat all. People use figures most frequently to theirown advantages in all walks of life so why shoulddog people react any differently.
SOME DELEGATE ACTIONPresently Article VI, Section 5 of AKC’s Bylawsprovides that “any individual found to have sto-len, embezzled or misappropriated funds from anAKC club, is barred from being a Delegate for tenyears.” The Board wants to expand this to includeThe AKC itself,any AKC subsidiary or affiliated orga-nization to be grounds for the same disapproval orremoval of a seated Delegate. Sounds reasonableto most anyone except of course for the MemberClubs which seem so protective of their right and/or privilege to seat anyone the Club desires to soanoint. Therefore to sweeten the additions to VI-5the Board has added to VI-7 the right of an appealfrom anyone so removed by the Board in the part ofthe Delegates. This appeal to retain or remove theseat must be confirmed by a 2/3rd vote of the Dele-gate Body! What pandering to the Member Clubs isthe reaction of these pages. Is someone really say-ing that the indicted Treasurer of Dog Writers, werehe to be voted in as a Delegate by a Member Clubwould have the right to appeal a Board refusal toseat him to the Delegate Body! Really when doescommon sense enter the picture instead of worry-ing about how the Delegates will react to their so-called right to appoint whomever they want torepresent them. How far should this interpretationbe carried one must ask with chagrin!
GET IT IF YOU CANA fascinating and extremely informative Report wasrecently issued by The Kennel Club in the UK entitledthe DOG HEALTH GROUP Annual Report.It is a 33 pagedocument, including covers, which analyzes in depththe creation of (DHG) specifically and its interactionworking with the Kennel Club on health-related issueswith the monitoring and measurement of the results ofits work.The fact that for decades now the Kennel Clubhas donated significant sums of monies to support re-search intocaninediseases aswell as toestablish varioushealth screening programs as well as working with otherorganizations on canine health issues is oft overlookedby those in the UK and elsewhere in their attempts toquestion long established breeding practices. Whetheror not one agrees with all of the methods used by theKennel Club in achieving its objectives the reality of thesituation is that work in these areas has been developedfor decades now. The double standard reaction of theRSPCA and the BBC in that country to the alleged prob-lems raised by PDE whilst ignoring the past efforts of theKennel Club are impossible to ignore. Furthermore bothRSPCA and the BBC have condoned actions far moreserious affecting for instance horse racing in that coun-try where year after year horses are subject to deathat facilities such as the Grand National. Such that thedisproportionate reaction to PDE as compared to theGrand National makes one sit back in astonishment.The DHG report goes along ways to answer the legiti-mate critics of a system as well as the knee-jerking over-reacting ones of those with a “mere bone” to pick.
OPEN THOSE DOORSWhen if everwill theDelegateBodyeliminate its selectiveand discriminatory rule which prevents certain peoplefrombeing seateddue tooccupational ineligibility?Musta lawsuit be brought against AKC to open these doorsas with each day seated Delegates find new methodsof evading this restrictive and outdated Bylaw. The lat-est fiasco in this area is of course the Delegate/Judgewho requests that a designated amount, equivalent toa fee charged by a professional judge, be contributedto a charity in his or her name. Come on this is one ofthe worst evasions of the rule which precludes a pro-fessional judge from being seated that has ever beenperpetuated upon the Fancy. But get away with thiscertain people continue to do while all the Committeesand all the Kings men sit on their you know whats ig-noring the basic flaw in the system--yes that’s right thecontinuance of an arbitrary and discriminatory methodof selecting people to represent the Fancy. Until this ischanged the antiquated and antediluvian reaction ofthe Delegate Body to progressive changes in the exist-ing system will continue.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKWell it sure looks like the Reserve Best in Show is soon tobe a fait accompli!! Are points to be awarded too??Is it really a necessary placement with which to begin.When the Best American dog in show was eliminatedyears ago it looked as though AKC had realized thatsuperfluous awards were unnecessary. Well today is to-day and the philosophies have changed in that areafor sure. But is the Reserve Best in show a real need orjust another frill meant to assuage a disgruntled exhibi-tor or a Judge fearful of making a total commitment?Editorial
APRIL 22, 2011
Dog News 11
12 Dog News
Dog News 13
14 Dog News
By Sari B. Tietjen
It is the season of Annual Reports as our inboxes and postalboxes are being flooded with these reports reflecting the fiscal
health and well-being of a particular company. Annual Reports areoften designed to serve as a comprehensive review of a company’s
activities and financial performance during the prior year.
breeders and the more AKC gets the message outthat these are the individuals who have pledged toprotect and promote purebred dogs in particular,and all dogs in general, the greater the opportuni-ty to separate itself from other registries. Instead ofhiding behind a cloak of perceived elitism, hand-wringing and pandering to “puppy mills,” brokersand middlemen, AKC should be proud of whatits responsible breeders have done, the sacrificesthey have endured, and they achievements theyhave made.This Annual Report is a step in the right direc-
tion – and should be acknowledged as such – butmuch more needs to be done. Already the publicrelations tools used by shelters have proven to beextremely successful in reaching the hearts-and-minds of people wanting to have a dog(s) in theirlives. Unless they are looking for a carefully bred,purebred dog, the belief that they are saving adog from certain death trumps all else.AKC needs to promote what responsible breed-
ers do: the health screenings, the studied matingsin a quest for healthy, quality puppies, the caretaken to ensure good homes for those puppies,the pledge to take back any unwanted dog pur-chased from them at any time, the clean, social-ized environment, and the participation at andsupport for events and educational activities.AKC does have a Breeder of Merit program
which was started last year, but it needs to get in-formation out to the general public about the vir-tues of this new program. It needs to not be afraidto distinguish between a responsible breeder anda “puppy miller.” It needs to tout what responsiblebreeders stand for, the services they provide, thecare and concern for their dogs. It needs to get toreach out to the public at large and not just thoseinvolved in the dog world.AKC’s highlighting its breeders in the 2010 Annu-
al Report proves it acknowledges their significanceto its business model. It is essential that it does moreto promote them, thereby promoting itself and en-hancing its own image. Responsible breeders areAKC’s backbone!
TheWayTheWay It IsIt Is
Typically an Annual Report provides the following:• Financial Highlights• Letter to Shareholders• Narrative Text, Graphics and Photos• Management’s Discussion and Analysis• Financial Statements• Notes to Financial Statements• Auditor’s Report• Summary of Financial Date• Corporate InformationNonprofit and Not for Profit organizations are not
required to publish an Annual Report. If they do, theydo not have to be as concise and detailed as that ofa publically traded company in providing informationto its shareholders. The nonprofits can be more gener-alized in their reports.
The American Kennel Club’s Annual Report for2010 is an interesting document for what it does anddoes not state regarding the kennel club’s activitiesand fiscal standing during the past year. A departurefrom prior years, it is evasive regarding financial mat-ters and provides no details or notes of explanation.However, on request someone can receive a copyof the separate consolidated audited financial state-ment.It does provide data concerning number of dogs
and litter registrations, various events, judges opera-tions, an update regarding AKC’s affiliated and sup-ported organizations (although vague when it comesto the Canine Health Foundation), various informationservices, government relations, and other ventures un-der AKC’s purview.But, best of all, what the 2010 Annual Report does is
pay tribute to its knowledgeable, dedicated breeders.Using photographs throughout, it highlights individualsand dogs, their activities and events, their achieve-ments and accomplishments. Using the words on thecover “It all begins with the Breeder,” AKC is acknowl-edging the important part its responsible breeders playin furthering the image of the kennel club.AKC’s most valuable asset is these responsible
16 Dog News
Dog News 17
18 Dog News
April brings its own brand of Mother Nature’sbad behavior to the United States and ourworld of dogs, resulting in the cancellation
of the final two shows of the Blue and GrayCluster held in Harrisburg PA over the Good Fridayweekend. In AKC’s home state of North Carolina,tornadoes and severe thunderstorms resulted inthe death of more than 20 people and spreaddevastation across the South before moving on.The flooding of the Susquehanna River tributar-
ies into the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Buildinglast Saturday not only cancelled the Mason andDixon Kennel Club shows scheduled for Sundayand Monday, it raised some questions of great in-terest to our sport. Exactly how should kennel clubsand all involved in our sport handle the financialfallout from an Act of God?Friday’s Lebanon County Kennel Club show
won by the Ernesto Lara-handled Affenpinscherwent off without a hitch. The trouble started dur-ing the Harrisburg Kennel Club’s group judgingon Saturday when flood waters started rising rap-idly in the parking lots surrounding the enormousbuilding, threatening motor homes, set-ups andall involved with the show. With four inches of rainin a short period of time and drain pipes backingup with creek overflow, exhibitors and club offi-cials had little time to deal with the sudden mul-titude of problems caused by the deluge. Publicaddress systems told of flooding in the parkinglots as electricians warned that all power in thebuilding would be cut off if waters threatened theelectrical system. According to official sources,
MOTHERNATUREGETSOURATTTENTION
INSIDE THE SPORT
Leave it to Mother Nature to get our attention!Her power is never ending and this year she appears tobe out to prove it. It will be years if not decades beforewe know all the tragic repercussions of the historic
Japanese earthquake/tsunami in March.
BY PAT TROTTER
there was nothing that could be done to ensurethe safety of dogs and people except cancel theshows scheduled for Sunday andMonday and getdogs and equipment out of the area as soon aspossible. In the midst of this increasing confusion,the Andrew Green-handled Samoyed went BIS.Needless to say, such a decision was not casu-
al. Even as Farm Building personnel were warningall of the dangers, officials pondered the questionof whether or not the shows could go on the nexttwo days. It is important for those in our sport tounderstand that such difficult decisions are alwaysmade with the safety of dogs and people first andforemost in the minds of the decision makers. Thechaos of contacting those who had no way ofknowing the flash floods would occur as they wentto dinner and left dogs at the building in what theythought was a safe situation was immense. TheWelsh Springer Spaniel National was celebratingits event at dinner when power went out in theirhotel and exhibitors were told an emergency ex-isted. If they had dogs at the venue, they were toreturn immediately and retrieve them.
The shuttle driver who picked us up at the air-port Saturday evening in the torrential rain couldnot believe what had occurred in the very shorttime while he was making the round trip to the air-port. Emergency vehicles and closing of bridgesnecessitated many detours to get us to our hotelandall of it hadhappened ina short periodof time.Soon there were tornado warning sirens going off,and then the Welsh Springer National judge Doro-
Thecancellingofdogshows
ISALWAYSCONTROVERSIALaspeoplehavecomefromallovertoparticipate.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 102
20 Dog News
PLUMPLUM Drives into anotherDrives into another Group First In the Motor City
Best of Breed - Judge Mr. James CoveyBest of Breed - Judge Mr. James Covey
Dog News 21
OwnersOwnersPam Beale & Beth SweigartPam Beale & Beth Sweigart
Co-Owned By Her BreederCo-Owned By Her BreederElisabeth MatellElisabeth Matell
Presented ByPresented ByRoxanne Sutton andRoxanne Sutton and
Co-Owner Beth SweigartCo-Owner Beth Sweigart
The Number One Norfolk Terrier All Systems
Ch. Cracknor Cross The T’sCh. Cracknor Cross The T’s
Detroit Kennel Club - Group First - Judge Miss Dorothy Macdonald
Group First In the Motor CityDrives into another Group First In the Motor City
22 Dog News
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
the judge's request. I hope judg-es are not demanding it! Mostof the charities some judges arerequesting clubs send moneyto are canine health founda-tions either for the AKC CanineHealth Foundation or the HealthFoundation for their breed club.
Susan SholarAs long as the show giving clubis the one receiving ALL creditfor the donation, I do not see thisas a violation of the AKC rule.If that donation is given in thename of that judge, then theline has been crossed. The do-nation would have to be listed inthe judges contract and shouldalso specify that such donationwill be made in the name of theclub not the judge being hired.If the judge, requesting the do-nation, is truly requesting for thebenefit of their non-profit withno personal gain to them I as-sume they would not care thatthe non-profit, show giving clubswere receiving the recognitionfor the donation. If the judge IN-SIST on thedonationbeingmadein their name then I see this asa backdoor to pay and specialrecognition. I am respondingbased on present AKC rules. Ihave no opinion on whether ornot a delegate should receivepay for judging.
Patti StrandIt is a wonderful thing when aclub opts to make a charitabledonation on their own, but whenit's suggested by a delegate-judge in lieu of the fee they areineligible to receive, not onlydoes it violate the spirit of theirservice, it's tacky.
David and Sharon KroghIt should be the responsibility ofeach club to decide if this typeof request is something theywant to honor! Honestly, our clubdoes not have a standing policy.Probably because it does't seemto be an issue for us.A judge/delegate knows goingin that they cannot charge afee when they judge. Asking aclub to send the fee they can-not charge to a charity, seemslike they ARE charging a fee?Personally we feel this practiceshould not be encouraged.
Johnny ShoemakerNo, I do not find it to be a formof payment to the Delegate/Judge and it should be encour-aged. The Delegate/Judge isnot actually receiving any formof payment for the judging as-signment but rather requestingthat the club send a donationto the charity. The club has theoption of not hiring that judge ifthey do not wish to honor theirrequest or simple saying no to
There seems to be a growing movement among Delegate/Judges to request and/or to demand that before accepting anassignment a club make a charitable donation to a charity ofthe choice of the Delegate/Judge in that person's name. TheQuestion of theWeek is, Do you consider this to be a formof payment to the Delegate/Judge and in violation of AKC'sBylaws or should the practice be encouraged or discontinued?
Dr. Alan DorfmanI believe that a donation in thename of a judge/delegate couldbe misconstrued as to the real in-tention's of the money changinghands. Why place more doubtsin the minds of the fancy. Don'twe have enough rumors and in-nuendo's to contend with! Thehiring of a judge/delegate is notthe time for solicitations to bemade by either party. If a Club ora judge/delegate wants to makea contribution to a specific char-ity, then so be it. Don't make itpart of the judging selection pro-cess. !
Betty-Anne StenmarkSo far that has not occurred withjudges for our show. It's an inter-esting point, and I'm sure a casecould bemade for it being a formof payment.
Cody SickleFirst, charitable giving is generallya good thing. Having said that,the AKC by-laws seem clear thata delegate cannot be a profes-sional judge (one receiving a feeabove expenses). Regardless ofthe form of payment, requiringa charitable donation is a pay-ment. While I view this practiceas a violation or circumventionof AKC's By-Laws, it's certainly notamong the important issues fac-ing our sport.
24 Dog News
Dog News 25
26 Dog News
Even though the Kennel Clubs of both the United Kingdom and theUnited States of America each register upwards of 150 breeds, it wouldappear that those from the considerably more populated FCI registryare finding favour with foreign fanciers. Consequently more and more
“new” breeds are appearing.
Now some of these breeds may be anything but new. In somecases they could be comparatively ancient, often having un-dergone something of a patriotic revival in recent years. Oth-
ers are, in comparison with other breeds, relatively young or “new”,having been the result of a deliberate breeding program based oncontributions from other long established breeds.
The reasons for introducing a new breed to a country which al-ready has a vast choice are varied. Some observers genuinely feelthat the new breed has something to offer in either character orphysical attributes that they have failed to locate in the longer estab-lished breeds. Others find the challenge of effectively launching anew breed somewhat appealing, whilst it is often argued that someof the would-be pioneers of a foreign invader are often those whohave failed to make any great impact on their previous breeds andfind the attraction of the “big fish, little pond syndrome” too attrac-tive to resist. But that may be a tad cynical.
Both in the USA and UK, the respective Kennel Clubs have anestablished system of progression for newly registered breeds. TheAmericans have the Miscellaneous Class, the British the ImportedBreeds Register Class. Effectively both allow breeds to be exhibitedto a certain degree at dog shows whilst the respective gene pool isgrowing to a sufficient extent that makes the breed viable at regularshows.
During the embryonic period obviously a parent club is es-tablished and pioneer breeders and promoters of the new breedemerge. Usually it is found that the population of early fanciers tendsto be a combination of established breeders from other breeds whoare ready to face a new challenge, and reasonably inexperiencedenthusiasts who have simply seen the new arrival and become fas-cinated. This usually makes for a good mix. Other formulae when abreed is being established in a land of adoption are not always assuccessful. In the past we have seen breeds that have flounderedfor many years, never getting any headway, simply because none ofthe people involved with its introduction and progress have any realexperience in dogs on a “professional” level, much less public rela-tions. Then there can be the flip side of that particular coin, when itis clear that two or more strong-minded individuals clearly have theirhearts set on becoming the founding father of a breed and are quiteprepared to eradicate any pretenders to the throne who happen toget in their way. This particular scenario usually spells disaster for thebreed whose development is severely hampered by internal powerstruggles from the start.
Then there is the case where you have one pioneering breederwho establishes a breed and appears to be ticking all the right boxes,but clearly wants to call the shots at every level. Having introducedand nurtured other enthusiasts, the breed gets established relativelyquickly but once any of the underlings so much as challenge theopinion of their leader, they are excommunicated from the ranks.Before we know where we are there is a rival breed club being pro-posed and two warring camps emerge before the breed has theopportunity to walk let alone run.
When a breed is introduced to a new country there is a huge re-sponsibility on the part of the pioneers, promoters, governing bodiesand judges, to do justice to it. This involves detailed research, adop-tion of the breed standard from the country of origin and an under-taking to maintain correct and authentic type at all costs. The idea ofimporting a new breed to simply change it is not admirable.
In some cases ideals may be challenged as it is not unknown
for a breed to have several distinct types or “looks” in its homeland.Different visitors may well decide that they prefer one over the other,will inevitably endeavour to compare it most favourably against theexisting breed standard, and will attempt to promote and procreatethis type rather than one of the others. This is where new breeds cansometimes get rather in the mire as often slightly different stamps of abreed can be owned and bred by equally strong minded enthusiasts,each equally convinced they are right and their rivals are wrong.
Faced with this kind of situation the best course of action is ar-guably to speak at length with the senior all rounder judges of thebreed’s home country. They will probably have seen the breed beingrevived, if not established from scratch, and they should – in theoryat least – be in an ideal position to assure new enthusiasts what is thepreferred type and why. Their reasoning will probably be based onthe breed’s function, combined with aesthetics and other less crucialaspects.
The selection of judges for these new breeds is far more importantthan we can ever realise, and possibly this is the area where untoldharm can be done in a breed’s early days. It is imperative that peoplewho are asked to judge a breed in its infancy have more than a pass-ing knowledge of the breed, and should be confident in their interpre-tation of breed type.
An example which I have cited in several articles concerns the in-troduction of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen to the United Kingdom.When the breed first arrived, it was erroneously assumed that this wasessentially a wire-coated Basset Hound and consequently in its earlydays when the breed was scheduled it was invariably given as an“add on” to Basset Hound judges. Not surprisingly the breed began todevelop as a heavier, longer and lower breed than was the ideal in aPetit – it took a few years for the more enlightened breeders who hadbeen visiting Scandinavia on a regular basis to draw attention to theway the breed should be built. Since those heady days the breed hasprogressed dramatically in the UK and now the level of quality is in-credibly high, with exports winning top honours all around the globe.
So, it is vital that the judges who get to judge a breed in its earlydays of adoption are tuned in to correct type.
It was recently very heartening to hear one of the most respectedScandinavian all rounders making a speech to all present after hehad judged the very first Championship specialty of a breed from hishome country. He announced that most of the dogs present couldcompete in their native land very favourably, that most were betterthan the average dogs that would be found there and that overallthe balance and functionality was far better than he would find athome.
He pointed out the minor areas where there was room for im-provement and ended up by giving a brief but very concise wordpicture of how this breed should be. Obviously these founder breedershad got it right.
Other problems face those introducing new breeds, some as ba-sic as whether or not type or soundness should be prioritised whenit comes to obtaining key foundation stock. Is it more important toensure that the early cornerstone dogs are as physically sound as pos-sible, or are blessed with all the subtleties of breed type? Ideally I guessa combination of both would be a healthy place to start.
Whatever, establishing a new breed in a new country is not for thefaint hearted, but undertaken with respect and commitment it canbe one of the most fulfilling of experiences.
BRACE YOURSELF
The Problems with New Breeds
BY ANDREW BRACE
Dog News 27
Buddygoodman
handlerslarry corneliusmarcelo veras
breederseugene z. zaphirismatthew h. stander
28 Dog News
ownerscarolyn kochvictor malzoni, jr.
ch.cragsmoor
Dog News 29
the number oneskye terrier andnumber three among all terriersall systems
back to back group firstsjudges mrs. patricia trotter andmr. desmond murphyonto best in show
this past weekendthree more group firsts
30 Dog News
Gallery owner, Victoria Armstrong, says theaim of the exhibition is to “focus peopleback on portraiture with its long traditionand how it is carried through to today.”
The work of over thirty artists is featured throughpainting, sculpture, drawing, prints and photographyshowing the multitude of styles in which artists like torecord ‘man’s best friend’.
Sculptors featured include the British sculptor,Bridget Baker and the American Joy Kroeger Beck-ner whose approach to their art could not be moredifferent. Retired lecturer, Bridget Baker, who was in-fluenced in her art by the work of Alexander Calder,works in galvanised wire, long-nosed pliers and enam-el paints, whilst Joy Kroeger Beckner’s bronze Dachs-hunds, her signature breed, are realistically portrayedin their many mischievous ways.
Pugs have long attracted artists and sculptors, atradition started byMeissen, and the breed is featuredin this exhibition with a charming bronze of a sittingPug by award winning Colorado based Louise Peter-son and an appealing bronze head-study mountedon slate by Marie Ackers who is equally well-known forher horses as she is for her dogs.
The work of the artists featured also shows a greatdiversity of styles. Aron Gadd uses a stash of eightydifferent coloured pencils tocreate drawings that defineevery last detail creating anend result that is almost pho-tographic. In contrast, EmilyBurrowes approach is ‘a littlesays so much’ with the viewersattention drawn to her sub-jects’ expressions.
Claire Eastgate, one ofthe UK’s foremost dog art-ists, paints portraits of sub-jects that are well observed,
Situated in one of the most beautiful parts of England,the Stockbridge Gallery in Stockbridge, Hampshire, is the onlycommercial gallery in Britain to specialise in the dog in art.
Running until the middle of May is the gallery’s latest exhibition,‘Display of Affection’, which focuses solely on dog portraiture.
DISPLAYOFAFFECTIONDOG PORTRAITURE
BY NICK WATERS
loosely painted and completed with a classical realism,set at times against sumptuous furnishings or imposinglandscapes. Much of her work shows shades of GustaveCourbet who led the Realist movement in 19th centuryFrance. Claire’s pictures contrast greatly to the unfet-tered free style of those of award winning artist, PaulaVize, with her contemporary portrayal of rural subjects– she has made Foxhounds her own.
One of the most popular artists featured in the exhi-bition whose work must be known to thousands in the UKthrough his published prints is Nigel Hemming. Althoughhis Labradors, English Springers and Border Collies are le-gion, his portfolio does includes a host of other breeds,including less popular ones like the Italian Spinone.
The work of the photographers featured is equallyas contrasting as that of the artists and sculptors. ChrisPethick for exampleconcentrates on the features that forhim define the subject he is photographing, whilst Eloise
Leyden’s photographs make more ofa social statement, be it a much lovedpet running through a spring meadowor the slum dogs of India.
Victoria commented: “Man’s pre-cious bondwith the dog has longbeencommemorated in poetry, paintingand sculpture. By the 18th century,such was the demand that artists be-gan to specialise in animal painting.That proud tradition continues apacetoday and we have some of the bestcontemporary portraitists exhibiting inthis show.”
For more formation visit the gal-lery’s website www.dogsinart.com.
Cody and Dusty Toy Show Group WIN
Group First Judge Mr. Malcolm Moore
GCh. Windemere’s Dusting Of White At Pevyne
OwnersJoe and Carla SanchezSOUTHPORT, EST. 1982
Co-Owners/BreedersCody Koch and Joy Thoms
Handled by Breeder/Co-OwnerMr. Cody Koch
Dog News 31
The Number One* Pekingese in Breed points and a Top Ten* Toy
*The Dog News Top Ten List
32 Dog News
Dog News 33
34 Dog News
BESTSoftheWEEK
APRIL 22, 2011To report an AKC All Breed Best In Show or National Specialty Win Call,
Fax or Email before 12:00 Noon TuesdayFax: 212 675-5994 • Phone: 212 462-9588 • Email: [email protected]
Sacramento Kennel Club - SundaySmooth Fox TerrierCh. Slyfox Sneaks A PeekJudge Mr. Edd BivinOwener J.W. SmithHandler Edward Boyes
Atlanta Kennel ClubPembroke Welsh CorgiCh. Dalarno Nite Song at MorningstarJudge Miss Virginia L. LyneOwners Kiki Courtelis & Linda DossettHandler Frank Murphy
Valdosta Kennel Club I & IIPekingeseCh. Palacegarden MalachyJudge Mr. Michael DoughertyJudge Mrs. Betty-Anne StenmarkOwners Iris Love, Sandra Middlebrooks &David FitzpatrickHandler David Fitzpatrick
Bartlesville Kennel Club IKuvaszGCh. Szumeria’s Wildwood Silver SixpenceJudge Mrs. Paula HartingerOwners Mercedes Vila, Lynn Brady, Connie Townsend,Claudia MuirHandler Diana Wilson
Northeast OK Kennel Club IIBichon FriseGCh. Saks Hamelot Little Drummer BoyJudge Mr. Arley HussinJudge Mrs. Peggy HaasOwners B. Weidner, L. Darman, K. Griffin, C. RugglesHandler Scott Sommer
Sacramento Kennel ClubStandard PoodleGCh. Brighton Lakeridge EncoreJudge Mrs. Mary Ann AlstonOwners Toni and Martin SosnoffHandler Tim Brazier
Bartlesville Kennel Club - SundayGerman Shepherd DogGCh. Babheim’s Captain CrunchJudge Mr. Houston ClarkOwners James Moses, Debra Stern, Janet Lange,Maria Deschamps & Carlos NovarroHandler James Moses
Harrisburg Kennel ClubSamoyedGCh. McMagic’s Candied Ham of Pebbles’ RunJudge Mr. William CunninghamOwners Amy Kiell-Green, Andrew Green and Patty McCallumHandler Andrew Green
Austin Kennel Club - SaturdayWhippetGCh. Starline’s ChanelJudge Mr. William SheltonOwners Carey & Lori LawrenceHandler Lori Wilson
Euphrata-Moses Lake Kennel Club - SaturdayEnglish Springer SpanielGCh. Darkover Don’t Dream It’s OverJudge Mrs. Noreen Gonce CartwrightOwners S. & C. Pelissero, B. DanielHandler Ellen Cottingham
Austin Kennel Club - SundaySilky TerrierGCh. Snow Glen’s Tesoro Cover StoryJudge Mrs. Pamela B. PeatOwners Diane Adamcik, Debra Caselli, and Pam LaperruqueHandler Pam Laperruque
Steel City Kennel Club - SundayTibetan TerrierCh. Barnstorm’s TT CSIJudge Dr. Robert IndegliaOwners Patricia Bernardo & Mary Lou LaflerHandler Lynn Meyer
Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America National SpecialtyGCh. Aubrey’s Tails of MysteryJudge Mr. James ReynoldsOwners Cynthia & Vincent SavioliHandler Sherri Hurst
Whippet Club of America National SpecialtyCh. Brushwood’s MoxiJudge Mrs. Harriett Nash LeeOwner and Handler Raymond Yurik
Dog News 35
36 Dog News
Chindale,reg.JenniferStevens,MaripiWooldridge,VincentAdamsMebane,NorthCarolina•[email protected]
Presents theClassof2011
“Marcel”OurnewestImport fromtheU.K.
Co-ownedwithhisbreedersIanWattandDavidAnderson
NisyrosAlPachinoAthis firstAmericandogshow
BestInSpecialtyShowfromtheclasseshandledbyMaripi
AustralianBreeder-JudgeMr.PhillipPoulton
Dog News 37
“Farrah”The
AllBreedBestInShow
Winner
Ch.Chindale’sFarrahFawcett
GroupFirstJudgeMr.MarjorieUnderwood
handledbyMaripi
“Booty”Ch.Chindale’s
OrientalInfusionnowwithhandlerNancyMartin
38 Dog News
What year did you startshowing dogs and whatbreeds were they?
Which dog no longer beingshown would you liked tohave shown or owned?
Why do you think mostpeople want to judge?
Who are your non-dogheros or heroines exclusiveof immediate relatives?
If you could change onething about your relation-ship what would it be?
How would you describeyourselves in personal ads?
Do you think there are toomany dog shows?
Which are your three favor-ite dog shows?
Do you think there shouldbe a limit on the number oftimes a dog may be exhib-ited in a year?
How do you react topeople flying in and outof shows on the sameweekend?
Alice and Steve: 1972; An Old English Sheepdog and a Komondor.
Alice: Ch. Covey Tucker Hill’s Manhattan - a great showdog.Steve: Ch. Fezziwig Ceiling Zero
Alice: For the foreign travel opportunities.Steve: To stay connected with the dog show community.
Alice: Dr. Jonas Salk - he saved all our lives.Steve: Dr. Isaac Asimov, “The Great Explainer.”
Alice: Steve won’t let me say what I want to.Steve: I should listen to Alice more.
Alice: Totally honest, very shy and loves dogs better than people.Steve: What you see is what you get.
Alice: Yes! Especially the weekday ones.Steve: Same.
Alice: Any show 25 minutes frommy house, that means all theW.Springfield, MA Shows.Steve: Bucks County, DelValle, Santa Barbara (for the food).
Alice: Yes, showing a dog 200 times a year is inhumane.Steve: Yes, as Americans we tend to overdo everything.
Alice: Alice: It’s ridiculous.Steve: This is not healthy for dogs or exhibitors.
10 QUESTIONS ASKED BY LESLIE BOYES OF:
Alice and SteveLawrenceBorn: Alice: Brooklyn, NY; Steve: Manhattan, NYReside: Stafford Springs, CTMarital Status: Married 40+ yearsAge: Steve: See previous answer, you do the math;Alice: I was a child-bride.
OwnersMrs. Ellen MacNeille Charles
and BreedersJean Hetherington & Paula Turner
Handled by Jean
Owners
Ch. Hetherbull Topline O-O
O-OO-O4 TIMES
You Can Never Get Enough Of AYou Can Never Get Enough Of AGood ThingGood Thing
Four Group Firsts on the Tar Heel Circuit under JudgesMr. James Reynolds, Dr. Robert Smith, Mrs. Elaine Lessig
Pictured with Judge Mrs. Susan Carr
Dog News 39
40 Dog News
Dog News 41
42 Dog News
While president of the Brazilian Boxer Club, I alwaysmade a point to invite to judge our national spe-cialties North American Boxer personalities whoseknowledge and contribution with Boxer breeding(as 90%of the country’s import came/comes fromthe USA) could be instrumental for the bettermentand evolution of the Brazilian Boxer fancy.
I am proud to say that the judges who graciously accepted the in-vitation were worldwide recognized personalities, and real pillars of thebreed whose name must be remembered whenever the history andthe pedigrees of Boxers are mentioned; Mrs. Phoebe Harris (Ch BangAway of Sirrah Crest – 1951 Westminster Kennel Club BIS Winner ), Mrs.Eleanor Haebelre (Ch. Eldic’s Landlord), Mr. Mike Millan, (Millan’s Fash-ion Hint), and the editor of the extinct Boxer Review (where for years Iwrote about “Boxers in Brazil”) Mrs. Kris Dahl. Our judges also attendedthe after show very popular “round table”. At these great events wehad beside the dogs also many breeders, handlers, and judges com-ing from many other South American countries, not solely for the show,but to learn from the judges, to interview them, to hear them to talk!During the years of my activities as the president both; Sao Paulo Stateand the Brazilian Boxer Club tens of North American (always breeder)
judges performed, and did a great job. The Brazilianfancy, and myself, are thankful for all for sharing theirdeep knowledge, and great judging which always willbe fondly remembered.
Our readers must wonder why I am talking aboutBoxers, when in accordance of my article’s title I shouldfocus on a Rare Breed. It is because of a picture of mylate Yugoslavian born husband talking (he was our trans-lator) with our judge at the time, the also Yugoslavianborn Mike Millan. For Mike’s memory and the friendshipwe shared here goes my homage in the form of a Yugo-slavian Rare dog breed.
Slavs like the Celts and Germans are of one of theIndo-European nations. They lived in tribes most of themhorse men half nomads, and half barbarians. Roman his-torians described them like very brave half naked war-riors. They had short and dark hair and darker skin thanthe members of other tribes.
The ethnicity and language of the Slavic people ofthe Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not to beconfused with the people of the geographical area ofMacedonia in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania.
In 1929 the Kingdom of Serbs, was renamed Yugoslavia. In WorldWar II the Nazis occupied parts of Yugoslavia, including Macedonia.Macedonian resistance fighters fought a guerrilla war against the in-vading troops. The Yugoslavian federation was reestablished after thedefeat of Germany in 1945. Later President Tito recognized the Mace-donian people as a separate region. (Josip Broz Tito Yugoslavian wasPrime Minister from 1945 to 1953 when he was elected as President forlife - Tito ruled the country dictatorially until his death in 1980 - all to-gether for 35 years) recognized Macedonia as a separate region.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia existed from the half ofWorld War II, until it was formally dissolved in 1992. Yugoslavia endedup divided in six socialist republics; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. While under the lead-ership of Tito Yugoslavia pursued a policy of neutrality, and became
CONTINUED ON PAGE 70
Sarplaninac- Yugoslavski Ovcarski – Macedonia
BY AGNES BUCHWALD
44 Dog News
PullingRank-PullingRank-
Am.&Mex. GCh. Babheim’sAm. &Mex. GCh. Babheim’s Captain CrunchOwned and Handled By James Moses • Owned By Deborah Stern, Janet Lange,Owned and Handled By James Moses • Owned By Deborah Stern, Janet Lange, Carlos Navarro, Maria Deschamps
Judge Mr. Robert FetterJudge Mr. Robert Fetter
Judge Ms. Kim Ramey-LeBlancJudge Ms. Kim Ramey-LeBlanc Judge Ms. Laurie King TelfairJudge Ms. Laurie King Telfair
Dog News 45
Captain CrunchAm.&Mex. GCh. Babheim’s Captain Crunchn, Janet Lange, Carlos Navarro, Maria DeschampsOwned and Handled By James Moses • Owned By Deborah Stern, Janet Lange, Carlos Navarro, Maria Deschamps
Judge Mr. William CunninghamJudge Mr. William Cunningham
Judge Mr. J. Donald JonesJudge Mr. J. Donald Jones Judge Mr. Fred BassettJudge Mr. Fred Bassett
Ienjoyed the time I spent in Britain and the people Imet were universally pleasant, though I do recall afew cab drivers with some rather colorful language.All thatwasa fewyearsago. Maybe thingschange.
That was before I became aware of the animal rightsmovement and the RSPCA.
The RSPCA has a reputation in Great Britain similarto that of HSUS in this country and is known for seizingpets and other animals unreasonably, based on caseshighlighted in the media. If you google “RSPCA seizespets” you will find hundreds of such stories, includingstories about the RSPCA seizing overweight pets fromtheir owners. They are also on record in the infamousdocumentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed with commentsabout purebred dogs such as then Chief Vet MarkEvans calling dog shows “a parade of mutants.” Evansis quoted extensively in the program.
In fact, the RSPCA received so much attention fortheir role in PedigreeDogs Exposed that they had to setup Question & Answer pages for the public: <http://tinyurl.com/4hope22> On these pages you can findsuch comments about purebred dogs as these:
• The RSPCA is extremely concerned about theunacceptably high levels of disability, deformity anddisease affecting pedigree dogs.• Hundreds of thousands of dogs are vulnerable tounnecessary illness, pain anddisability or behavioural problems because they’rebred primarily for how theylook rather thanwith health,welfareand temperamentin mind...• We believe that both the selective breeding of dogsprimarily for appearance andthe intensive breeding of closely related dogs foranything other thanscientifically proven welfare reasons is morallyunjustifiable...• When choosing which animals to breed from, there’soften no merit attached toan animal’s health, welfare or temperament - andoften the attributes rated mosthighly can result in disability or illness...• Pedigree dog owners that show their dogs obviouslywant their animals to do well at shows and/orproduce popular offspring. So the dogs with the most
46 Dog News
I’ve been an anglophile most of my life. I grew up loving all thingBritish, or English, from the language to the history of the British Isles.I spent some time in the country when I was in school. Inevitably, I
segued into animals that were developed in Britain.
ANationofPetLoversLosesItsWay
‘desirable’ attributes (i.e. those that most closelymatch the relevant breed standard) are bred frommost frequently. The selected features may easilybecome exaggerated, causing dogs to suffer morehealth and welfare problems and a reduced qualityof life...
I think the impression left on the reader is thatpeople who breed and show dogs only care for adog’s appearance and give little thought to thedog’s health or temperament. There is certainly theimpressiongiven, inmyopinion, thatmassive numbersof purebred dogs (or “pedigree dogs,” as they arecalled in Britain) are sick and deformed.
The RSPCA also commissioned a 76-page studywhich denigrated The Kennel Club in Britain and thebreeding practices of pedigree dog breeders. “TheKennel Club, breed societies, and the pedigree dogshowing community have formally endorsed theinbreeding of dogs,” it said. This was stated despitethe fact that it was estimated that less than 1 percentof dogs registered with The Kennel Club were theresult of first degree matings. “Much of the sufferingwhich some pedigree dogs endure is unnecessaryand a substantial part could be avoided with revisedpractices.”
Some of the suggestions that came out of thereport included:• The banning of first degree and second degreematings (e.g., parent and offspring, siblings,grandparent and offspring or half-siblings).• Open studbooks.• Conducting a full ethical review of the healthand welfare of current breeds. This could informdecisions, such as to enforce rapid out-crossing or (assuggested by some), in extreme cases even to phaseout some breeds.• Make registration of pedigree dogs conditionaluponbothparents undergoingcompulsory screeningtests for prioritised disorders.• Training and accreditation of judges to prioritisehealth, welfare and behaviour in the show ring.• Development of schemes for calculating EstimatedBreeding Values (EBVs) for disorders influenced bygenetic factors. The EBV of an animal for any traitpredicts the average performance of its offspring forthat trait.
The RSPCA isn’t an organization concerned withhelping sad puppies and kittens. It’s an animal rights
BY CARLOTTA COOPER
CONTINUED ON PAGE 72
Dog News 47
*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed points
*
48 Dog News
Dog News 49
50 Dog News
I’m sure you’ve all had one—a dog that may not have been your mostoutstanding show dog or your greatest field dog or your top carting/weight-pulling dog or your finest agility/obedience/tracking dog but fit you like acomfortable old pair of boots with miles of fields and marshes behind them
or faded jeans, soft and supple with age, that evoke a sigh of contentmentevery time you put them on.
Certainly Bob’s not the greatest show dog to ever consider my living roomcouch to be his personal napping area. That honor belongs to his father, hisgrand-father and his great-grandfather who filled up an enormous plasticbin with best of breed, group win and group placement ribbons as well asoverflowing a hutch with silverbowls, trays and tea services.Nor is he the best competitionfield dog as those honors go tohis father, mother, grandparentsand great-grandparents wholeft another enormous plasticbin jam-packed with orange,green and bronze ribbons. Yes,he’s earned his share of titles buthis accomplishments are smallpotatoes when compared tothose of his immediate ancestors.He may not even be the besthunting dog I’ve ever had. But hecertainly is the most devoted andhas been since the time he wasable to recognize me as a babypuppy when he made it clearto everyone that the only place
Ordinarily, the stories I write for Dog News are about multi-talented,titled dogs or on occasion, tinged with humor about life with dogs.
But, not this time. This is an unabashedly sentimental and affectionatetribute to old dogs in general and one in particular. That would be Bob,my old hunting dog but what is said about him would apply equally
well to a lot of other old dogs.
ASaluteToOldDogs
BY M.J. NELSON
Another great thing aboutold dogs is that they aremodest. No wild transportsof joy at the completion of aspectacular retrieve. Just afew simple tail-wags, the ca-nine version of a polite bowacknowledging the applauseand cheers, is sufficient.
He knows there is nothingfor him to do when we setout decoys so he sits quietlyand waits. His is a calm andsteady presence that says,“When you’re ready so am I.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 74
Dog News 51
52 Dog News
Dog News 53
Iusually don’t buy the scattering of animal rights booksthat turn up in the animal section, but this time theyhad a “Journal of Social Issues” whose subtitle was
“The Role of Animals in Human Society.” The Journal issponsored by the Society of Psychological Studies ofHuman Society which didn’t sound like an AR group, so Ibought it. Since they invite a variety of contributors, therewere lots of points of view both AR and non-AR, but theone that struck me was a paper on “Veterinary MedicalEthics: A Focus of Conflicting Interests,” by ProfessorJerrold Tannenbaumof theDepartmentof EnvironmentalStudies, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Be prepared to cringe.Jerrold lists the following twelve “Selected Issues in
Veterinary Ethics”:1. “Is it morally permissible for veterinarians to euthanizea companion animal just because this is requested by itsowner, even if the animal is healthy, well behaved, andcapable of enjoying a long happy life?2. Is it morally permissible for a veterinarian to continueto treat an animal that is terminally ill and in great painbecause the client cannot bear to part with it?3. Is it ever morally permissible, or obligatory, to agreeto euthanize a healthy, well behaved animal and thento secretly keep it alive or adopt it out to someone whowould give it a good home?4. Should veterinarians perform purely cosmeticprocedures mandated by pure bred breed standards,such as the trimming of ears and docking of tails of dogs,if such procedures do not benefit the animals and cancause them pain or distress?5. Towhatextentmightveterinariansbemorallyobligatedto oppose breed standards for dogs and cats that causedisease, impairment, or discomfort for the animals?6. Towhat extent is it morally appropriate for veterinariansto assist or participate inmethods of rearing food animalsthat restrict the natural behavior of such animals?7. Is it morally appropriate to engage in practices (e.g.,not using anesthesia during the removal of the tails ofpigs or the castration of pigs and cattle) that are painfulto patients but are desired by clients for economicreasons?8. To what extent is it ethical (even when it is lawful) toadminister pain-killing performance-enhancing drugsto racing and show horses prior to competition, if suchdrugs enable the animals to compete but mask andsometimes exacerbate underlying medical problems?9. Should veterinarians treat or rehabilitate sick or injuredanimals found in thewild, if doing somaybe in the interestsof the individual animal butmay result in the propagationof animals that are less likely to survive in their normal wild
54 Dog News
VeterinaryEthics&AnimalRights
My local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals has an annual ten-day-long book sale that
raises thousands of dollars for its shelter.
BY PATRICIA GAIL BURNHAM
habitat? Should veterinarians be more concerned withprotecting or promoting the overall health and welfareof individual wild animals or of species?10. Are certain experimental procedures (e.g., allowingthe growth of large implanted tumors, allowing animalsto die spontaneously without the benefit of euthanasia,confinement of non human primates in experimentalrestraint devices, the Draize Eye Irritancy Test) morallyacceptable?11. What should be the response of the veterinaryprofession to the claims of some that while it may bepermissible to use animals in biomedical research, it isimmoral to use them in psychological or behavioralresearch? In the testing of cosmetics or nonmedicalhousehold consumer products?12. How should the profession respond to those who seekto endanimal research orwhoadvocatemeasures (e.g.,prohibition of the use of abandoned pound animals)that can curtail research or increase its costs?”
A lot of the above made my skin crawl, so let’s lookat a few of them:
Items 1,2,3,&10. I will bypass the euthanasia concernsof items 1,2,& 3 and go directly to item 10 “Is allowinganimals to die spontaneously without the benefit ofeuthanasia morally acceptable?” He is talking aboutexperimental animals but who is to say this “no naturaldeath” principle will not be applied to companionanimals?
I have a friend who does not euthanize her olddogs. She takes care of them into extreme old ageuntil they die as long as they are not in pain. I tried hermethod once. I was struck by the difference betweenthe appearance of all the dogs that I had euthanizedand Kira. All of my euthanized dogs looked extremelydead, with open sightless eyes and open mouths. Kiralooked like she was sleeping calmly. In the absence ofpain, I began to wonder if natural death was a viablealternative to euthanasia . I certainly don’t want somevet’s ethics denying my friend or me the ability to makethat choice. As for item 3, if you take a dog to yourvet to be euthanized do you want to worry that he hasslipped it out of the back door for adoption or sale? I ampresent for all my euthanasias, but some owners can’tface the procedure.
Items 4 & 5. These should make dog breederscringe. 4. Should veterinarians perform purely cosmeticprocedures mandated by pure bred breed standards,such as the trimming of ears and docking of tails ofdogs, if such procedures do not benefit the animals andcan cause them pain or distress? & 5. To what extentmight veterinarians be morally obligated to opposebreed standards for dogs and cats that cause disease,impairment, or discomfort for the animals?”
These two go together by saying that veterinariansCONTINUED ON PAGE 78
Dog News 55
Group First - Thank you Judge Mr. James W. Maloney
BreedersRick & Liz Kenitz
OwnerPeggi Weymouth
Handled ByChristy Collins
GCh.h. Lee CoeuroeurDD’’AAnge DDee BBriardaleriardale
Multiple GroupWinning
*Breed points, All Systems
The Number One*Briard
56 Dog News
When a disaster occurs, the various not-for-profitdog rescue organizations seem to swing intoaction. During the Katrina disaster, for example,many groups including AKC, responded quickly.
Most of which were very cooperative. While others stayedrather distant. I was very proud of my organization, as theAKC was well received by the majority of the other agen-cies. And, most organizations adhered to the premiere ob-jective of caring for the animals, rather than concentratingon fund raising or courting the news media. In the end, theKatrina disaster was a pleasure experience. I was just gladto be able to take part in such a successful rescue effort.
Shortly after the hurricane Katrina, all AKC inspectorswere required to complete the FEMA Emergency Manage-ment Institute’s Emergency Management study course ad-dressing the management of animals in a crises. This was acomprehensive three part study addressing all phases ofthe preparation and administration of animal control in atime of crisis.
The FEMA course reinforced that the key to a success-ful recovery is a proactive, rather than a reactive mind-set.Advanced preparation, is very necessary, with respect toall phases of the breeding operation. In other words, havea plan and be ready to work your plan. What about you?As a professional breeder, are you prepared to protect youranimals in the event of a disaster, such as what took placerecently in Japan?
One must realize that a kennel proper may not be ableto withstand a major disaster, as not much can be done tocost effectively strength the physical structure. However, anumber of other preparations should be considered such as;If an advancewarning is given, take your animals with you inthe evacuation. Know which hotels and motels except ani-mals in an emergency. Know which fellow breeders, animalshelters and veterinarians, except animals in an emergency.Keep medications in waterproof containers. Keep a supplyof food and water on hand. Have several flash lights, extrabatteries and a weather radio handy. An emergency tele-phone list, showing the available after hours vet numbers,should be ready available. Keep an emergency check listwith certain unique supplies needed for certain dogs. A firstaid kit, designed for dogs, should also be kept handy..
Dog identification is absolutely vital in a disaster. Prefera-ble all dogs should be micro chipped, and the identificationlisted on the dog records. In addition, your registry may offera dog information database, such as AKC’s, CompanionAnimal Recovery Department (CAR), to recovery importantcontact information.
Also, record retention is a vital prerequisite . Copies ofsuch records as the dogs registration certificates, pedigrees,vaccination and medical histories, should be protectivelykept off premises. Also, current photos of you with your dogs,
ARE YOU DISASTER READY
in case they get lost, should be secured. Since many petslook alike, this will help to eliminate mistaken identity andconfusion.
And, have a dog notification sticker. This easy-to-usesticker will let people know that pets are inside your home.Make sure it is visible to rescue workers, and that it includes1) the types and number of pets in your household; 2)the name of your veterinarian; and 3) your veterinarian’sphone number. If you must evacuate with your pets, and iftime allows, write “EVACUATED” across the stickers.
Rescue efforts can take on many forms, from that ofa few pets to the larger full scale breeding operations.And, advance preparation should be made according toones needs. The following precautions are taken from TheAmerican Red Cross.
• The behavior of pets may change dramatically after adisaster, becoming aggressive or defensive, so be awareof their well-being and protect them from hazards to en-sure the safety of other people and animals.
• Watch your animals closely and keep them under yourdirect control as fences and gates may have been dam-aged.
• Pets may become disoriented, particularly if the disas-ter has affected scent markers that normally allow them tofind their home.
• Be aware of hazards at nose and paw or hoof level, par-ticularly debris, spilled chemicals, fertilizers and other sub-stances that might not seem to be dangerous to humans.Have dog boots available.• Consult your veterinarian if any behavior problems per-sist.
Disasters often strike when you least suspect them andhave little time to prepare. That is why it is good to havea disaster plan in place for your home and family that in-cludes making provisions for your dog.
Remember, dog breeders tend to get lax in times ofdisasters, as their concerns with the animals sometimesover shadow common business sense. Every disaster hasits share of con artists trying to take advantage of disastervictims, so be careful who you give information to or letinto your home.
Author’s Note:Recent events remind us just how desperate disaster situ-ations can be. It’s not difficult to put together an effectivedisaster plan and kit that will help you to protect your petsand livestock, so I encourage everyone to do it. It’s toolate once disaster hits.”
With the increased number of natural disasters occurring around the world,coupled with the ripple effects that result such as mass hysteria,
how well prepared is your dog breeding program as well as your pets.
By Charles C. Robey
Dog News 57
58 Dog News
Because many owners are looking for fun activities todo with their dog, there’s a huge amount of interestin Treibball, an exciting new sport recently importedfrom Europe and Scandinavia. It was originated in Ger-
many seven years ago by Dutch dog trainer, Jan Nijboer, whotrained and bred purebred dogs professionally since 1984.
While working on herding skills with his Australian CattleDogs, Nijboer noticed the left over energy they exhibited atthe end of a lesson. Because his dogs weren’t ready to quitwhen training time was over, Nijboer began tossing arounda round, rubber food dish for them to play with. The dogsinitiated their own impromptu version of soccer with the dish,driving it along as it rolled down a hill, much like a soccer teamdriving a ball to the goal. After watching them, Nijboer won-dered if his dogs would initiate the same kind of game withother objects. To find out, he let them play with fitness balls,i.e., the balls used in Pilates exercise classes. When similar playensued, Nijboer decided to formalize the game and beganteaching the activity as an adjunct to his herding classes; ini-tially, as a means of tiring high energy dogs.
Competition RulesTreibball means Driveball or Driving ball in German. Today,
it’s a positive-reinforcement, clicker-trained, competitive dogsport. The first Treibball competition was held in Sweden in2007. Its rules were inspired by those for herding competi-tion, only in Treibball, the dog “herds” or drives 8 balls into anetted goal instead of sheep into a pen. Competition is heldon a long, narrow strip that ranges between 100- to 164-ft. inlength and 50- to 82-ft in width. The handler directs the dogto bring each ball to the netted goal.
Competition begins when the dog is heeled out to a start-ing position to the right side of the 8 balls, which are arrangedin a triangle similar to theway balls are racked at the beginningof a game of Pool. The point ball is positioned farthest awayfrom the goal. At the Judge’s whistle or the handler’s cue, thedog is sent to stand in center field behind the balls. Then, it’scued to “break” the balls and drive them to the handler one ata time.
The dog has 15 minutes to drive all 8 balls to the net atthe handler’s direction. (Many dogs can to do it in 9-minutesor less.) The dog only is allowed to drive the balls forwardwith its shoulder or nose. After the dog delivers all 8 balls tonet, it must lie down at the goal just as it would after penningsheep.
“The handler directs the dog as to which ball the dog mustdrive to the net first, second and so on. In Excellent and Championlevel competition, the Judge might number the balls and tell thehandler the sequence [for example: 6, 2, 8, 3, 5, etc.] in which theballs must be delivered. Or the Judge might call out, ‘Bring all ofthe blue [or red or yellow or silver, etc.] balls first.’ Obviously, thedog can’t identify which ball to deliver by number or color. Thehandler must communicate that to the dog,” says Dianna Stearns,President of the American Treibball Association. She holds na-tional certifications from the Certification Council for Professional
DogTrainers and the International Association of Animal BehaviorConsultants.
“The handler directs the dog to bring a particular ball byclicking the dog into position behind it. The dog is directed tomove backwards or forwards or left or right of the ball with herd-ing commands like ‘Come Bye’and ‘Away to Me.’ For example, thehandler must direct the dog to back up and then send it to theleft or right of the correct ball if the dog overshoots it.”
Bonus Points and DemeritsThe handler only may direct the dog with verbal and hand
signal commands or whistles. No corrections of any kind are al-lowed during competition. The dog and handler, whomust worktogether closely, are scored on the basis of their cooperation in
BY SHARON PFLAUMER
TREIBBALLA Fun, New Dog Sport that Develops
Teamwork Skills and Focus, While also Burning Excess Energy
Eloise alone, driving the ballwithher nose. (GermanShepherdDog)
Will Bruner andEloise,EloisemovingAway toMe to gather the ball.(GermanShepherdDog)
CONTINUED ON PAGE 82
Dog News 59
“Kiera”
Thankyou Judge Dr. Eric Liebes
GCh. SpicerackShe’sAllThat,RNOwnerMelisa DavisCadbury Giant Schnauzers
Professionally handled by:Rhanda L. Glenn
AKC Registered Handler(205) 612-0284
Bred by:Jean & Ed BigginsRobin Henderson
*The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed
NumberTwo* Giant Schnauzer
60 Dog News
There are several proposals that threaten the rights ofindividuals to own and breed dogs responsibly beingconsidered this week in many areas of the country.
In the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia CityCouncil is considering changes to its animal code in-cluding limits on dog ownership, several new licens-
ing provisions and the requirement of the sterilization of anyanimal sold. All concerned dog owners and fanciers shouldbe aware that Bill 110210 requires that all dogs and cats soldbe sterilized. Exceptions to the law will include dogs thathave been obtained by a governmental entity for law en-forcement or public safety, dogs obtained to be service orguide dogs, and —of most importance to fanciers—dogs “ofa recognized breed, obtained for the purposes of participa-tion in a recognized competition”. It remains to be seen ex-actly how the term “recognized breed” is defined, and howparticipation can be proven, but a newly created AnimalControl Agency would determine the requirements for es-tablishing its definition. Of particular concern to fanciers willbe the determination at what age a dog must be sterilized.Even the most experienced of breeders, handlers and fanci-ers cannot determine at the time of purchase which pup-pies will grow up to be show quality dogs. Under the proposalthose who violate this provision will be subject to a fine andmay be asked to cease breeding and selling operations forone year.
Under Bill 110210 ownership will be limited to two intactdogs or cats and no more than 12 adult dogs and cats. Ex-ceptions may be made for those licensed as a kennel, whichis defined as a facility in which 13 or more dogs or cats com-bined are kept, bred, whelped, harbored, boarded, sold orin any way transferred in a calendar year. In addition, therewill be new increased licensing fees of $16 annually for eachintact dog and $8 for each sterilized dog. Permanent licens-ing would cost $40 for each intact dog and $16 for eachsterilized dog. This proposal would not allow the purchase ofpermanent licenses going forward, and increase the fee to$40/$16 each year. An additional license will be required forall animal shelters and animal retailers, which is defined asanyone “engaged in the business of selling dogs or cats tothe ultimate owner.” It does not state if this would includeanyone who ever sells just one dog or cat. All Philadelphiafanciers and club members are urged to contact membersof the City Council to express concerns regarding Bill 110210,which is expected to be given a final vote on April 28th. Fora list of City Council members and their contact information,log on to: http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CouncilMem-bers.html.
Other areas around the country are hearing controversial
By Shaun Coen
Off The LeashOff The Leash
bills this week that could significantly impact breeding pro-grams. As this issue of Dog News goes to press, Texas, HouseBill 1451 is expected to be voted on. HB 1451 would regulateand define as a commercial breeder those who own 11 ormore intact female dogs or cats. In addition, and in furtherevidence that anti-breeding groups keep messing with Texas,a procedure move was made last week to suspend Houserules that enabled the House County Affairs Committee tohear HB 2116, another bill regulating owners and breeders,without notice of a public hearing. HB 2116 was left pend-ing in committee but it’s expected that the author will intro-duce a substitute bill shortly and ask for an immediate voteon this legislation, which will prohibit any dog from being leftoutside and unattended in an enclosure unless at least 150square feet of space is provided for each dog. HB 2116 alsodefines a breeder as anyone who possesses 11 or more intactfemales. Fanciers object to arbitrarily arrived at thresholds forowning, breeding or exercising dogs, because these limits arenot based on any accepted animal husbandry principles, nordo they take into account a breed’s activity level or size, northe type of care the dogs receive. Limits simply do not equatewith quality care nor do they negate the behavior of irrespon-sible owners.
HB 1451 also defines a breeder as anyone who possesses11 or more intact females, without taking into account thesmall hobby breeder or sportsmen who only produce one ortwo litters a year. In addition, it mandates unannounced in-spections by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regula-tion (TDLR), or their designee, every 18 months. So not onlywill the TDLR be allowed to visit the homes of small breedersunannounced at any hour of the day but the TDLR will alsobe allowed to charge an unspecified fee for licensure andinspection. These fees are intended to cover the costs of im-plementing the inspections program, which is estimated to be$1.3 million. It is foreseeable under this provision that individuallicenses may cost thousands of dollars annually.
Though these provisions place unreasonable burdens onresponsible owners and breeders, they do nothing to improvethe welfare of dogs in Texas. Furthermore, implementing aninspections program of this magnitude in such troubled eco-nomic times without money earmarked for it in the state’s cof-fers will result in exorbitant charges being levied unnecessar-ily upon responsible breeders, many of who are engaged insmall scale, hobby operations out of their homes. Dog ownersand breeders support legislation that promotes responsibledog ownership and breeding practices and the well-being ofthe dog, but stronger enforcement of current anti-cruelty lawsand local animal control ordinances would be more effectivemethods to bring irresponsible breeders and owners into com-pliance than the superfluous creation of a new bureaucracy,which would be funded in large part by breeders that arealready in compliance with existing laws.
With the recent threats to shut down the government and allthe partisan wrangling over the national budget, one maybe lulled into thinking there’s not a whole lot happening onthe legislative front but that is surely not the case when it
comes to canine legislation.
Dog News 61
62 Dog News
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER
ANDMOREA WEATHER DEBACLE, SIR BATESON...
Having no idea of what the ultimatestorms of last week-end were goingto bring I decided not to go to theHarrisburg shows based solely onthe weather maps contained in USA
TODAY which had been predicting rain forthe entireweek-end. Ihave foundthat throughthe yearsdriving the
HARRISBURG PHOTOS BY JEFF MORGENSON
Pennsylvania Turnpike on good weather days is badenoughwhatwith those trucks barreling downon youbut in bad weather forget it altogether! So I decidedto stay home. Reports reaching me about the Fridayshow indicated all was well and I was temptedto take the train there for Saturday’s show whenweather reports came in predicting really torrentialweather--again at that point not too much beingsaid about the possibilties of the tornados in NorthCarolina and Virginia nor the probabilities of heavyflooding in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. I heard theAffen of Ernesto’s won Friday and late Saturday thephone calls began! A merely bad weather scenehad become a seriously dangerous one and that theparking lots at the show were already under six feetCONTINUED ON PAGE 86
Dog News 63
MULTIPLE BREED WINNER AND GROUP PLACING
GCH. VALHALLA’S ASCENT AT ROCHFORDSIRE: BEST IN SHOW & BEST IN SPECIALTY SHOW WINNING CH. ALPINE’S SUMMIT AT ROCHFORD, HOF, AOM, HR
DAM: CH. ROJON’S KIZMET V VALHALLA, ROM
Owners:Lourdes Carvajal and Janet QuickBreeders:Darlene Bergan and Sarah Wooten
Handled exclusively by:John Gerszewski
Sierra & JohnRising to the Top!
Rising to the Top!
Sometime around the middle ofJanuary,Alina Lyapina,whoworksfor RKF started a long line of com-munications with David, Mike andme. Communication with foreignassignments always seems muchmore difficult than our domesticassignments. The whole system
is different on how they deal with hiring judgesand with a foreign speaking country there canbe a bit of a language barrier. Right now I amcommunicating with a Spanish speaking coun-try and the country in question thinks I ama lady,since I am addressed Miss in English and Senorain Spanish. When they receive my photo I cer-tainly hope they will realize the error.
Luckily we have a close friend in Moscowwho speaks English with Mike and me andSpanish with David. (Ed. note: You mean DavidPowers does not speak English!!) He was very in-strumental in helping to make our dealings withAlina much easier. Like a lot of foreign assign-ments there seems to be a barrage of commu-nication and then lulls.
In this case the lull was caused by the RKFwho normally only pays the cost of the hotel forFriday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I am surethe reason is that the vast majority of the judgeslive somewhere in Europe and it is easy for themto fly to Moscow during the day on Friday. ForDavid it would entail about 28 hours door todoor traveling time coming from Los Angeles.Just from New York late in the afternoon I couldnot get in toMoscow until the following evening.There was no way the three of us were willing toarrive Friday night after traveling an entire dayand would have been in good shape to judgeon Saturday. Also if international flights weredelayed it could be 24 hours or more and theentire first day of judging would be missed.
If it had been another country I would nothave been so willing to have worked on thenegotiations of the condition of RKF. For overfifty years I have been fascinated with Russia.Growing up in America, Russia or the SovietUnion were such a large part of our day to day
64 Dog News
Around the holiday season David Powers, Mike Buckley and I gotan inquiry to see if we would be interested in judging the Eurasia
show in Moscow on March 26th and 27th, 2011.Since I had never been to Russia this inquiry was the highlight of
the Christmas season. I immediately replied YES.
RussianKynologicalFederation(RKF)
BY DESMOND J. MURPHY
CONTINUED ON PAGE 88
life. We were in the “cold war” and there was always thethreat of war breaking out which would have been WorldWar III. Never having been to this part of the globe it wouldbe a totally different culture for me.
By the end of February, Alina had gotten all the detailsworked out that they would pay for the hotel for Thurs-day night in lieu of the 35 euros that we would receivefor each of the fees for judging days. The hotel is very ex-pensive and the 140 euros would not have paid the hotelfor Thursday evening. With foreign assignments I do not
Dog News 65
*Number Four overall,
66 Dog News
TRUENORTH(Strong and Free)
As the dog show scene here inCanada gets off to a promis-ing start with many shows see-ing an increase, even if slight, in
their entries. Even the Canadian KennelClub seems to have good news in it’s re-ports to members. All things are seem-ingly moving in the right direction.
Dog shows have now been held inall the provinces in Canada with theexceptions of Quebec, New Brunswickand Prince Edward Island.
Ontario saw increased entries atthe previously reported Purina National,Northern Ontario had a nice entry atthe 6 shows they hosted. Nova Scotiasaw bigger entries at the Cobequid Dogclub with its improved venue and all theway back to the West Coast the Renais-sance Kennel Club hosted 4 all breedshows that were a huge success. Sofrom coast to coast the Canadian Dogscene seems not only to be alive butbooming as well!
The Renaissance KC was held over 4 days in April. Therewere 4 All breed dogs shows and 15 specialties includingthe National Specialties for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels,Bouvier Des FLandres and Rhodesian Ridgebacks. As wellthere were regional specialties for Newfoundlands, AlaskanMalamutes, Boxers and Siberian Huskies. Juniors were alsogiven center stage as the Junior handling zone finals wereheld for both Zone 11 and Zone 12. Both winners will go onto compete at the Nationals which are being held in Winni-peg Manitoba in August of this year. Winner of Zone 12 waslast years National winner Shianne Hamilton who proudlyrepresented Canada at Crufts this year.
Winning the best in shows here were the Alaskan Mala-CONTINUED ON PAGE 100
Here it is known that no self respecting Canadianwould ever not go outside “because it is too cold!” but
snow 27 days into the first month of spring?Mother Nature must be angry!
BY ALLISON FOLEY
Ch Mytuk’s Technical Knockout, Best In Showat Renaissance Kennel Club.
Dog News 67
68 Dog News
BY SEYMOUR N. WEISS
OurLiteraryLegacy
Ever since the conformation dog sport first captured the passion alongwith the imagination of those inspired to breed and exhibit fine animals,many of those same people found themselves irresistibly motivated to
write about their experiences, sharing their knowledge via the printed page.
Yes, from Stonehenge to Stander, dogfanciers have always made it their busi-ness to “read up” and keep up with the
ever changing tapestry of the dog world. Evenwhen our own version of the information su-per highway was just a dirt track pockmarkedby wagon ruts, we dog people have alwaysmade keeping informed a top priority.Books, magazines, pamphlets
and newsletters have all had a sharein the ongoing, enhanced sophistica-tion of our community. Today it reallyshows. Also significant is the roster ofthose who have set themselves the hon-orable task of expanding the pool of knowl-edge for all who sought to learn. Whether itwas breed books or texts on management,training, breeding or the numerous subjectsthat we all need to digest to be the best dogpeople we can be. Many of the earlier titleshave long since achieved the rarified statusof “collector’s items” and are greatly prizedtoday. But it is the people who put theirknowledge on paper since the beginning ofthe 20th Century that deserve special recog-nition. What follows will attempt to do this.During the first half of the 20th Century,
Captain Will Judy published and promoted anumber of breed books and general titles.CONTINUED ON PAGE 104
Dog News 69
Nick of TimeGCH. BARKSHIRE’S
MULTIPLE GROUP WINNER
Owner/Handler: Christine M. PescheTehachapi, California
Barkshire KennelsNeenah, Wisconsin
Co-Owner: Jane CollenNeenah, Wisconsin
Thank youJudge
Mr. Del RichardsGroup First
Thank youJudge
Mr. Jon R. ColeGroup Second
one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. After Tito’s death, ris-ing ethnic nationalism in the 1980s to the1990s led to dissidenceamong themultipleethnicities within the republic, which ledto the country collapsing on ethnic lineswhich were followed by wars with ethnicdiscrimination and numerous human rightsviolations.
The Republic of Macedonia occupiesthe western half of the ancient Kingdom ofMacedonia. In A.D. 148 Macedonia wasdefeated by Romeand becamea Romanprovince, by 395, Macedonia was ruled bythe Byzantine Empire. In 1371 the OttomanTurkey took possession of the land, and theTurks dominated Macedonia for the nextfive centuries.
On Sept. 8, 1991, Macedonia de-clared its independence from Yugoslaviaand asked for recognition from the Euro-pean Union. The country became a mem-ber of the UN in 1993 under the provisionalname of “Yugoslav Republic of Macedo-nia” which was changed simply to Mace-donia. Violence between Albanians andMacedonians erupted in March 2001, andthe government sent troops into the heav-ily Albanian section of the country. Aftersix months of fighting, the rebels and theMacedonian government signed a peaceagreement that allowed a NATO force toenter the country and disarm the guerril-las, and giving broader rights to its Alba-nians, and Albanian became one of thecountry’s two official languages.
Macedonia is defined by a central val-ley formed by the Vardar River. The ruggedterrain is located between the Sar Moun-tains, andOsogovo. Three large lakes – theOhrid, (This is the largest andmost beautifulout of three tectonic lakes-18 miles long,and 945 feet deep. With its unique floraand fauna characteristic of the tertiary pe-riod (2-4 million years ago), Ohrid is one ofEurope’s great biological reserves. (In 1980Lake Ohrid was proclaimed by UNESCO asa locality of the world’s cultural and natu-ral inheritance),. Prespa, and Dojran lakeslie on the southern borders. The region isseismically active and has been the site ofdestructive earthquakes in the past - mostrecently in 1963 Skopje was heavily dam-aged by a major earthquake, killing over1,000.
Skopje – the capital city - is the cul-
tural hub of Macedonia and, therefore,is home to many of the most importantmuseums. One of these is the Museum ofContemporary Arts created as part of thereconstruction following 1963 earthquake.Large park areas, which contain manysculptures, surround the museum. The Sko-pje Jazz Festival has been held annuallyin October since 1981. It is part of the Eu-ropean Jazz Network, and is a member ofthe International Festivals and Events As-sociation.
Of course there is the famous Mace-donian cuisine with its Greek/Turk influ-ence. There you will never have a coffeeother than the Turska Cafa which took mea long time to be used to. The barbecue(cevapcici, and razsnici), the gibanica (asalty cheesecake), the ajvar (egg plantpaste) the dance, and the balalaikas’music, the famous artists (film director Pe-ter Bogdanovic, and the late actor KarlMalden - born Mladen George Sekulo-vich - included). The joy of life, and at thesame time the old regional disputes be-tween the several ethnicities makes thewhole package worth to be opened,seen, heard, and tasted.
The general publicwould never realizethe existence of the place Shar-Planina ifwouldn’t be for its own dog breed. TheSharplanina shepherd is a (Macedonian-Yugoslav) dog bred from the North-Westpart of Macedonia. This is a wonderfulsite, and previously in the city of Tetovoat the foothills of Shar Planina Mountainswere the Turkish Pashas had built their ha-rems enjoying the place’s climate, andfresh air.
Sar Mountain has the largest compactarea covered with pastures in Europe,and is a country of lakes and mountains.The mountains have 27 glacial lakes, andthe place has always been densely popu-lated. The cattle breeding is the most im-portant way of living of the inhabitants,and without their guard/shepherd dogsthis would be an almost impossible task toaccomplish.
The Sarplaninac is an ancient breedof dog that originated in southern Koso-vo, and the northwest part of Macedo-nia. In 1939 the breed was registered withthe Federation Cynologique Internation-ale initially as the Illyrian Shepherd dog– Sarplanina (later shortened) after theSar Mountains, where the breed is mostcommon. The American Rare Breed As-sociation published the standard in 1970
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42
70 Dog News
naming it as the “Original and Valid Stan-dard”.
The Sarplaninac dog of today - duethe geographical isolation- is the result ofclose inbreeding, and mating also withthe local’s wolves. During the years ofevolution the dogs became tough, rough,excellent and often aggressive guardians,accepting only one master, who is consid-ered as their ownership. This is a very intel-ligent and independent breed but nevertoo amicable toward strangers. Make nomistake he is perfectly capable to differ-entiate the amicable from the unfriendlyapproach. Kind of ‘”if we are provoked;we are in business”.
The Sarplaninac is considered to beone of the oldest and original Molossersbelieved to be possibly 2500 years old.Although the exact ancestry is unknownthere are some theories as to descend-ing from the Molosser dogs of Epirus theancient tribes’ dog that centuries agoinhabited the Balkan Peninsula. It is pos-sible that these dogs even came from thegreat Tibetan Mastiffs who most likely de-veloped from Tibetan wolves. The years ofmany wars in the Macedonian territoriesthe breeding of the Sarplaninac almosttotally stopped. Thanks for the successfulexports around the world in the 70’s thebreed has escaped the imminent extinc-tion.
The Sarplaninac is a large breedof dog that measures from 22to 30 inches and weighs 77 to140 pounds. The dogs have athick double coat measuringup to 4 inches long, very denseand evenly distributed allowingthe dogs to live outdoors in the
worst weather. The coat colors include:Iron grey, white, tan, red and black. Dueto their superior guardian characteristicsthese dogs are also used by the military,police, and border patrols. Very coura-geous they fight often with mountain li-ons, wolves, and with Balkan bears. Theyare highly intelligent dogs, and choosetheir friends carefully and trust no onecompletely. They are more responsive totheir own code of proper behavior thanto accept commands from humans. TheSarplaninac is very loyal to his master. Usu-ally very calm in most situations, the Sar-planinac can be very ferocious in their ef-forts to protect the flock or their family. Thisdog will never retreat and in most caseswill fight to the death.
This breed of dog is not for the new orweak dog owner, and constant trainingand early socializing is necessary for thedogs to be manageable.
The Sarplaninac is slowly but firmlygaining the much deserved recognitionaround the world as a hardworking andvery versatile member of the family.
Our readers can find the completestandard at the F.C.I - Fédération Cyn-ologique Internationale’s site, and theCKC = Continental Kennel Club, and theARBA. = American Rare Breed Associa-tion. .
Sarplaninac- Yugoslavski Ovcarski – MacedoniaRAREBREEDSOFTHEWORLD
Dog News 71
Multiple Best In Specialty Show Wins and Multiple Group Wins
GCH. BOCA ROYAL PALMS SMARTY’S GOLDEN GIRL
“CHLOECHLOE“
Website: www.bocaboxers.com • Email: [email protected] Bower (941) 627-1898 (941) 740-1069 • Alan & Joanna Dorfman (248) 361-3061
Owners/Breeders: Gloria Bower, Jack Bower, Alan & Joanna DorfmanHandler: Kay Palade-Peiser
Thank you for recognizing our girl!• Group First - Lakeland Winter-Haven Kennel Club - Judge Ms. Rita Biddle, Esq. - February, 2011• #1 Best In Specialty Show - Southeast Florida Boxer Club Specialty - Judge Mrs. Sandy Orr - March 11, 2011• #2 Best In Specialty Show - Southeast Florida Boxer Club Specialty - Judge Mrs. Cheryl Robbins - March 11, 2011• #3 Best In Specialty Show - Tampa Bay Boxer Club Specialty - Judge Mrs. Dorothy Collier - March 12, 2011• Group First - Palm Beach Dog Fanciers - Judge Mrs. Mildred Bryant - March 13, 2011• Group Second - Atlanta Kennel Club - Judge Mrs. Faye Strauss - April 16, 2011• #4 Best In Specialty Show - Georgia Boxer Club Specialty Judge Mrs. Cheryl Robbins - April 17, 2011
group of exactly the same ilk as HSUS, with a similaragenda and the same attitude toward dog breedersand purebred dogs.
I think it’s hard to judge just how the British dog-owning public feels about pets and pedigree dogsthese days. Pedigree Dogs Exposed seems to havecertainly hadavery negativeeffect on theperceptionof purebred dogs and dog breeders. A list memberof the Pet-Law e-mail group looked up the followingcomments following stories about dog shows or dogbreeding in the British popular press, but commentslike these are easy to find on British web sites: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/07/crufts-kennel-club-vets-inbreeding• Dog show-breeding stinks. The people who breedthese dogs don’t give a toss for their animals’ welfare,no matter what they say.• The people who breed those dysfunctionalmonstrosities ought to be jailed.*There’s only one breed: DOGS (read: cross-breeds,mongrels). Those which are given the label “breeds”are inbred mutants (sic).• These kennel clubs are disgusting. Thepoor creaturesare just status symbols for the owners and nothing else;owners who are usually loners - childless, anti-social,eccentric, vain, pompous creeps who are completelyignorant of biology.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363354/Fiona-mongrel-spot-bother-Crufts-Impure-dalmatian-angers-traditionalists-elite-pedigree-dog-show.html• Thosedogbreeders should beABSOLUTELYashamedof themselves!!!!!!!• Crufts breeders can be disgusted all they like, thereality is the rest of the rational thinking public isdisgustedwith them for breedingdogswithdeformitiesand health problems!• These people are beneath contempt• Then quite simply these people are not dog lovers,if they would rather have a sick and deformed dogthan a healthy dog. I used to want to go to crufts as achild, as a dog lover, now i wouldnt touch the place.• What utter morons these dog breeders are, moreconcerned with “correctness” than the welfare of thedogs they breed as usual.* Some of these dog breeders really sound like abunch of Nazis !!! Try to imagine if the same practiceswere applied to creating genetically pure breeds ofhumans . . . oh wait, that did happen, in WW2 by . . .the Nazis !!!
As mentioned, comments like these are by nomeans rare following stories about dog shows or dogbreeders or breeding in Britain. There are virulentattacks online about pedigree dogs now, since thefilm Pedigree Dogs Exposed. Just how common thisfeeling was prior to the documentary, I don’t know,but Britain does not seem to be a friendly place fordog breeding these days. It’s possible this is a very
vocal minority, but there are few people writing indefense of dog breeders or pedigree dogs, at leastonline.
As if this kind of bashing weren’t enough, it’s notunusual to see headlines like this one in the popularBritish press: “Nation of animal lovers? Study shows10m pets suffer mental or physical stress.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1362392/Animal-loving-nation-10m-pets-suffer-mental-physical-stress.html Is that really possible, you may ask? Out ofa nation with approximately eight million dogs,and eight million cats according to the Pet FoodManufacturers Association in Britain http://www.pfma.org.uk/statistics/index.cfm?id=83&cat_id=60,this study claims that 10 million of these pets aresuffering mental or physical stress? Of course, thisstudy, conducted by the PDSA (Never heard of it?Apparently it stands for pets in needof vets, but I can’tfigure out the acronym), claims far higher numbersfor cats, and includes rabbits in the study. They alsosell pet insurance. http://www.pdsa.org.uk/ I’m notquite sure how they are a charity. They take peopleto task if they don’t feed a commercial dog food;and they are very unhappy if animals are left alonefor more than four (yes 4) hours per day. I’m not surehow people are supposed to leave the home andwork to buy pet food. They claim that rabbits are“neglected” and forced to live on their own, whichleads to boredom and stress. In short, they havetheir ideas about how pets should be treated, andthey want to bash millions of pet owners who havedifferent ideas.
This sort of sensational report is common in Britainand it makes front page news. All too often it seemsto lead to changes in the way people actually thinkabout animals and treat them. It can even lead tolegislative changes — all based on ideas that arepulled out of the air, with absolutely no science orexperience to back them up. There can even bemisstatements of facts in these reports, such as thedisagreement about the pet population numbersabove.
Could it possibly be that the RSPCA, groups likePDSA, and others are following in the footsteps ofJemima Harrison and Pedigree Dogs Exposed? Theyhave seen that the more they can rile the Britishpublic about animals, the more they may be able tocash in on the public’s concern for animals? I thinkit’s true that the British are great animal lovers. It’s justa shame that they have been led so far astray thatso many of them no longer recognize when they arebeing taken for a ride. They think dog breeders aretheir enemy, and pedigree dogs are mutants. Theytake advice about caring for pets from organizationslike the RSPCAwhich seizes pets, and the PDSA whichhas very suspect ideas about how animals should betreated. Whatever happened to British commonsense?
Itcanevenleadtolegislativechanges—allbasedonideas
THATAREPULLEDOUTOFTHEAIR,withabsolutelynoscienceorexperiencetobackthemup.
ANationofPetLoversLosesItsWayCONTINUED FROM PAGE 46
72 Dog News
Dog News 73
Our Appreciation to Judge Mr. Jon Cole
ASaluteToOldDogshe was going was with me. So, when it suddenly dawnedon me that not only had Bob hit double digits and both of uswere sprouting about the same amount of grey hair and theSocial Security Administration was making a monthly depositin my bank account, it didn’t exactly take a Mensa memberto understand that, in the poignant lyrics Maxwell Andersonpenned for “September Song,” When the autumn weatherturns the leaves to flame, one hasn’t got time for the waitinggame.
There’s something very satisfying about living and huntingwith an old dog especially when you are something of an olddog yourself. There’s no upstart puppy foolishness to exasperateyou to the point where you are certain the dog is destined tobe worth less than two dead flies.
He spends much of the off-season snoozing on the pillowbeneath my desk where he can keep an eye on my activities.As long as the keyboard is clicking, he knows there is no needfor his skills. That’s one of the good things about old dogs. Theyare easy to please and they radiate gratitude. Sure they don’ttear around the house like someone lit their tails on fire andwhen they go out to make a retrieve it is a far more deliberateaction than it was when they were two. Those wild, crazy,furiously fast runs are for young dogs. But you can watch olddogs sleep and you can step over them like a bunched-upthrow rug that is always in the wrong place without botheringthem. They don’t leap to their feet the second you reach thepoint of no return in the step-over and deposit you athwart thecoffee table the way young dogs do. If you are vacuumingthe carpet and they happen to be in the way and don’t feellike moving, well, you can just slide their bed, dog and all, to amore convenient location or simply vacuum around them.
That’s not to say that there is no action when you live withan old dog. Occasionally they’ll gambol about like a new-born foal or do some silly puppy thing just to remind you of
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50
what they were when they were young. When we’re huntinggeese, Bob knows there is nothing for him to do when we setout decoys so he sits quietly by my shotgun, back pack and theswivel chair I use in my haybale blind and waits. His is a calm andsteady presence that says, “When you’re ready so am I.” WhenI do get into the blind, he follows and finds a comfortable spotto sit on the carpeted floor where he can poke his head outof the end of the blind to serve as a long-range search radaralthough the “enemy air” in this case yodels, has brown spots onits “underbelly” and flies in massive but sloppy formations thatan old Navy pilot friend scornfully calls “same day, same sky”flying. The dog’s goose detection skills are something to behold,honed by years of hunting. He has them targeted long beforeI’m even aware they are in the neighborhood let alone gettingclose enough for a shot and as long as I’ve remembered to putmy contact lenses in that morning, I still have 20/20 vision, at leastwhere flying geese are concerned. But, just to remind me thathe’s not turned into “Mr. Dignity,” every now and then he’ll barrelout and back on a retrieve like he was two again and then taketwo or three parade laps with the bird just to show off.
Frequently it takes hunters a long time to realize andappreciate just how skilled their dogs really are with “hunters”meaning anyone who hunts with a sporting breed, hound orterrier. No doubt the same is true of people who compete inherding, agility, obedience, tracking or do carting or Schutzhundwork with their dogs. It is easy to take a fine dog for granted,seeing their day-in, day-out season-after-season performancesas commonplace when they are really quite extraordinary.
Bob drifts over the frosted wheat stubble, methodicallyseeking thewisp of scent thatwill lead him to adownedgoose hedid not see fall taking it on faith that you have some vague ideaBob’s not the greatest show or field competition dog to ever con-
sider the living room couch to be his personal napping area.
74 Dog News
He finds a comfortable spot to sit on the carpeted floor where he canpoke his head out of the end of the blind to serve as a long-range searchradar although the “enemy air” in this case yodels, has brown spots on its“underbelly” and flies in massive but sloppy formations that an old Navypilot friend scornfully calls “same day, same sky” flying.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 121
Professionally Handled ByChris Ann [email protected]
Owned byCindy Smith &Ronnie and Chris Ann Moorewww.akitascas.com
Group First - Judge Larry G. Kereluke
*Akita, The Dog News Top Ten List, Breed & All Breed
Best In Specialty Show WinningGrand Champion CAS Cobo Haul Eudora AOM
FLASH
Back-to-Back
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Columbia Missouri
Kennel Club
Dog News 75
76 Dog News
The SACRAMENTOKENNEL CLUB,is one of those city/country shows
that offers the best of both worlds. Goodrestaurants and hotels and a very laidback atmosphere at the show grounds.It also coincides with Spring, so withthe warm, sunny weather the flowersand trees are busting with blooms. Thebiggest surprise and the best part ofthe Sacramento weekend was the longawaited return of the unsinkable TAFFEMCFADDEN. Her first outing since hersurgeries looking better than ever, andone would never know the ordeal she hadbeen through.MATT STANDER alwayscalled her TUFFY, and she has lived up tothat name.Welcome back… Unlike warmand sunny Sacramento, this weekend’sHARRISBURG dog shows which had tocancel their Sunday and Monday eventsdue to the rainy weather. My veterinarianmade a contribution to CORNELLUNIVERSITY in memory of my dog whichpassed away. It had a double effect as itwas an act of kindness to me and financialdonation to a worthy institution. If yourecently lost a dog or just would like todonate to the University, the addressis BAKER INSTITUTE FOR ANIMALHEALTH, COLLEGE OFVETERINARYMEDICINE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY,ITHACA, NEWYORK 14853. LESLEY &EDDIE BOYES and several little Boyes areoff for a week in Hawaii. RONMENAKER isoff to judge in Budapest. TheWednesdayApril 20th edition of theWALL STREETJOURNAL had a feature written by
BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS
MIRIAMGOTTFRIED titledWhen a Pugand a Beagle Fall in Love, It’s a Puggle.She goes on to explain not to call thesedogs mutts. So you may be interestedto know that the most popular of thesemixed breeds are the goldendoodles,cockapoos, puggles not to mention thecavachons, shih-poos, schnoodles andshorkie tzus. To me they are just veryexpensive mutts, regardless of how theyare described by the AMERICAN CANINEHYBRID CLUB. At the last meeting ofthe board of directors of the AmericanKennel Club, the directors were seated ondifferent committees. The one committeethat people are always curious about iswho sits on the Appeals Committee (notthat any of us ever get into suspendablesituations). So file this in back of yourmind, the three-member committee ischaired by BILL NEWMANwith LEEARNOLD and PAT SCULLY. CelebratingBirthdays… JENNIFER STEVENS,CAROL SIMONDS and daughter JANSIMONDS, GERARDHUGHES, MADGEFISH, ROBERTADAVIES, MARLENEDEPALMA, BARBARA BEISSEL, GINGERSCOTT and husband RAY SCOTT, JEANFOURNIER, BRYANMARTIN, JOHNRAMIREZ, STAN FLOWERS, MICHELEFEDERMAN, POLLY SMITH, DAWNHANSEN, JEANNE POPOVITS andNICHOLASVIGGIANO. Happy 25thAnniversary to Dog News’CreativeDirector SEAN K. GAFFNEY and his wifeLORRIE! Wishing you all a Happy Easter orPassover or whatever.
GOSSIPThe
Column
Dog News 77
That which go’s aroundcome’s around
GCH . R I V E R S I D E S TWO S I S T E R S
“ S I S T E R ” AME R I C A N & C AN AD I A NCH . B OO T B L A C K F ROM DA LMAT I A
1 9 5 0
MU LT I P L E G RO U P AND S P E C I A LT Y W I NN E R
OWNERWENDELL SAMMET
“DALMATIA”
CO-OWNER - RICHARD BAKER HANDLER - RICK KRIEGER
should have input into breed standards. Firstthey would not perform the elective surgeriesrequired by breed standards, and second,they want to oppose breed standards that“cause disease, impairment, or discomfort forthe animals.” This could lead them to opposebreed standards for toy breeds that suffertooth loss and subluxing patellas, Giant breedswith Bloat and bone cancer, brachycephalicbreedswith breathing restrictions andwhelpingproblems, osteochondrodysplasic breedswith dwarfism, or extreme white breeds withdeafness. This is the first place that I have seenwhere the goal is having vets actually opposethe standards that we breed to.
Item6. Towhatextentis itmorallyappropriatefor veterinarians to assist or participate inmethods of rearing food animals that restrictthe natural behavior of such animals?
Let’s get real. Building fences restricts thenatural behavior of animals. When the westwas fenced with barbed wire, the entire goalwas to restrict the free ranging of cattle.
AndAnimal Planet is advertisinganew showcalled “Hog Wild” that depicts the current waron wild pigs. These are pigs with unrestrictednatural and very destructive behaviors thatare spreading across the United States. I preferhog farming to having to go out and shootpigs for pork. Although the landowners withinfestations of wild hogs would be happy tohave you shoot them.
When we build fences and kennels werestrict the natural behavior of dogs and nowAR legislation is turning up that wants to restrictour ability to confine our dogs. I want newowners to have good fences. The AR folksapparently want them to have none.
Item 7.” Is it morally appropriate to engagein practices (e.g., not using anesthesia duringthe removal of the tails of pigs or the castrationof pigs and cattle) that are painful to patientsbut are desired by clients for economicreasons?”
Actually I am surprised that anybody hiresveterinarians to dock pig tails or castrate pigsand cattle. I thought that was what old timecowboys did without the aid of veterinarians.But perhaps the vets want in on that practicelike they do on the tooth cleaning which is alsooften doneby non vets. Oneway of expandinga vet’s practice is to require vets to performprocedures that are now being done by nonvets. How many calves and piglets would dieif they were anesthetized for castration and taildocking?
It is customary practice to dock tails
and remove dewclaws from puppies withoutanesthesia. Does anybody really wantto anesthetize a day old puppy for theseprocedures? Doing so would be life threateningto the puppy.
Andfinally Item12 “Howshould theprofessionrespond to those who seek to end animalresearch or who advocate measures (e.g.,prohibition of the use of abandoned poundanimals) that can curtail research or increase itscosts?”
I call this the “be nice to AR folks” ethicsissue which is not really an ethics issue at all.Veterinarians should respond to all of the ARproposals by saying that the AR folks are not theirclients and that vet ethics do not concern theAR community, no matter how much they wantto create new AR-based ethics for our vets.
One of the Journal of Social Issues articleswas titled,”The Movement Is My Life: ThePsychology of Animal Rights Activism” by HaroldA. Herzog, Jr. Mr. Herzog spent three yearsinterviewing in depth twenty three ground rootsanimal rights activists. He would up with 400pages of transcription and some of my favoriteAR quotes:
Bernadette said, “Take, for example, fleason my dog. I don’t use toxic chemicals on mydog to get rid of fleas. Instead, I try to pick themoff and put them outside. I know they do notfeel pain or anything, but I feel it is importantto be consistent. If I draw the line somewherebetween fish and mollusks or something, it isn’tgoing to make sense.”
I thought that dog fanciers would find thatamusing.
Then there is the ultimate problem of whatan AR person can eat. If animals are off limits,how about killing plants?
Gina, a graduate student, said, “I cannotdraw a line in my mind. I try to do as littledamage as possible, but if I don’t eat plants, Ican’t live. I have to eat something and it is theleast evil. I guess even plants are a dilemma tome to some degree.”
Herzog said that “Several participantsmentioned that they had given serious thoughtto the notion that consuming fruits and nuts ispreferable to a vegetarian diet composed ofplants that are killed through the act of harvest.”This makes the AR folks the ultimate right to lifebelievers. They don’t want animals, or plantskilled. This overlooks the fact that everything thatlives dies: plants, animals, and people. Thereis no way to avoid death for any living thing.Instead of necessary end to life, AR folks seemto think it can be somehow avoided.
78 Dog News
VeterinaryEthics&AnimalRightsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 54
Whenwebuildfencesandkennelswerestrictthe
NATURALBEHAVIOROFDOGS...
Dog News 79
Rottweilers R Loved Coalition
80 Dog News
THE TAIL DOES NOTWAG THE DOG
The American Rottweiler Club Tail Docking Committee nolonger exists. A Standard Revision Committee is now lookingat possible changes to the Standard. For a comparison ofopinions, please re-read the April 8th article in Dog Newsreprinted by Linda Michels to compare to this reply.
The Rottweiler We RecognizeClose your eyes and visualize a Rottweiler without tan markingsbut with a tail. If all you see is a Bull Mastiff or LabradorRetriever, either you have a poor specimen of a Rottweiler orhave not studied in detail the Standard for the breed in thiscountry and elsewhere in the world. If you live anywhere inthe world other than the United States, and not even here tosome extent, the dog you visualize as a Rottweiler may in facthave a tail. Whether that dog wagged his whole rear end or histail when greeting you at the door makes him no more or lessa Rottweiler as described in the Breed Standard concerningstructure and temperament.
History of Docking the BreedWhile references are made in Ms. Michels’ article to huntingbreeds and injuries, those arguments are not applicable tothe Rottweiler. There is no scientific support or documentedevidence that Rottweiler tails were docked for “hygienereasons”. There is no empirical data despite assertions to thecontrary that stock dogs’ tails if left natural would be so fouledwith feces in the barn yard that they would become sore, cut,infected, and result in the injury or possibly death of thatanimal. To assert that docking prevented “cruelty” and evendeath to working dogs, is simply not a supportable opinion.However, there does appear to be agreement that avoidance oftail taxes was one of the primary reasons of docking.
The Neurological Development of PuppiesThe descriptions of manners in which tails are docked onpuppies are not in dispute by the author. While the developmentof a puppies neurological system may be debated (as it relatesto the effects of docking) there appears to be no dispute thatdocking an adult dog is major surgery and can certainly affectthe balance of the dog. Docking is not allowed after seven(7) days by the American Rottweiler Club which obviouslyprecludes that procedure being performed by ethical breederson adult and/or imported animals.
Rottweiler StructureA tail does not alter or set structural type. The tail set isdetermined by the structure described in a standard for thecroup.
Despite assertions to the contrary, the Standards for theADRK (the German parent club), the FCI, and the AKC havenot always described a dog that needed a docked tail.
1901 ADRK Standard for “Tail”:“very frequently a stump (congenital andalways preferred); otherwise strong and ofmedium length, brush tail carried high andcurved like a sickle.”
A reply by Catherine Thompson to “A Tale of Tails” printed in Dog News, April 8th Edition)(Catherine M. Thompson has been in Rottweilers for over 40 years, is a charter member of the American Rottweiler Club (ARC),
past President of the ARC, Chairman of the ARC 1990 Standard Revision Committee, Illustrated Standard andAKC video committees and co-author with Linda Michels of The Rottweiler: Centuries of Service.)
Compare this to the original Standard in the United States in 1935:“Tail should be short, placed high (on level with back)and carried horizontally. Dogs are frequently born withas short stump, and when tail is too long (emphasisadded) it must be docked close to body.”
1979:“Tail: normally carried in horizontal position - givingimpression of an elongation of top line. Carriedslightly above horizontal when dog is excited. Somedogs are born without a tail, or a very short stub. Tailis NORMALLY(emphasis added) docked short, closeto body. The set of the tail is more important thanlength.”
Below is a vintage era photograph from 1908 showing what appearsto be a natural “bob” tail approximately 8 inches long. (Additionallyplease note the structural changes which have occurred in the Rottweilersince 1908 from head to toe.)
Adding a tail to the current Standard and structure of a Rottweilerwould require no changes structurally in the breed’s croup, the top lineor description of movement. Simply put, the proof is in the pudding, andhistory. Below are two (2) photographs; one of a currently well knowndog in Europe exemplifying what any breeder in this country would loveto have in movement, type, and structure. Please note the dog has a tail.Below that, is a picture of one of his daughters born in this country, witha docked tail.
The last 13 years in most of Europe, and longer than that in othercountries includingSweden,havedemonstrated thatwhile theirStandardshave changed to add a tail, no other structural Standard changes havebeen necessitated as a result. The dogs being shown in Europe todaywith tails have the same Standard as before docking was banned. Nostructure alterations, changes, or deviations have occurred in the breedor in their Standards. Should anyone think that adding a tail would“lessen the Rottweilers’ ability as an endurance trotter” look again atthe picture above. European dogs currently work and compete at a high
Dog News 81
level in the sport of Schutzhund and in other venues throughout therest of the world with a tail. For some to assert that adding a tailalters the structure of the breed such that they cannot perform thework they were originally bred for, is simply not supported by anyempirical data or science. In fact, such beliefs are disproved by thedogs and Standards utilized in Europe today and the unchangingnature of the breed other than the tail being kept in a natural state.
The drawings in Ms. Michels’ article showing a dog withvarious croup and/or top line faults with a tail added are simplythat, drawings. Close your eyes and imagine for a minute that thosedrawings are the same except no tail. I am sure you will recognizethat those faults are currently existing in the breed in this countryand can be seen to a greater or lesser degree in show rings aroundthe country every weekend. IT IS NOT THE TAIL THAT ALTERSTHE STRUCTURE. The structure is created by the decisions ofbreeders which determines top line and croup .Keep the structurein the Standard which exists today and allow the tail to “fall whereit may”. The problem is that because most domestic dogs are notdocked at the present time, no one knows exactly what the tails aregoing to look like on “traditionally” docked breeds. However, youcan gain a good idea of what that will be by looking at the dockedtail set of the dog as it moves in an alert condition. A great manyof the dogs with the often desired dead flat topline preferred bysome breeders, will likely result in tail sets which are higher thancurrently described in the Standard. Is that wrong? Maybe, andmaybe not. The “slightly sloping” croup described in the currentstandard is also not inconsistent with a tail set we could live withhere, and as displayed in the photographs above. To presupposethat dogs with tails must necessarily be altered structurally in orderfor them to continue working in carting or endurance trotting is afalse premise disproved by recent history of the breed around theglobe since most docking was banned. In this case, hindsight istruly 20/20 .
There are numerous other breeds in the varying groups thatperform many of the same endurance trotting and/or load pullingjobs as have historically been attributed to the Rottweiler. Many ofthose dogs have tails and croup sets, depending on the breed and itsstandard, which may be longer or shorter, but all are slightly angled.Again, the tail does not wag the dog. There is no scientific basis forthe belief that a Rottweiler’s desired croup and tail set would have
to change to accommodate an undocked tail. The tail and croup sets wehave today may in fact be hiding from the public what some might notlike to see namely, a tail that would not be “pleasing”. Regardless ofwhether the tail is pleasing to someone’s eye, if the current structure ofthe dog as desired allows it to be an endurance trotter and to performweight pulling functions such as carting, then the set and look of thetail should be of secondary concern when compared to function.
Breeding for Tail TypeMs. Michels’ beliefs that tail selection would result in breedersabandoning other structural “positive traits” for a better looking tailis simply that, a belief ...opinion. Only an unthinking breeder wouldoverlook healthy, correct structure and temperament . . . for inferioranimals with the desired tail. Further, to base decisions on the breedstructure out of fear that some breeders might “break” tails to obtain adesired carriage is not the point. That practice would be a travesty forthe breed but again, competent and ethical people would not do this.Rules cannot always be put in place to stop unscrupulous activity. Forexample even today the current policy of some to exclude natural tailsfrom the ring has already created a problem in the form of dockingadult dogs which are imported so they may be shown in the AKC ringand become “profitable” to the owners, without having to admit thatthey do not mind a tail. They have the genetic “merit” to be bred to,but those same breeders are ashamed to have them in the ring (or areafraid of losing to an inferior specimen solely because their exhibit hasa natural tail).
Tail InjuriesOther than a few instances in actual hunting dogs, there is no documentedevidence that where tail docking has been banned, there has been an“astounding increase” in injuries of previously docked breeds. This ismere speculation for any and all breeds other than some dogs actuallyused in hunting. The argument that docking at 2-4 days old to “prevent”possible injury in life would be tantamount to saying that we shouldamputate limbs early to avoid the potential of getting osteosarcoma.In actuality, the odds of a Rottweiler getting osteosarcoma are muchgreater than a tail injury.
SummaryThe Rottweiler as we know it today, in fact, has not been the samedog over the last 100 years. Please look again at the picture of the1908 dog compared to current animals with and without tails. Pleasereview again the original ADRK Standard as well as subsequent AKCStandards for the breed noting that various descriptions of what a tailwould look like are included. The words “normally docked” seem tohave always been used when describing the need to shorten a natural“bob” tail.
This dispute is not about ending docking of the breed in this country.Most people will continue to prefer the “look” of a docked dog. It maytake many people some time getting used to the look of a tail in the ringnext to their docked dog. This is about choice . This is about good, solidreasons for allowing dogs with and without tails to compete equally.This issue should not be about essentially “banning” dogs from the ringor severely penalizing them to the point that potentially good geneticstock is not allowed to be evaluated in the ring (one of the AKC’s statedmission goals for conformation shows is the evaluation of breedingstock). Choice is the future. Fear of change is not a good reason topreclude that choice. History has proven that some of the fears of what“might” happen to the breed were tails again allowed to remain on dogsare unfounded concerns. Dogs with tails around the world, includingnow in the United States, are no less capable of working or performingthe functions they “traditionally” did.... and have required no structuralalteration to the Standards to accommodate those tails.
In conclusion a quote from another well known individual in theRottweiler Community in this country states it succinctly and was trulyprophetic:
“In the United States, we have a tremendous responsibilityto maintain this marvelous breed and one way to do thatis to keep the AKC-approved breed Standard as close aspossible to the FCI/ADRK Standard.” (Klem, Joan R.Rademacher, Susan C., The Rottweiler Experience, page85 New York : Howell Book House, 1996)
The FCI /ADRK Standards have included a natural tail for well over adecade.
achieving the game’s goal. Bonus points or demerits can be accrueddepending upon the dog and handler’s team performance. The dogcan earn bonus points in 15-second increments deducted from itstotal time or demerits in 15-second increments added to its totaltime. Delivering the point ball first earns bonus points in beginningand intermediate level competition as does driving from the startposition with the handler using only one to three verbal commands.The better the communication between the dog and the handlerand the faster the game progresses, the more bonus points that canbe earned by the team.
Grounds for demerits include the dog using its paws to drive theball, biting the ball, moving the ball from the wrong side of the trian-gle, barking disruptively, etc. The handler can receive demerits if he/she does the following: steps into the field more than an arm’s lengthof the goal: approximately 18- to 24-inches; corrects the dog verballyor with a gesture; or uses his/her staff to drive the ball into the goalinstead of using it to guide the ball in after the dog delivers it to thegoal line. Disqualifications include the following: if the dog destroysany ball by biting it--the equivalent of killing the sheep in herdingcompetition; and, if the handler exerts any pressure on the dog forthe third time in a run or punishes it verbally or physically.
The diameter of the balls used in competition ranges between25-centimeters for small dogs and up to 85-centmeters for largedogs. The balls usedmust be appropriate to the size of the dog com-peting.
Open to All Breeds“We’ve had Papillons, Cairn Terriers and Standard Poodles in our
classes in addition to Australian Cattle Dogs, German Shepherd Dogs,Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. Any breed or mixed breedmay compete in Treibball, but the herding breeds may have a bit ofan advantage,” says Stearns. “That’s why herding breeds and mixescompete against each other, and all other breeds and mixes com-pete against each other.”
In response to the growing interest in Treibball in this country,Stearns and a Board of Directors founded The American Treibball As-sociation (ATA) in August 2010 to establish the sport in the UnitedStates. ATA is its only sanctioning body in America.
“We founded the organization to promote the sport as a positivereinforcement communication vehicle for dog owners and trainersand to establish rules in English for the Americanmarket. With the in-terest in Treibball growing rapidly across the U.S., we wanted to pro-vide a competitive structure for the sport here so owners could com-pete and have their dog’s performance judged against other dogs.’We’re building a network of regional trainers whowill teach the sport,train trainers, and host and judge regional competitions.
“ATA is a non-profit, 501c (3) member organization with mem-bership available on three levels. People may just be a fancier who
82 Dog News
TREIBBALL
wants to play with their dog. They may be a trainer who wants to teachTreibball. Or they may be a breed or training club that has a dedicatedtrainer that teaches the sport and wants to host competition.”
ATA offers four levels of sanctioned competition that allow dogsto earn the following titles: American Treibball Beginner (ATB), Ameri-can Treibball Intermediate (ATI), American Treibball Excellent (ATE) andAmerican Treibball Champion (ATCH).
Titles only may be earned in competition at sanctioned ATA Trials.A dog may acquire a title by earning a total of 15 points in its age orbreed group, at three different matches under the aegis of two differentjudges.
At ATA advanced level trials, there are changes in the course. Notonly would the judge determine the order of the balls to be broughtto the goal, but natural and manmade obstacles may be included inthe playing field to create herding challenges. Obstacles might includetrees, rocks, folding chairs, screens, etc. Oddly shaped balls that don’t rollas well as fitness balls also may be used or the balls may be weighted,i.e., filled with water or sand. Weighted balls are more difficult to moveand thus present a greater challenge to the dog’s skill.
Benefits of the SportLike Nijboer’s Australian Cattle Dogs, lots of people own dogs that
have an abundance of energy. Treibball classes and competition are agreat way to burn it off because they provide lots of exercise.
“The sport is mentally tiring as well because it’s a ‘thinking’ or prob-lem-solving game dependent upon effective communication betweenthe dog and the handler. The handler must give really good directionand the dog must really focus on handler. Our students, who also doFlyball or Agility, tell us their dog’s focus greatly improved after taking aTreibball class.”
The sport is similar to Agility in that the handler directs the dog’smovement around the course except there’s no physical stress on thehandler. In Treibball, the handler stays put while the dog does all of therunning. That makes it a great alternative to Agility for handlers, whohave bad knees or hips and thus aren’t up to racing around an obstaclecourse alongside of their dog.
“Treibball also is a team building sport between the dog and han-dler. Because the handler’s goal is calm, consistent control of his dog,the dog doesn’t need to be hyped up like it would be before an Agilityor Flyball run. Because dogs must work at distances of up to 25-ft awayfrom their handler, Treibball increases reliability off-lead as well.”
Formore informationThose interested may visit www.americantreibballassociation.org
Beginning and Intermediate level Treibball Manuals, which are clicker-based training curriculums, may be downloaded at the site. Dogs par-ticipating in Treibball may be viewed on video at YouTube: www.you-tube.com/user/americantreibball An in depth, 4-page history of thesport’s development may be read at www.Natural-Dogmanship.com
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58
TimmieSchones and Izzie,with Izzie in position to drive.(AustralianShepherd)
GinaBiernat andSakara, Sakara usingher shoulders to bring thepoint ball to the goal. (GermanShepherdDog)
Dog News 123
