"Facing it" seems such a good idea. The USA is a country of mass production and mass destruction. We tend to throw away far too much and that includes our pets.
Having worked as a vet assistant and worked for a local animal shelter I can say with absolute certainty that far too many pets are thrown away..most usually healthy pets. Their owners have decided to travel, or they just got new carpeting... For those who have not worked in such capacities..read the statistics, join the humane society..we, in this country, kill thousands (millions) of pets every day. Raising any breed of dog for the pet market is, in my opinion, obscene. And, yes, Pat you are correct..10 is an average for all breeds. I believe most vets will say 7, on average, is the beginning of old age in all breeds. Jo Ann > 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. > > 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? ========================================================= "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.
