Before this gets any farther, let's go back a little. The VAST majority of breeders in CKCSC are for accepting AKC-only dogs--the 4 page article/ad published in the Bulletin is proof positive of that. There is no *control* issue here at all, so far as the reasons many of you are listing.
The simple fact is, it is mostly the non-breeders who FEAR the acceptance of AKC-only dogs. This fear is fueled by misconceptions about breeding--many of these misconceptions having been provided by incorrect information spread around. We need to educate the membership so that they understand their present ideas ARE misconceptions and not true! We need to present some ideas that will work to stem their fears. Here are some of the misconceptions we need to address: 1. They are afraid many more puppy mill dogs will somehow make their way into CKCSC shows and registry. So how do we prevent this?! We can't just say we will allow AKC registered dogs because then puppy mill dogs WILL be able to make their way into CKCSC. Yes, I realize they are there already, but we need to overlook this and address the fears of the non-breeders for the FUTURE. They fear the problem will get WORSE! And, unless we take some steps, they are probably right. So how do we address this issue? 2. This is a big one. They fear the health of the Cavalier is going to get worse if AKC-only dogs are accepted. That feeling is still out there and it is very pervasive. I think it is a *leftover* fear from the days of when CKCSC members were trying to avoid AKC-recognition. At that time this idea was an extreme truth. There was no doubt that if Cavaliers were recognized they would become very popular and a lot more indiscriminate breeding would go on and health would deteriorate. This truth was used freely to TERRIFY the non-breeders into voting against AKC recognition. The only problem is NO MATTER WHAT CKCSC DOES NOW--that damage has already been done. Puppy mills are breeding Cavaliers like crazy. Backyard breeders are popping up everywhere. Brokers are bringing over very poorly bred puppy mill/backyard breeder bred puppies in droves. It is done and there is nothing, NOTHING we can do to stem this tide and the non-breeders need to become MUCH more aware of this. I think it was the awareness of this certain degradation of health due to AKC-recognition that truly struck this fear into the CKCSC BREEDER member's hearts, but for some reason the non-breeders are the main ones who have translated this fear to ALL AKC-only dogs without realizing they are doing so. They do not breed and do not attend shows so they truly do not realize that show breeders, whether CKCSC, AKC or dual are pretty much the same (and the SAME people). So how do we educate them on this issue? To get them to separate the show breeders from the others. To see that they are now completely powerless over the puppy mills, brokers and AKC-only backyard breeders. To see that they should instead turn to making the best circumstances for the show breeders to operate under. 3. This is a big misconception among many (but not all) non-breeders and even among a few breeders. There is some type of misconception out there that a dog that is hip, eye, heart and patella cleared is somehow *better* healthwise than other dogs. I think there are a few breeders and many non-breeders who would love to see CKCSC become a mandatory testing registry and therefore want CKCSC to maintain their registry and aim for this goal of mandatory testing--a good idea really AND mandatory CLEARING before being allowed to be bred--a bad idea. Due to lack of experience or the ability to *see the whole picture*, they do not realize that ALL lines have superior health attributes and weaknesses. That ALL dogs can offer superior health or deliver a health weakness to their offspring or Cavaliers in general. Yes, some dogs are hip, eye, heart and patella cleared--but I am also certain that most of them have other health concerns. Sure, there are a very few *elite* dogs who are exceptionally *healthy* overall, but these are very few and far between. Most have a similar number of health attributes and faults to offer in their genetic makeup. If we were to concentrate on just the *elite*, genetic diversity would be totally lost and every little weakness, no matter how small, would start to show up and in a few short generations they would have their own set of unique problems. Somehow the non-breeders (and some breeders) need to be educated to this fact. Genetic diversity is very important to preserve a good immune system which leads to overall good health. Studies have shown that dogs with low inbreeding coefficients live, on average, FOUR years longer than dogs with high inbreeding coefficients. Genetic diversity is essential--this is a very important fact that must be brought out. CKCSC could never become a mandtory testing and clearing registry without quickly becoming obsolete. Lastly, CKCSC needs to come to a COMPLETE understanding that the animosity that is there due to the split is NO BENEFIT to the welfare of the breed, in fact it is VERY bad, and is not going to go away until the problem is resolved. They seem to not take this aspect seriously and I think that is their biggest downfall. Laura Lang ========================================================= "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 2002 by its original author.
