> 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.....
I just wish I knew who these people were who were placing heart problems as a priority over everything else! I know of no one who is able to judge which of their dogs will develop heart problems early!! NO ONE! Therefore, everyone I know chooses which puppies to keep by type and temperament ONLY because that is ALL they CAN choose by. The ONLY thing they do different is to LATER choose NOT to BREED to: dogs that have NOT been CARDIOLOGIST checked within the last 12 months, dogs that develop MVD before age 5. How is this placing priorty over *everything*? All the dogs that are bred *because they are MVD clear* are already typey and have a good temperament--otherwise they wouldn't have kept or bred to the dog. I know of NO ONE who will breed to a dog that THEY believe is not typey--even if it is MVD clear at age 10! If YOU believe the dog is NOT typey--well that is a whole 'nother issue! But it has nothing to do with breeding health *over* type. > 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. Health AND type are BOTH inherited. If you believe that those who scream loudest about health and therefore test before breeding *are the ones with the most problems* then you are implying that testing and *culling* do not improve the status of health. If this has any truth to it, then THEY DO NOT WORK FOR improving TYPE either!! If you think breeding a dog with a good head from lines that produce good heads to another dog with a good head from lines that produce good heads will ensure a better overall head type in your line--then breeding a dog with later onset MVD from lines that produce later onset of MVD to another dog with later onset of MVD from lines that produce later onset of MVD WILL ensure a later overall onset of MVD in your line!! Genes are genes--they don't discriminate between health traits and type traits. I am going to assume you are not saying that some of those who scream loudest about health *are the ones with the most problems* because you are insinuating they are lying about the testing they do! Right??!! Laura Trunk Roycroft Cavaliers ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
