Oh yes -- BIG loophole!! If it is the owner's fault that the puppy is dysplasic, then it can't possibly be because the breeding choice was unwise/uninformed/bad luck. And if it is nutrition/injury/voodoo/whatever, then there is no reason not to breed another generation of bad elbows so that more puppy owners can have the pleasure of lame and hurting dogs.
I think it is easy to have situational ethics. You have your lovely, much loved bitch but she has bad elbows and darn it, so does her mom. How can one make it okay to breed her? One way is to acknowledge the risk, do research on siblings and other close relatives and do it anyway, breeding to a male with a very strong elbow record and hoping for the best. Another way is to not care what passes to the owners of puppies down the generations. Another way is to decide that elbow dysplasia is not really genetic after all, the OFA is just some guys and gals making subjective calls, and that it is really nutrition (or injury) that caused those elbow problems in the bitch and her mom. Like Sharon, I have decided in advance about this issue so that I would not be tempted to have situational ethics. My choice is not for everyone, just as Sharon's is not for everyone. But I think it helps protect me from rationalizing choices in the future. I also have very clear objectives that guide my breeding decisions, and I am also open about the compromises I have made. I think that creating life is a HUGE responsibility, and should be done with integrity, research, and a sense of responsibility to those who will be living with the products (puppies) of our decisions. I also think PPO's deserve to know what goals and objectives guided the breeding, and what compromises were made in the process. However, before those things can be articulated to a PPO, a breeder must be able to do it for him/herself. And how can one articulate to a PPO that elbows are a risk in this particular breeding if the breeder thinks that jumping off the grooming table caused the elbow dysplasia in the mom, and bad food caused the dysplasia in the maternal grandmother??? And when the puppies show up with elbow dysplasia -- it is the owners fault. Sure it is.... Mary-Ann Bowman Utah
