Monorchidism is an all-too-common condition among male dogs. It refers to the defect in which one of the dog’s testes remains undescended. This canine defect has been recognized for many decades. Even by selectively breeding only males with two normally descended testicles, this defect may be exhibited with relative frequency in their progeny.
April I had the pleasure of judging the Amstaff Major, an American Staffordshire Terrier Specialty, held each year in a different European country. This show was put together by it’s founders, Mirko Popovic and Vladimir Mihaljcic, both residents of Serbia. They have done a fabulous job of in- creasing the size of this specialty to hundreds of exhibits.
It’s time for a change. I’ve been looking back for a long time, but from this point on I’m looking around… then I’mlooking forward! Looking around recently, it has come to my attention (again) how so much that is wrong with our dog shows is blamed on the judges! Well, folks, I have news for you. We need to look more closely at the people who put the shows together for some (or more) of the blame.
Public ?curiosity surrounding Admiral Byrd’s Antarctic voyages back in the 1930s was comparable to the attention focused on America’s space program 30 years later. Byrd, a national hero, set off to conquer a foreboding frontier that had defied centuries of human effort. Most interest centered on the cutting-edge science and technology making that possible.
Mr. Thomas H. Bradley, 3d., of Watertown, NY will be awarding the 141st Westminster Kennel Club’s Best in Show winner. After a lifetime in the sport, this breeder, owner and former Westminster Kennel Club Show Chairman will join an elite list of people to preside over “The World’s Greatest Dog Show.
How quickly we forget. Not long ago dogs routinely endured a lengthy, mandatory health quarantine in order to enter island nations like Australia. Needless to say, determined owners have always found ways to evade those draconian safety measures. But generally they haven’t been A-List movie stars dumb enough to subsequently showcase their subterfuge on social media.
Responsible breeders have long considered health testing of potential breeding animals one of their distinguishing characteristics. At the time I bred my first litter in 1975, x-raying of hips was not uncommon.
Through the ages, wolves have captured mankind’s imagination. They have played a role in old civilizations, art and literature, myths and fairy tales.
This series – Breed Priorities – began in 2004. It was initially a product of what I wanted to learn from a mentor when studying a new breed: what is most important for this particular breed and what characteristics define it and differentiate it from other breeds.
In the dog show world, integrity, ethics and honor (IEH) are important ingredients to sustaining relationships among participants inside and outside the ring.
