Let's face it. If one is breeding for health, one may have to sacrifice a little here and there on type. There is no question that one will get farther in the show ring if one ignores health issues and breeds only for type and conformation. Higher volume breeders also have an edge in the show ring; they have more litters to choose from.
Cavaliers are meant to be companions, and to me, a dog that has to be on expensive medicine for a third of its life just to stay alive until the age of 10 is not an ideal companion dog. Ask the pet owners which pet they would prefer: a dog typey enough to become a CKCSCUSA champion that dies at 9 after being on meds for 3 years, or one that is only capable of becoming an AKC champion that lives to14? It is true that the average lifespan of large dogs such labrador retrievers, etc, is about 10 years. The average lifespan of a toy group dog, though, is generally greater. While obesity may shorten lifespan, it probably doesn't decrease a dog's potential lifespan from 14 to 6. Obesity doesn't cause MVD. Anyone who blames a six-year-old cavalier's death on obesity is likely kidding themselves. I don't always agree with Laura, but I don't base my opinions on how many CKCSCUSA champions she did or did not breed. I'm breeding another breed now, but I stand behind what I produce. I have given a free replacement dog (and let the owner keep the first one) for a dog who developed a disease with a known hereditary predisposition at the age of 2, even though I knew of no other dog in that line with the same condition. I have also taken back a puppy, giving a full refund, when that six-month-old puppy developed a condition which I could have blamed on injury, but felt in my heart it was probably congenital. I have to be able to live with myself. There is one place I do agree with Laura: If it costs me a few puppies during my lifetime, so be it; I'd rather live with a clear conscience. I'm not saying that we should ignore type; I love nothing more than a typey dog. I'm just saying that there are more places to judge a breeding program and a person's accomplishments than in a CKCSCUSA ring, and that's in the hearts of the pet owners. Leanne ----- Original Message ----- > Laura, > 26 years of breeding, wow! How many CKCSC, USA championships have you > produced that were bred by you over the years? > > Corneal University dog news letter said," all purebred dogs, on average, > live to 10 years of age."> > Thanks. > Patricia Powers Pratt 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 2002 by its original author.
