Myra and Winnie,
No one I know ignores the heart issue. However, placing that as a priority over
everything else will do for the breed what Terrie talked about in Basenjis.....
This fall I judged the Bedlington Terrier National Specialty, and in the classes I
had a very difficult time finding a correct head. I talked to some of the long time
breeders about this because I intended to mention it in my critique...and the reason
given for
loss of head, which equates to a loss in type, is that they were so busy breeding
away from the copper problem that they eliminated head qualities as well.....rather
than work slowly, they rushed...and now there are a lot of dogs around with poor
heads (and coats). Yes, they don't carry the copper problem...but they don't look
like Bedlingtons, either.
Breeding dogs is not easy, and if pet owners think breeding is so simple that we
should just concentrate on one thing, soon they won't have any pets at all.
Breeders have their hearts broken all the time, Winnie. I'm sorry to say that you
pet owners haven't cornered that market.
Of course, it is also one of my observations that some of the people who scream
the loudest and pose the most about health issues are the ones with the most
problems. There are some breeders who will tell you they are the only ones who care
about health, and the only ones who test, blah blah blah....and if you believe them,
you are in for a rude awakening.
What about the dog who has 30 or 40 litters by the time he's 4, and then suddenly
develops a serious case of MVD....how many of you believe the owner will give a
refund to the people who bred to him or bought his puppies...now that he's just
turned 5 and is off the list of heart cleared dogs? Hmmm?
Peggy
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