William Robb wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bob Sullivan" Subject: Re: I gotta brag > > >> Child friendy dogs? How about a Golden Retriever. > > The number 1 biter in North America? > The new health disaster looking for a place to happen? > Sorry, not for me. Goldens aren't dogs they used to be. >
The scourge of being popular. Labradors, Goldens, Cocker Spaniels, Dalmatians... Once the popularity hits, the breed is pretty much done. you CAN still get good dogs from good breeders, but most of the dogs in these breeds come from people thinking it would be "fun" or "cute" to have a litter of puppies. I had a German Shorthaired Pointer that came from fantastic breeding (his grandfather was the top GSP in the country the year my dog was born). I was both excited and dismayed to see a GSP win the Westminster dog show a year or so ago. Excited because GSPs are "real" dogs :-) not fru-fru ankle biters, and the bitch that one was gorgeous and would lock into this perfect pose. Dismayed because the breed's popularity would most likely increase and the wrong people would be getting and breeding them for the wrong reason. A few years ago the "Today" show was filming in the Chesapeake Bay area for history, tourism, etc. and they interviewed a breeder and hunter of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. The reporter was very enthusiastic about the breed as the dogs were leaping off a dock into very cold water to retrieve dummies, and her last question was "Do they make good pets?" Without hesitation the breeder/hunter said "No" and explained that because they are bred for hunting they require way more work than the average family is able/willing to give. The same goes for any "real" hunting breed (including GSPs). Golden retrievers have pretty much lost the hunting edge and have become in-bred fluffy family dogs with too much energy for their owners and, as Bill said, a health disaster. I don't have a dog now because the ONLY dog I will get will be another GSP and I just don't have the space or time for one right now. -- Christian http://photography.skofteland.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
