BOSTON, MA — March 2, 2022 — Embark Veterinary, Inc., a global leader in dog genetics, today announced that it has made the first-ever canine health discovery using commercial testing genetic data. Embark scientists determined that a genetic mutation in the EPS8L2 gene is associated with early-onset adult deafness (EOAD) in Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
Several years ago, the judge voted in to judge the Best of Breed class at my national specialty had a known relationship with the dog/owners of an actively shown special. They travelled to shows together regularly and had a close relationship: They bred dogs together and had a close friendship. They were not members of the same household, and did not co-own the dog in question, so they were not breaking any rules. Sadly, I fully expected this dog would be exhibited to this individual–after all, there was no rule against it, right? As expected, the dog was shown, and won the Breed. In my opinion, the entry for the Breed class at this national would have been larger if this conflict of interest did not exist. Further, in my opinion, in this situation the win was tainted by the facts at hand.
Will Alexander Drops Some Knowledge About What’s Happening in the Sport of Dogs. It’s Deep… It’s Humorous… It’s Provocative… It’s Will Unfiltered! This week Will gives us Top 10 Breed Abbreviations that Breeders Dislike Part 2. Click here to watch on Canine Chronicle TV!
Eye color. Much is made of it but a majority of fanciers have no idea why their breed’s eye color is defined in the breed standard. Other than the cosmetics being the dark eye is considered by most as attractive, many breeders just “do as they are told.”
The American Kennel Club formally and strongly condemns the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. We are devastated at the ongoing horrors, and our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people.
The Old English Sheepdog, one of Britain’s most recognizable breeds, saw a boost in popularity last year according to Crufts organizers, The Kennel Club, having been listed as ‘vulnerable’ for the first time in 2020.
In 2020, Denmark culled millions of mink to quell a source of zoonotic COVID-19 transmission, the passage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus between humans and animals.
Join Michael Hill in his exciting new series “INFLUENCERS.” Michael will be hosting dog show enthusiasts, handlers, breeders, and judges as they reveal who has impacted them the most. This series will touch upon how influential mentors are and how they shape not only individuals but the future of the dog show world. Third, in the series […]
Did you guess the identity of the dog show fancier in our last #ThrowbackThursday photo we shared with our readers? It’s time to check your answer. Were you right?
After filing a formal complaint, as I was instructed, to the Officers and Directors of the AKC, the various show chairpeople of the shows at this cluster and the show chairman of the Westminster Kennel Club, where I could see this judge figured prominently on the panel, and then a lengthy back and forth email exchange with the Judges Operations Department (no one else responded to my letter), the AKC position was that no rules were broken and the exhibitor was eligible to show. In their argument, the AKC cited several examples of similar instances where the definition of household had been the basis for determining conflict or no conflict of interest: where children of judges were allowed to show at clusters where a parent was judging because they did not live at the same address, and where a certain exhibitor was excused from the group ring at Westminster because he resided at the same property as the judge.
