I’ve ranted about this before, but needless to say, around here it’s just preaching to the choir. And let’s face it, who listens to me. Therefore, I was rather pleased when I opened my New York Times editorial section on August 6 and there amidst all those dreary political jags was a nice, big front and center alarmist diatribe alerting readers to the (belated) fact that America is rapidly running out of detection dogs.
Last month, we looked at the structure of the hindquarters in four basic designs, where very small changes in lever lengths and the resulting angles of stifle and hock provided a specific structure when viewed from the side that went on to provide predictable stride lengths. This month, we leave the hindquarters and move on to the front assembly.
Most highly successful breeders, large and small,choose a particular bloodline or two that they become knowledgeable about, become comfortable with, and prefer to breed within.
When we take a dog down and back we are looking for the perfect trot for that dog. Ideally, the dog moves at a speed which allows each leg to be seen, the flight path noted, and the structure appreciated. The trot is the gait which best shows balance and scope or reveals aspects which are less desirable. Taking a dog around the ring, so the side gait can be examined, we generally look for rhythm with appropriate reach and drive.
It’s sad to say but the purebred brand image is sinking pretty low these days. Long gone are the days when “purebred” was unquestionably the best.
For millenia, man has watched the dog and marveled at his ability to identify and fol- low a scent. Before we even had a spoken language, Neolithic hunters followed wild dogs in search of game, and today the dog’s nose is proving to be even more accurate than MRI and CT scans.
We found eleven breeder-judges and several mentors to invite to take a survey on their breed’s priorities in conformation. Nineteen agreed to participate, and we received twelve completed surveys by the deadline. Those who contributed have been in the breed for nearly twenty-eight years on average.
Recently, it seems that whenever a report on the sport of purebred dogs appears in the news it is often negative. A post on the Warwick Watch Facebook page showed a good samaritan reporting and filming the rescue of several fully groomed show dogs which were being taken out of their dog show van by the police. The van, with dogs inside, was left outside a mall in Warwick, Rhode Island. It was a hot day and the windows of the van were closed.
Ordinarily my monthly contribution to the Canine Chronicle looks at the lighter side of dog ownership. But, this month, the topic is deadly serious. For in August and September, certain grasses that can be fatal to your dog begin to ripen and go to seed in many areas of the country.
