I happen to agree with most of what JoAnn wrote, especially her saying that
breeding strictly to sell is obscene. It is nothing new for me to say that
putting health before type will ruin a breed...but I'll say it again here for
the benefit of any who haven't heard me say it before.
Contrary to what some people would have believed, this doesn't mean that
health shouldn't be a consideration...of course it should. But if all that's
wanted is health, then why not just get a mutt? Many of them seem to live
forever.
I've had dogs (not Cavaliers) who've lived to be 16, 18, and 19...and they
were all healthy until the very end. My oldest Cavalier girl is 11
something.......and I do NOT expect her to live even to the end of this year.
She is not on any meds...she just is not well made, and it has finally come to
the point where it bothers her a lot.
Most breeds do consider 7 to be the age when a dog becomes a Veteran. In
some breeds, mostly the larger ones, Veterans classes can be offered at 5 or 6,
but the majority require that a dog be 7 to be eligible for the Veterans class.
That must say something.
And I repeat...people trying to breed beautiful, healthy dogs still wind up
with puppies that are not show quality and who can make lovely pets. Why anyone
would breed to sell to pet homes is a mystery to me. Of course, I'm old
fashioned...perhaps if there were fewer know-it-alls who've been in dogs for
less than 20 minutes the overall quality of dogs of all breeds would be better.
But that's just my opinion.........
Peggy
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