Greetings, all; > BUT, where do you find that typey, well structured, nicely headed, > fully tested, well broken and well marked with no saddle tricolor > boy to breed to?
I'm looking for that illusive boy also - but I'd be happy if he had an English saddle, Western saddle, or even no saddle, or - oops, wrong species. Seriously, though, I've been thoroughly enjoying (again) pouring over the Julie Brown Cavalier books, and a bunch of ACKCSC & CKCSC, USA yearbooks - yet have been met with (amidst a bunch of 'oooo's and 'ahhhh's of delight) a variety of disappointing situations in my quest for "the perfect stud dog". Aside from perfection in my dreams, is he really there?? And the answer to the Jeopardy "Hopes and Dreams" category for $1000, is "What is a fully tested, nicely marked, conformationally correct, temperamentally wonderful Tri color stud dog?" Uh huh! What does that really mean? My needs are quite simple, actually, and exactly what Laura described: I want a tricolor gent that is "typey, well structured, nicely headed, fully tested..." Heavy emphasis on the "fully tested", please. Oh, and a fun personality! The problem is that the gents I've found are: (1) owned by people who don't wish to offer their dog to people with whom they are not familiar (okay, I know I'm strange occasionally, but I don't have to be a stranger! But then the question is why are they being advertised, or is it a FYI advt.?!?), or (2) he's on the show circuit and not available, or (3) he's not tested in one of the (IMO) critical areas and therefore not a consideration, or (4) the heart 'clearance' was the family vet (nothing against the family vet, but we are needing the cardiologist here), or (5) the hip clearance was done by the family vet, not sent to the OFA for evaluation, or ... Sorry, we all know what the routine is there. So, where are these tested tri-color boys? I'd like to believe that they exist! I, too, am a Pollyanna! My research on the OFA database yielded a disappointingly low number of fully tested (tri) stud dogs. Does that mean that there are a bunch of dogs being used at stud whom are not fully tested? The answer is probably a resounding "NO!". It might well mean that, but it also might mean that people have done heart testing with the cardiologist, yet choose to not spend the extra $$ to certify/register the results. Same with patellas. Those two tests - and the ACVO eye tests - don't need further scrutiny, they've already passed muster. Yet it's still awfully nice to have those OFA & CERF certificates, I feel a whole lot better (safer?) seeing them. The next issue is finding someone that you are able to happily work with; that you trust to take good care of your precious girl, and you feel comfortable with, financially-speaking. In the 20+ years I've been in the ranks of a "dog breeder", I've had some real whoppers of experiences with stud dog owners. Those horrific examples color my future caution, and I'm sure there are an even higher number of stud dog owners whom shudder at the memories of bad dealings with bitch owners. But step one is finding the boys, then I'll worry about the owners, lol! What IS the magic answer? How do we find those handsome boys? Is our criteria too high? Are we all a tiny bit gun-shy? How do we get around some of our biases, expectations, suspicions, naivety, and dreams? Yes, I know that I'm rambling again, for which I do offer my apologies. But these are burning question as I try to research dogs that I think will be a complementary match for my girls. I, too, wish to concentrate on tri-colors, (I guess after 20-some years I just like being inundated with black dust bunny herds in my house!), I just find it a bit daunting and frustrating to find what I like, want, and need! Dialogue most welcome, Sandra (and a PS from "the girls": photos and romantic letters, along with names and phone numbers of handsome gents are welcome, too) S. L. Reiley-Lince * [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dark Star Cavaliers - they'll drive you happy! http://www.DarkStarFamily.com/Cavaliers.htm ========================================================= "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.
