Try a little tenderness

It's time for the Olympics, and unfortunately there's a popular sport with no qualification required to participate or limit on who can. It's open season year round, and anybody can jump in anytime.

Sound like fun?

Well, it's Breeder Bashing.

I have no idea if cat breeders - or gerbils, or exotic reptiles, or potbellied pigs - are subject to the same near incessant barrage of hate speech, slander, public ridicule, advertising campaigns, and manipulation of public opinion as dog breeders. Part of me hopes not - way too much hate in the air - and part of me hopes so; you know, more the merrier and all that. 

We're people. We have feelings. We're human. 

We aren't perfect. We're not evil. We're not greedy. We're not thoughtless, hateful, scumsucking liars and shitbags. We don't sit around spending our time trying to figure out how to produce dogs with faults, or health problems, coming up with new and creative ways to fuck up. We really don't.

And anyone that suggests otherwise is lying.

I have a puppy buyer (doesn't own a computer, so she'll never see this) who calls roughly once a month. Usually it's all about how happy she is with her dogs, how beautiful they are, what great temperaments they have, how much their groomers love them, how good they are at the vet's office... and at some point, without fail, she'll say "You know, Fluffy is missing a tooth."

Yes, I know. You've told me once a month for the past year.

No, I don't say that out loud; I just bite my tongue. Yes, I know. So is her sister, my pick bitch. It's unfortunate, but it's not a DQ, and one premolar isn't going to affect her show career, hunting ability, or quality of life.

Here's the thing: There is no way on god's green earth I could deliberately produce a dog missing one tooth; I wouldn't know how to do it. Particularly not when I'm bending over backwards to do the exact opposite. 

Both parents had full dentition. The sire's dam is missing one tooth so we spent a LOT of time looking for a bitch strong for full mouths. The dam is from a litter of full mouths with both parents having full dentition. On the long, long, long list of things Mother Nature has a knack for being unpredictable with, dentition is a doozy. And don't get me started on bites (scissors, level, anterior and posterior crossbites, popped bites, undershot, parrot mouth...), recent data found roughly 30 separate genes control jaws/bites and dentition in dogs. It's something of a miracle perfect mouths are ever produced!

People want guarantees, even though we are dealing with living organisms. They want the impossible.

We do the best we can, we really do. We accept, grudgingly, that no matter how hard we try, we're still going to get screwed. Because that's how Mother Nature works.

Let's look at my breed, at borzoi, and what health testing is considered routine. 

There's degenerative myelopathy, and we have a great DNA test for that. What we don't have is a good understanding of penetrance - why some At Risk dogs never develop the disease and others do. (A recent break-through in corgis holds proffers answers --- but --- what is true in one breed doesn't always apply to other breeds.)

There's a great lab test for autoimmune thyroiditis, but all it can do is identify affected animals. And a dog that is Normal at 2 years may be affected at 5, or 7. So repeating the test, again and again, over an animal's lifetime is more accurate than a single test. And it's an expensive test - not the test itself, but shipping blood overnight. We assume all offspring of an affected dog are carriers, so we can identify carriers (and not breed a carrier to another carrier, thus not knowingly producing dogs that will be affected) - but we can only do this if the test results are in the public database.

Those two tests are pretty bullet-proof. They are lab tests with controlled references run on finely tuned and very expensive machines, with built-in redundancies to verify abnormal results before owners are contacted. DM is a "one and done" test because it's DNA based. Thyroid should be repeated every couple of years to detect later-onset. 

The remaining tests available to us are important, but generally not as black and white when it comes to execution.  

There's a great testing procedure for eyes, and such testing is pretty easy to get and widely available and generally very affordable -- other than it's an annual exam. Commonly known as a CERF exam (though technically it's an CAER exam), this is performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist (AVCO), it can identify congenital problems in puppies under 12 weeks of age (e.g., coloboma), separate acquired problems from genetic ones (e.g., FMAR), and track the progression of problems (macular degeneration, developmental corneal opacity, PPM - the list is long). It's another one of those tests that should be performed multiple times over the course of a dog's lifetime, because some heritable problems are detectable in young dogs (e.g., lens luxation) and others don't present until a dog is an adult or even a senior animal (e.g., catarats). As you can see (no pun actually intended), eyes are complex. Getting perfect eyes is hard, but vision is essential to both quality of life and function, so we try.

Then there's hearts. There are three different cardiac exams, and breeds have varying expectations about testing based on the type and frequency of problems known to exist. Auscultation (listening) can be done by a regular clinician, specialist, or a cardiologist. Depending on the quality of the stethoscope and the expertise of the vet, this is generally viewed as being of limited value; there are just too many variables. Holter exams are useful for finding chronic arrhythmias, but unreliable for intermittent ones and useless for an acute arrhythmia (which can kill a dog with no warning - ruefully referred to as Dead Dog Syndrome because the first symptom is, well, the dog is dead). Holter exams are standard in some breeds (Boxers and Dobermans, among others) and require shaving off the coat so the leads can be attached to the skin. Results can be interpreted by a specialist or a cardiologist, and the accuracy of that interpretation depends on the skill, experience, and training of the person reading the data. Echocardiograms are generally considered the gold standard for a heart exam, and can be performed by either a specialist or a cardiologist. Sometimes the hair has to be shaved off a large area of the chest to get really accurate views, and (like auscultations) the quality of the equipment and skill of the user are factors in the accuracy of the information gathered. A standard echo may only get three chambers of the heart; all four chambers and all four valves are desired, but sometimes the weight of the dog or the temperament or the equipment or the skill of the technician limit the views. Sometimes color dopper is used, and it may reveal additional information which has no known clinical significance. One of the most frustrating things about hearts is the range of findings can go from "perfect" to "OMG awful" -- but most of the time it's somewhere in the middle - normal but not perfect; not normal but acquired not congenital or heritable; not normal and genetic in some way; and on and on.

I have first hand knowledge of a bitch that was diagnosed (dx) with a heart murmur at age 6. Because it was found by auscultation, an echo was recommended. The echo found the heart murmur was acquired (age related) and not heritable. Had the owner not done the echo, they would have had incomplete information. I have first hand knowledge of a dog with a similar finding at age 4; echo found evidence of infection had damaged a valve in the heart. A finding on auscultation is incomplete at best, and misleading at worst.

Then there's osteosarcoma and GDV; neither of which has any test but time and plagues every line in some way. We do the best we can to identify problems, and breed away from them (either by not breeding affected animals, or breeding to lines that don't also have the same problem). 

Dogs aren't perfect. People aren't perfect. We don't have perfect tests for everything. We're doing the best we can, we really are.

Yes, your bitch is missing a tooth. I'm really sorry about that, I'm doing the best I can.

And the breeder bashers are on constant standby, ready to blame. The peanut gallery is always primed to say oh you shoulda, you coulda. And somebody who's never bred a litter, much less several, who's never agonized over what to do, or not do, or how to make something right, has never cried a million tears when it all goes to hell despite every effort to do everything right... Well the peanut gallery is just wrong. And mean. And hurtful. Anybody can stand on the sidelines and run their mouth in judgment or pretend they have 20/20 hindsight. They all need to fuck off because they do not know what they are talking about. 

So, why spend all this money and effort and heartache on testing? Why indeed.

Because we believe it's the right thing to do. Because not testing, or not sharing results, is a type of lie. Because doing everything we know how to do to prevent problems makes it easier to sleep at night. And when we, inevitably, get screwed by Mother Nature anyway, we have our friends with the same values and ethics to share the tears.

Yes, your bitch is missing a tooth. I'm really sorry about that, I'm doing the best I can.

People want guarantees, I get that. Uncertainty is hard. But we are dealing with living organisms. We all want the impossible, we all want perfection. The ethical among us won't talk in absolutes, but will tell the ugly, messy, and unhappy truth. And when honest breeders won't lie or give guarantees of the impossible, some people will go and buy a lie from someone else. 

So, let's be kind to one another, and supportive of best efforts, and be a shoulder to cry on for each other, and not be party to the whispering or finger pointing. Let's ask tough questions, and give honest answers, and be understanding of the inherently imperfect nature of Mother Nature. Let's try a little tenderness.

Time to Stop the Madness

I try very hard not to let my buttons get pushed. But sometimes, it happens. I see it coming, and say, yeah, go ahead: push it.

Things started out innocently enough. Victoria Stilwell (of BBC's It's me or the Dog fame) posted on her blog a link to an article written by Sophia Yin DVM, MS - a giant in the world of veterinary behavior.

Dr. Yin has published several books and articles, and was a brilliant public speaker. Her untimely passing last year was an incalculable loss for dog owners and dogs alike.

Sophia had serious cred, and made important information accessible to everyone. Victoria started out as an actress, and has done tremendous good for the field of dog training via tv (way more that that other guy).

I posted, perhaps foolishly, perhaps provocatively, in response to Victoria's posting of Sophia's article:

 

The point of the article, is, on the face of it, one that most people agree with. In fact, I find it pretty easy to agree with most of it. A lot of things can go wrong in breeding domestic animals; it's not all sunshine and roses and puppy breath. Mother nature is a wicked bitch, and things go wrong. Entire volumes have been written about the myriad things that can go wrong and how to try to prevent them, and what to try when it all goes to hell anyway. The financial and emotional costs should give pause to all but the most dedicated breeder. (sidebar: #5 of this post should should be a tattoo.) Statistically, most people "get out" of dogs in about five years (I've seen this several places over the years, but can't find a link at the moment. Readers - help me out?).

It's hard work. It can force gut-wrenching, soul-searching choices. And the good days, few and far between as they sometimes are, are a reward full of intangibles that are impossible to quantify.

Which is why we refer to ourselves as a bit dog-crazy... You have to be a bit touched in the head to do it.

Predictably, the haters started:
 


and - cue the GSD card:


Ah yes, the predictable, one-size-fits-all, "always" and "never" and holier-than-thou misinformation.

tip: the vocabulary of absolutes is the language of extremists. real life is full of nuance, of sometimes and maybe.


Wait - what? Misinformation?

Well, yes. The problem with propaganda is, it's not accurate. The haters are furiously clinging to ignorance because they don't want to deal with the facts.
   Oh, if only we had to "force" our dogs to breed. Anybody that has ever had crates, doors, and walls destroyed by two dogs determined to get to each other - or, conversely, had a bitch say over his dead body to a male's advances - knows what a ludicrous fallacy that is.

What facts?

These facts: Why dogs are in shelters. Where shelter dogs come from. What's changing with shelter populations. The trends in dog flipping. The reality that this is a demand problem. The reality that it's actually smart money to get a dog from a responsible breeder. The fact that it's pretty easy to tell a good breeder from a bad one - all you have to do is make an effort. The fact that there are NO DATA that support the urban legend of random-bred dogs being healthier than purpose bred dogs; the data in fact show that mixed breeds are LESS healthy. Read Hutchinson. Peruse OFA. The facts are there.

One pet peeve - it ain't adoption. Money changes hands. It's a purchase. The difference is, where did you buy the dog?

Read the last sentence in the bottom comment. Read it again. I do wonder what the rest of the story is on that...

My favorite comment - sorry, I can't find it now - was someone suggesting (tongue in cheek) that people stop having babies as long as there are children in foster care. Now there's an ironic analogy that would give one pause.


Many people posted their agreement (50+ "likes" is a lot), and their own comments. It's nice not to be the only voice of reason in the dark.

  

And this:

Name another hobby where people feel comfortable verbally assaulting total strangers and telling them how to spend their money. I bet knitters don't get this sort of vitriol. Model horse enthusiasts. Remote controlled gliders. College football fans. Shriners. Collectors of stamps, coins, rocks, fine art, guns, books, jazz... No? Can't think of one? Me either.

And, really, that's what this is - hate. Plain and simple. Hate usually stems from fear, which often comes from ignorance.

I have always said - ignorance is curable. Stupidity... not so much.

Jon Katz said it well:

As always, it is the dogs who suffer from this human arrogance, not the people. Dog bites on children are epidemic, millions of dogs are returned to shelters and rescue facilities each year because people get them without knowing anything about them or how to live with them.

 Sometimes it seems that the whole point of getting a dog for many people – this is quite clear from my messages –  is to rescue something, to feel good. The messengers have no ideas about getting a dog other than that it must be rescued. As if that is enough to know.

You can read the entire essay here.

Time to stop willful ignorance, the hate. Time to look at the DATA, not the propaganda. Time to deal with reality.

An Open Letter to AKC's VP of Performance

Note - AKC's BOD rescinded the age lowering - restoring it to 12 mos - at the March 2014 meeting. Kudos to AKC for responding so quickly to correct this.

24 February 2014

to: Doug Ljungren, VP of Performance and Companion Events

re: AKC Board Minutes 2/7/14 - CAT rule change - minimum age reduction

Dear Mr. Ljungren -

I am writing to ensure you are aware of my acute dismay at the recently published AKC Board Minutes, dated 7 February 2014 in which the following change is announced on page 10: "The Board VOTED to amend the Regulations for Coursing Ability Tests, Chapter XV, Sections 3 and 9, to open the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) up to a wider range of dogs by (1) lowering the minimum age for a dog to participate to 6 months..."

I must express to you my most strenuous objection to this change, and to the manner in which it was carried out. As the immediate past-Secretary, previous President, and current Director on the Board for Albuquerque Whippet Fanciers Association/Lobo Lure Coursing Club, we were not allowed the opportunity to provide feedback on this proposal. Neither were current active Lure Coursing Judges asked to weigh in.

As you are aware, lure coursing is a Performance event, not a Companion event. As an agility competitor since 2001 and a lure coursing participant and judge, I am keenly aware of the distinction between the two categories. Your own involvement in field trials no doubt gives you a similar appreciation.

As you can see from this chart the average age for growth plate closure of the critical tibial crest (stifles being the last joint in which growth plates close, and in all canines the joint most prone to injury) is 11 months, with the range being up to 14 months (the study used beagles and greyhounds). In my own borzoi, I have seen (via digital radiograph) some males' growth plates still open at 18 months of age.

It is therefore my considered opinion - as owner, breeder, and judge - that the 12 month age MINIMUM for entry into any lure coursing activity is an essential safety rule. I find it unconscionable that AKC would enable entry in a performance event by immature animals.

It has been brought to my attention that several clubs will be dropping CAT events from their hosting activities; countless judges have stated that they will decline CAT assignments; and the NM club has lost its FTS for future CAT events. Please work with the AKC BOD to rescind this rule change before dogs are needlessly put at risk of suffering career-ending injurys.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.

- Leonore

AKC LC Judge

AKC Breeder of Merit

cc:

AKC LC Field Rep

and the following AKC clubs, of which I am a member in good standing:

Albuquerque Whippet Fanciers Association / Lobo Lure Coursing Club - President

Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club - Performance Chairman

Borzoi Club of America - AKC Delegate

Excuses are like bricks: they don't fly

It's 5:30 in the afternoon, my cell phone rings, a number I don't recognize. I answer it, and can barely make out the caller saying:

How much do you charge?

Well it depends, I say. What's your name?

**Billie.

Can you tell me what you are looking for?

Her version: She has a mixed breed dog that, she says, needs "training." Right away.

My perception: She has a dog with a serious behavior problem and history of multiple bites. There is little pattern to the behavior, and it has been going on for close to a year.

My recommendation is an initial evaluation; I tell her how that works, how long it takes, and how much I charge. And what some possible next steps would be, depending on the evaluation, ranging from medical work-up to behavior modification.

But she just needs some training.

You said, the dog is muzzled full-time, right? Has this dog bitten you? Do you have any children in your home? Are you afraid of your dog? It sounds to me like this dog has a serious behavior problem. I'd like to see if I can help you; would you like to schedule an appointment?

She says she might call back next week.

**not her real name - if she actually gave it to me. 

Truth, lies, and fanning the flames

A lot on my mind, many a post not written or shared... Busy is good, silence is golden, and all that.

I spent yesterday temperament testing dogs at a shelter. As a therapy dog team evaluator, this is something we do about once a month, attempting to identify shelter dogs as potential therapy dogs. Of 10-15 we examine per session, on average, 3 qualify as candidates.

The time in-between dogs is usually spent having interesting discussions about dogs, behavior, "the system" of shelters, breeders, puppies, on and on. Yesterday it was suggested that, oh if only, everyone could stop breeding until every shelter dog had a home, then overpopulation and kill rates would be resolved. I pointed out that the market for shelter animals is very different than the market for dogs from Responsible Ethical Breeders. I suggested that if somebody wants a well-bred puppy with health-tested parents and proven lines of breed XXXX, that somebody is not going to go to the shelter and pick up a dog that doesn't meet those criteria. That person won't get a dog at all, until one becomes available from a REB.

The problem, I suggest, is that there is a huge market for puppies in the country. Not a huge market for badly-behaved adolescent dogs or elderly, ill, and infirm dogs.

The truth is: Responsible Ethical Breeders don't produce enough puppies to satisfy the puppy market in this country.

The problem, I suggest, is that shelters are pressured to lower kill rates and increase placement numbers, which results in poor placements to begin with and untracked returns as well.

The problem, I suggest, is that REB's are portrayed as the enemy, when REB's don't contribute to the shelter population at all.

The problem, I suggest, is that most shelters do a poor job of breed identification, and many shelters refuse to work with breed-specific rescue groups.

The solution, I suggest, is that we stop pointing fingers at each other and focus on the people who buy dogs, regardless of source, and ensure they have good information for making informed decisions on acquisition AND information on how to be responsible owners. This means buyers understand how much food and vet bills cost, what good training is and where to find it.

And I say BUYER quite deliberately. Cute euphemisms like "adoption fee" don't change reality: money changes hands. It's a purchase, let's not deceive ourselves. No matter our feelings, dogs are, legally, property. That makes us owners.

Most of us are involved in rescue, on some level. Most of us are familiar with "foster failure" and have the dogs (and vet bills) to prove it. Most of us come to understand that the people who buy from shelters and irresponsible BYB's are the ones that create the shelter problem: if there is no market, there would be no supply.

Can one get a great dog from a shelter? Of course - but the odds are against it. Can one get a terrible dog from a REB? Of course - but not only are the odds against it, the REB will sell her soul to make it right.

Driving home, I saw a billboard that said "There's nothing wrong with shelter dogs." Having just spent 5 hours temperament testing shelter dogs, I vehemently disagree.

It's all Semantics

This post is a cheat... was originally an e-mail posted to a list with over a thousand people on it in response to someone who claims to place borzoi as assistance dogs... The entire thing gave me such heartburn that I wrote the following in response. It has since been re-posted and shared on other lists, so I'm posting here so that my original content is unadulterated.

------------
Thank you for clearly articulating some important questions. I can't speak for anyone else, but will try to answer, generally, what is required of Assistance/Service Dogs (and briefly, a Therapy dog).

I am certified dog trainer (CCPDT) and a professional instructor/trainer for Assistance Dogs of the West (ADW). ADW is a Full Member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI); ADI is the governing body world-wide for assistance/service dog, organization, and trainer standards.

My organization, ADW, focuses on placing dogs with people with cognitive and physical disabilities. Scent alert (diabetic, seizure, etc.) is a new area we're finding some dogs talented in. We do not do seeing-eye or hearing-alert dog placement. We secure our own liability et al insurance privately, which is extended to clients when a dog is placed.

ADW begins the selection process of potential assistance dogs at puppyhood. Youngsters are repeatedly evaluated for appropriate temperament, aptitude, and structure. I am intimately involved in this process and can best describe it as rigorous; well over 50% of candidates are rejected. Every organization does things differently, but because the wash-out rate puts crippling expense on the training organization, ruthless selection is essential. ADW is able to place 80% of the dogs we accept, the other 20% are released.

Training takes an average 18 months; ADW does it faster than most in the US because of our unique, community integrated approach. After a year of training, ADW's dogs have 90 commands; by placement they have 150-200 behaviors on cue, depending on the type of work a specific dogs is suited for. Many assistance/service dog training organizations take 24-36 months. Because the ADA standards require that a dog be able to provide essential life functions the person can not do for themselves (http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm and http://www.petpartners.org/TAP-FAQs#ServiceTherapy) these dog skills must be perfected prior to placement.

And don't get me started on the placement process, it's complicated and thankfully the special responsibility of people in our organization with decades of experience and expertise (including Occupational Therapy) with people with disabilities and the diagnostic capability to match needs and skills. Not my area of expertise, and I am in awe of our staff professionals that do this "matchmaking".

Once placement has been determined, the handler comes to our facility for two weeks of "boot camp" to learn how to work with and care for the dog. Before going home they MUST pass a Public Access Test (AND be re-tested by us every two years) in order to take the dog home. We provide livelong follow-up support. ADW retains legal ownership of the dogs, and sometimes takes back a "retired" dog (if the handler can't take care of the retired dog along with their new assistance partner, for example).

These are a few reasons Assistance dogs are so difficult to get, waiting lists are usually years-long, and the dogs themselves extremely expensive.

And one last word on Therapy dogs... I am with Delta Society and a Therapy Dog handler. Therapy dogs **ARE NOT** Assistance dogs, and the certification tests for Therapy dogs absolutely do NOT qualify them in any way shape or form for Assistance Dog work. BTW, Delta provides insurance for their teams.

I love my therapy dogs, but have no delusions about them being Assistance Dogs. An Assistance Dog must be biddable enough to to work 18 hours a day; a typical Therapy dog will "work" a few hours a week. This is why the vast majority of ADI organizations use labs, goldens, or shepherds - these breeds have the human-driven work ethic required to do the job, year after year. (ADW is doing a pilot program with smaller breeds; the jury is out on these.

As you can see I'm quite passionate about this topic . Hope it's answered some of your general questions about Assistance/Service dogs and Therapy dogs.

Friends, Family, and Freedom

There's an old saying: never discuss religion or politics. This advice is routinely given to children, but sometimes forgotten by adults.

I have an uncle, my favorite uncle in fact, who's politics I agree with about 50%. This uncle, a former judge and big-shot in his religious organization of choice, is a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society. (Yes Virginia, there really is a JBS.) Then there's my mother; in 1972 she campaigned door-to-door for George McGovern (sometimes taking me and my sister with her). I learned a lot about commitment and activism that summer. But I agree with my mother only about 50% of the time.

My uncle and my mother are able to sit at a table and share a meal and love each other and have mutual respect - and keep politics off the menu. Religion (broadly speaking), is fair game as a topic, however. But not politics.

My in-laws are Roman Catholic, very Catholic. I am... not. My husband was an altar boy. He went to just about the most Catholic university in the country - twice. With my in-laws, we don't discuss religion, ever. Politics, broadly speaking, is a hot topic (it is California, after all).

Think you know what political party I belong to? Ten will get me $20, you're wrong.

It's a choice, getting along or not. To respect ourselves, each other, and the First Amendment, or not. Sadly, most of the time, the loudest people seem to be choosing not. We can't hear each other over the shouting, the raised angry voices screaming We're right and they're wrong and there is no middle ground. How on earth could healthy or constructive dialogue ever take place with that vitriol in the air?

I think the truth is: we all just need to STFU. By which I mean, we all need to stop becoming hysterical when somebody says something with which we don't agree. On the big issues - especially on the biggest issues, the third rail stuff - nobody is changing anybody else's mind. And hasn't in a very very long time, and any semblance of movement toward agreement is closer to impossible than difficult.

My uncle, who's smart and thoughtful and considerate and sometimes infuriatingly articulate, once told me (as we prepared Christmas dinner together, sharing a kitchen full of knives and boiling pots and glassware) that abortion is like slavery: the issue is that divisive. I didn't agree with him, at the time, but have come around to the opinion that he's probably right. Nobody is changing anybody's mind about anything, and sometimes it does look like a Civil War on the front lines of the issue.

As for me, I'm a big fan of Milton Friedman. A brilliant thinker and writer, proponent of personal freedoms and free markets. And responsibility in both. His death was a terrible loss for the world.

So think, believe, say what you want. I will, too. And I'll defend to the end your right to think, believe, and say what you want, even if I don't agree with you. And I expect you to do the same for me.

Because that's what freedom really means, and that's what friends (and family) do.

Even when there are certain things we don't talk about.

Never Say Never

Somewhere, there's a patch of hell that has frozen over. I know this because today, despite all previous pronouncements to the contrary, I set it foot in the Conformation ring and the Obedience ring on the same day. Have to say, I never thought that would happen.

Now, we pause so that those that know me well can pick themselves up off the floor after fainting; please enjoy the music.

Dum, deedle dum, tra la la. (Thanks for listening.)

When I happen to be at a dog show, which is usually because I have a dog entered in Rally, I do try to watch the breed ring. I used to watch the Border collies in particular, but the specimines one finds in the show ring nauseate me so I no longer do. I know too much, have seen too many bench champions fail a basic herding instinct test, have seen too many brilliant herding dogs get passed over in the show ring, to have any use whatsoever for the opinion of any conformation judge of this breed. Correction - they are now separate breeds: working border collies and barbie collies. There are always exceptions so spare me the story of the one you've seen. Barbie collies are easy to identify: heavy bone, insane amounts of coat, typically low drive (easier to live with than a real, working border collie), too stupid to know which end of a sheep to stalk (also easier to live with than a real, working border collie), and a sea of monotonous irish marked, black and white. No thanks.

Lately I make a point to watch sighthound judging, and borzoi in particular, as most sighthound breeds are not yet fully split into bench and working types. This is a highly probable outcome, and has long since happened in many other breeds.

Take a look at any of the following: Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel or Irish Setter - you get the idea, the list is endless - there are "field" lines and "show" lines. Pick any small terrier breed; JRT's are now called Parsons in the show ring, in less than a decade there is a complete split. I refer you again to working border collies, ruined in merely three generations; herding ability is genetically complex. Greyhounds are almost there, Whippets are inches away.

When I'm watching sighthound judging I look to see if the judge knows what he or she is doing. Do they go for profuse coat? TRAD movement? (TRAD is "tremendous reach and drive" - very flashy, totally inefficient, and absolutely incorrect for sighthounds.) Move dogs with obviously bad temperaments to the end of the line? Since I know most of the local dogs, I compare what the judge selects against my personal observations of each dog's coursing ability. Does the judge carefully examine the topline for flexibility? Or do they go for handlers? Have a color bias? Prefer size over soundness or physical condition?

Standing ringside for hound group judging, I joined in a conversation with two strangers, one of whom turned out to be a sighthound person and a conformation judge. We were discussing the difference between a great dog and a great show dog - and all agreed they are two different things, rarely seen in a single individual. He commented that what he hates most is those interviews of the Best In Show judge on TV, when the judge says "He just asked for the win!" What would be much better, we all agreed, would be to say something like: "This dog is an excellent example of its breed, has a correct temperament, all it's teeth, is not overweight, is well muscled, moves soundly, appears to be in glorious health." Can you just imagine what John Q Public would learn about dogs if that were repeated after every televised dog show? Even better, can you imagine how show dogs would improve if every breeder / owner / handler were working toward those goals?

But I digress. (Thank you for not fainting from shock a second time in a single post.)

So today I was standing ringside, rooting for my friends and watching the judge - who, predictably, did not put up what I consider to be the best coursing hound. No surprise there. However, one friend wound up with two dogs in best of breed judging, and I was drafted to assist. Luckily I was dressed properly (yes, the handler's attire matters, more proof it isn't about the dogs nearly as much as they pretend it is), borrowed some bait, and ventured into the ring. I managed not to fall down or step on the hound or mess up anyone next to me in line, so I will declare the experience a rousing success.

I was properly dressed because I was entered in Obedience - Novice A, to be exact - the last class of the day, in a ring at the far end of the trial site. Good news: late in day, fewer distractions, small class, etc. Bad news: outdoor show, hot sunshine, sighthound, 5 of the 7 exercises are off leash.

I am thrilled to report that my dog, a borzoi, did NOT leave the ring chasing anything, and did NOT mark the ring (pee) although a bitch had done so not 15 minutes before we walked in. As hoped, I learned the specific things I need to work on (uncued, auto-sits when heeling; single verbal cue for recall; more duration for off-leash heeling). And as icing on the cake, my big bozo was the only Novice dog (A or B) that passed both the long Sit and the long Down.

Don't get me wrong, we did not qualify, but I was thrilled none the less: we had accomplished MORE than I had expected. In short, another rousing success in a foreign ring.

As we were leaving the ring, the judge indicated to me that she'd like a word. Not one to argue with the judge, I scooted my hound into the shade and gave her my rapt attention. The judge - no doubt with the best intentions - then berated me for not taking things seriously, my dog obviously didn't respect me, and if I ever expected to accomplish anything with him (yes, that's a quote) I needed to be better prepared. Borzoi, she explained, are a noble breed, she likes to see them do well, I should appreciate what they are capable of. I tried to smile politely and said that it was MY first time in an actual Obedience ring and the day's exercise was for me to see what *I* need to work on, I thought the dog was fine. I meant no disrespect by being casual, I'd been doing Rally for several years and was feeling my way through the differences. The judge said, ah yes Rally, well yes, this is quite different. At that moment, someone told the judge to look at the catalogue (which contains the dog's registered name and titles), as there was nothing that particular dog couldn't do. (Can I just say, I LOVE my 4-H kids' parents!!) I thanked the judge, beamed a smile at the 4-H mom, found my dog's cookies, and headed back back to our set-up area.

Along the way I was waylaid by another exhibitor, who, after asking if she could tell me something, proceeded to loudly and repeatedly admonish me for the collar I had on my dog in the ring. (A perfectly legal collar, by the way, that I had pre-cleared with the judge.) Really? You're getting after me me for my choice of collar?

Now I ask you: what if today had been my first EVER time at a dog trial? Novice A is for rookies, it's the class for rank beginners. How many people can take a dressing-down from a judge, in front of the ring crew and spectators, not qualify, and ever want to come back for more? How many people can be loudly, and unfairly, publicly criticized for the collar their dog is wearing, and ever want to come back for more? My guess is: very few.

What's wrong with dog shows isn't the grooming that would make a prom-queen cry or the spectators or the weather or the entry fees or the roach-coach food vendors or the clothes or the frequently pretentious atmosphere to the entire circus. It's not the absurd glossy magazines filled with carefully edited pictures or the staggering costs of campaigning a special. It isn't even that the dogs winning couldn't run a mile if their lives depended on it, much less do it over and over. No, what's wrong with dog shows is the politics and the people (yes, I know those always come as a package), the lack of encouragement or support or compliments for those just trying something new. What's wrong is all the bullshit and one-up-manship and nastiness.

Sure, we should try to do a creditable job and train our dogs and be prepared. And at the top levels of any game, a certain amount of competitive edge is inevitable. But at some silly little local show, is it too much to ask that we remain civil toward one another? Nice? Polite? Take a moment and offer the rookie a pat on the back instead of harsh remarks?

Here's hoping for a thaw.

Rescue Me

Yeah, I'm behind. WAY behind. I have a half-dozen posts in my head, many with pretty pictures, but it's fall and I'd rather be outside in the glorious glorious air than inside on the 'puter. Plus it's trial season and I'm out of town 3 days every week and insanely busy teaching and when I am home it's all-laundry-all-the-time time.

Anyway, the following showed up on one of the lists this morning, I have no idea who the author is but it nails the human condition as frequently seen in animal rescue work. (The most expensive dog I own was a rescue, his history is one of neglect. The third time he was picked up by Animal Control the owner didn't want him back - don't ask for my opinion of that guy 'cause I'll tell you. How Boomer wound up with us is a long story, but he is here to stay, warts and all.) It's not the dogs' fault they wind up in rescue, but it's rare to find a perfect dog there.

If you recognize yourself in any of these, I hope you take that as a cue to change your ways.

A RESCUER'S ANSWERING MACHINE:

Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the igh volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to the following options and choose the one that best describes you or your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your 150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight aggression problem, i.e.. has only bitten a few people and killed your neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge, of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're trying to make one of our younger volunteers feel bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog while the vet mercifully frees him from a life of no medical care, severe neglect and abuse.

Cesar Millan

I was wrong: he's not dangerous - he's a criminal.

Hear me now, this is evil footage. Pay attention to the first 5 seconds - what the dog does to provoke the kick from Millan is subtle. And absolutely, the dog's reaction to the kick is extreme - we can only speculate as to the reasons. But it pales in comparison to the deliberate cruelty Millan then inflicts on the dog.

Strangling a dog until it is unconscious is right out of Koehler (don't buy the soft-pedaled approach of the website; get the book from the library and read the recommendations on when to "hang" a dog). And the rationalizations Millan gives afterward are so misinformed it would be laughable if it weren't so damn stupid.

Even the description "like a wolf" hammers home Millan's incompetence. Anybody the least bit familiar with the research coming out of Wolf Park knows what a steaming pile of BS that phrase is.

I'm going to go throw up now.

The last straw

OK, fair warning: I'm on a bender. Either settle in or move on now...

There are lots of businesses that offer discounts to dogs "adopted" from shelters or all-breed rescue organizations, no doubt to encourage people with typically older dogs to get a veterinarian's exam or some training or whatever product is on offer. (I say "adopted" because money changes hands; it's a purchase and let's be honest about that.) I'm a libertarian, a big fan of the free market; this is a capitalist society and there's no upside to being coy about cash. All of which is by way of saying: businesses can charge whatever the market will bear, and offer discounts as they please.

Here's my problem: Discounts available only to people that purchase dogs from a shelter or rescue organization is a reward for that purchase - and that reward drives demand, and demand drives supply. And the suppliers to shelters are not the ethical breeders of this world.

What set me off on this particular rant was the explicit message recently delivered to my face by a local rescue person, that - quote - rescued** dogs are better.

I was rendered temporarily speechless; when I recovered my senses I asked: Can you define "better"? And, what's the data source you're referring to?

It was her turn to sputter. Something about fewer health problems (which is bunk - even Hutchinson has reported higher hypothyroidism rates in mutts). I pointed out that the dogs I've gotten from responsible breeders come from parents with health testing, and a lifetime of support and information is just a phone call away. She had no counter. As she walked away I overheard her mutter to her friend that I was "that woman" with all the big dogs. WTF???

"All"? What quantity is that? And I suppose that there's a presumption that some arbitrary quantity automatically results in compromised quality of life. One dog in the wrong hands can be abused and neglected. A hundred in the right hands can be healthy and pampered. Numbers and size aren't the issue, and never will be.

It's about judging others by our own narrow definition of "right." And I resent the hell out of it.

If you want a random-bred dog with no health or behavioral history and no lifetime of support, then by all means go ahead and buy one. While doing so, remember that you are providing the market for the irresponsible and/or greedy bastards that produce them - which makes you part of the problem and not the solution. You may feel good for "saving" a life, and it's probably true. But it's also true that it's a free market, and how you spend your money rewards the behavior of the people who get your money.

So what behavior are you trying to reward? Ethical? Responsible? Or something else.

What am I going to do about it? Simple; put my money where my mouth is:

Starting now, I offer a discount to new clients that purchased their dog from an ethical breeder. All I need to see is a copy of their breeder's contract, stating they require the return of the dog at any time if the buyer can't or won't keep it, and the client will get 20% off.

Does that mean I'll never again own a shelter dog? History predicts that I will... and I recognize the additional burden that comes with that choice.

**Clarification: I'm not referring to breed-specific rescue organizations, or parent-club affiliated breed rescue. This particular person is part of a local all-dog rescue that tends toward random & cross bred dogs.

The cat is out of the bag now!

Insert cliche of your choice here:



Now, you'll have to understand - strike that - you'll have to be aware (I can't understand it, so don't expect you to) that the Atlanta TV station WSB-TV that originally broadcast the story has taken it off their website, as has YouTube. Read all about it here thanks to our friends at PetPAC. Lawyers can be used as scary weapons; more's the pity that they're being paid by the enemy: animal haters.

Thanks to Persian video service provider Vidoosh for having the moxy to keep this available on the internet. (How's that for irony! Iranian Video Sharing exercising our First Amendment right of Freedom of the Press, while a TV station in Atlanta, GA, USA cowers.)

The chickens are coming home to roost, and guess who the shit is going to land on. Not that HSUS would know which end of a chicken clucks.

Just say no

warning: the following image may not be appropriate for all viewers.

Yes, I know it's wrong. Yes, it's inappropriate. You're right, I shouldn't have done it. I'm a mean, horrible person.

Too bad. I was *trying* to eat lunch. With my mother and my teen-aged son.

It was difficult.

Jeff Foxworthy said it best: some articles of clothing should not be sold in some sizes. A crop-top is one of them.

To protect the unwitting, I will not identify the city or restaurant. This is the entire image, unlikely anyone could figure either out.

If you can feel a draft, the rest of us can see too much. Get a sweater. A LONG sweater. Thanks in advance.

You know what to do

VOTE! and I for one voted NO.

Survey is here.

PeTA wants to buy advertising space on school playground equipment... because they haven't poisoned enough minds already I suppose.

And if you think that's OK, read this.

Hey, I'm a HUGE fan of free speech, but advertising is schools - much less elementary schools? spare me! - is wrong. And what PeTA has are money and PR, not the "side of right."

Educate yourself, get involved, make a difference.

Damned if you do...

...and damned if you don't.

While purebred dog fans cautiously cheer the Obama's choice of a Portuguese Water Dog - will this be another breed ripe for exploitation by puppy mills? or spawn appreciation for the responsible breeders involved with these charming and versitile dogs? , the anti-faction has already started blogging about the "betrayal" on a campaign promise to adopt a shelter dog.

Spare me the outrage.

The Obama family has specific needs, rather unique requirements, if you think about it, and the family's choice should be a private, family matter. Kudos to Sen. Ted Kennedy for "presenting" the puppy to the First Family... though I have a suspicion that this is a cover story to spare the breeder what Joe Biden's choice stirred up. Three cheers for VP Biden for going to a responsible breeder, and shame on the "human beings" making death threats for his choice.

Enjoy Bo the puppy, kids, he will be a rowdy adolescent in no time.

Truth is Stranger than Fiction

You can't make this up:

"A.I.G. Planning Huge Bonuses After $170 Billion Bailout," The New York Times, March 15, 2009.

It's not higher math: $170B minus $165M equals... a royal screwing of the taxpayers. That's us, my friends.

I'm all for fixing the economy, but throwing more money at the rats down the rat-hole would not seem to be the way to do it.

But I'm a simple country girl, what do I know.

S.O.B.'s

A dear friend of mine is being harassed; I'm just putting it out there in the universe: Knock it off. Or else.

For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to the offender as "Jack" (yes, that's short for jack-ass). Jack has made the mistake of targeting a single woman that lives alone and works for a living. A law-abiding citizen who owns her home and doesn't want to move. I'll call her "Jill".

Jill got a visit from the po-lice last week, after an anonymous complaint. Presumably made by Jack, as he was seen prowling around a day earlier, then his fingers did the walking to 9-1-1. The po-lice took a look around, found the complaint to be unfounded, and left. Good job.

But Jill was rattled. And she let a few of her friends know. And we offered her our unconditional support, in all its forms.

I suspect most of her friends are like me: well past 40, comfortable with our place in the world (if not with the world itself), undeterred by a long road trip, own a gun and know how to use it, and not inclined to allow a loved one to get pushed around. We don't go looking for trouble, but learned a long time ago that running from it doesn't get you anywhere. I call this demographic SOB's: Scary Old Broads. Our kids think we're old but our parents don't. We've done childbirth and lived with teenagers, we've made mistakes and have regrets, we've looked death in the face once or twice. This is not a ladies' social club; we know how to carry the water and which end of the bull stinks.

So universe please give Jack a message from me: Go ahead. Poke mama-bear and see what happens. I suggest you take your over-sized ego and insignificant manhood and find a better use for your dialing fingers.

Or you'll find out what SOB's do to sumbitches who mess with one of our own.

Choices have Consequences

My kids hear that expression about once a day... and it's always true.

Whether by act, hesitation, denial, or conscious choice, everything we do - and don't do - has at least once result. Even if we don't know about it. Accelerating through a yellow light may mean we're in an accident (or not) a couple of blocks later. Or a lie of omission that comes back to haunt us at the most inopportune moment.

Perhaps worst of all, is making a decision based on the best current information and later learning it was the wrong choice. Particularly when we're making decisions for others, and those consequences have life and death implications.

Years ago I had my border collie bitch, Dot, spayed at about five months of age. That was conventional wisdom and the standard veterinary advice. I now believe that we daily live with the results of that choice, and it was the wrong one to have made. Dot suffered a career-ending knee injury before she her second birthday, a fairly common injury in performance dogs altered before their growth plates are closed. Thanks to the work of Chris Zink DVM I won't make this mistake again; Dot's forced retirement is a constant reminder of that regrettable choice.

The last few weeks I've been planning the castration of one of my males, Ren. A hard-keeper at the best of times, Ren is impossible to feed for a couple of weeks every time a bitch is in season. Many knowledgeable people have reported increasing prostate problems in intact males as they age around intact bitches; Ren's got enough problems with out that! And, my son Anthony will be doing an internship at our veterinarian's practice for a month, and I thought that it might be good timing to have Ren castrated while Anthony is working there. Ren would have somebody he loves and trusts with him the entire time, it would be scheduled after our spring trial season is complete, and Anthony would be able to observe the surgery with full owner consent.

However, comma...

Today I came across a new and recent article on the long-term effects of altering, and it made for some disturbing reading. While castration decreases the incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy, it also increases the probability of osteosarcoma. One is easy to cure, one is impossible.

What to do? I haven't a clue. My youngest bitch is in heat right now, and we seem to be getting along a bit better this time. The intact males are banished to the barn, pasture, kennel, and puppy paddock for three weeks; Gin is restricted to the house and house paddock for three weeks. Double-fencing and hyper-vigilant supervision, and routine crating in separate buildings, will prevent an accidental breeding - but the thought of going through this four (or more) times per year is a consideration. This time Gin is on chlorophyll; she gets 1 Tbls on each meal. Her poop is bright green, but she seems to smell a lot less interesting. (Thanks to this site for useful info - 1 tsp. per 30 lbs. of body weight, twice a day.) Increasing Ren's quality of life now vs. increasing the risk of a painful and fatal disease... I am paralyzed by indecision.

Another favorite of mine is the law of unintended consequences. The BBC broadcast last year ultimately prevented Crufts from being on TV. (It's being webcast this week - how cool!) The consequences of the backlash have been two-fold: one, by purebred dog fanciers against the BBC (I expect the same against ABC in light of an upcoming Nightline episode); and two, by the public against breeders for producing "freaks". Several KC breeds have had to change their standards. Sweden has already followed suit, many people anticipate the AKC will force American parent breed clubs to do so as well.

Is this good or bad? It depends. I think that breeds - not individuals, entire BREEDS - that can't copulate ("live cover") or free whelp (routine cesarean is mandatory) have fundamental problems. Fanciers that accept a life expectancy of 6 years or insist that ear cropping and tail docking are functional... are asking to be a target. Aesthetics are all well and good, but when the unnatural is promoted as normal... "Freaks" seems an apt word to some.

But the old expression about lies, damn lies, and statistics bears review: just becuase there are detailed data about breed-specific health issues doesn't mean the purebred dogs have more problems. The absense of data on mixed-breeds and random-bred dogs does not prove they are healthier. In fact, Jerold Bell DVM said at a seminar I attended less than two years ago that x-poo breeds have MORE thyroid problems than any purebred breed, primarily because the "hybrid vigor" myth deludes a lot of people and most mixed-breeders don't do any health testing. Yikes.

My mother used to say: indecision is still a decision. Mama's always right, again.

Pronoun Revelations

In case you're unsure, this is more Strunk & White than another good book.

I've had this thought for quite a while, and several weeks ago during a desert-walk conversation with a delightful young gentleman this topic came up again. So here goes: my thoughts on what the use of pronouns reveals about the speaker.

"I've bred five Champions."

"I got six MACH's on two dogs."

"I have put twelve different titles on Rover in three sports."

Compare that to this:

"He finished his Championship this weekend!"

"She picked up her second ADCH in Phoenix."

"He's a three-way performance champion, with points toward five more."*

What do these sentences reveal about the speakers? Well, from my perspective, a couple of things. One, all are proud of the accomplishments discussed. Two, some people think they earned the titles, while others think the dog did something wonderful.

A human taking credit for a dog's accomplishments is petty, and very little makes a person look smaller to me than this use of language. That's like taking credit for a sixth-grader's spelling test result because you helped the kid study. Now, if one is a professional handler and is describing one's qualifications to a prospective client, that's different. But for people that own, train, and handle their own dogs, well... And I'll grant you, I am completely aware that some things are team sports (e.g., agility, obedience, rally) but get real, people... taking credit for a dog's accomplishments is absurd.

And regardless of team sport or not, the judges are judging the dog's performance, so I stand by this: the credit goes to the dog. Last time I checked, only a couple of venues award titles to handlers (CPE and USDAA), and to JUNIOR handlers only.

The proof is in the pronoun; perhaps grown up's should consider how revealing the use of I vs. s/he is.

*the dog is mine, but the titles are his ;-)