Tuesday, November 12, 2013

How "CHOICE" lost the CROP/DOCK issue for England, Scotland and Wales in 2007

After a long hard battle by breeders and the breed clubs England, Scotland and Wales failed to protect our  rights and our dogs as they lost the battle for "CHOICE" in docking their dogs April 2007.

Rest assured this fight has NOTHING to do with choice or with cruelty - it has to do with AR groups who could not get purebred dogs banned outright so they started by chipping away at the standard.  IF they can get one part of the standard to fall everywhere then it sends a loud clear message that breed standards, specific breeds, and adherence to long standing breed types are not important and therefore, purebred dogs should be banned. 

That is where it is headed -  As Americans we must stand tall for our rights.  The government does not care  about or understand the purebred dog world, shows, training, breeding etc so they need to stay the heck OUT but above all they should not support any AR groups agenda.

Just look what happened to the Rotties when their president sold them out and now their standard allows an undocked dog to show and win.  You say not important..... You say what is the big deal......

Here is the link to the latest Dog News magazine:  http://issuu.com/dognews/docs/072613 Go to page 121.

I wanted  to post this info on “The Case for Docking” published by the Council of Docked Breeds in the UK.   so I will publish the link to their website www.cdb.org for further information and to read the article..  It appears as though the website has not been updated in a couple years, but there are excellent examples ................

*  Registrations drop drastically  Doberman registration has gone from 80,000 in the late 70's down to less than 10,000 in 2009.............How much further down can we go before we become
an endangered species FIGHTING for survival????

*  AVMA and CVMA both have followed the AR agenda and worked to ban tail docking 

           ***16,000 reported tail injures that could have been prevented
                  5,000 amputations due to tail injuries on older dogs again prevented by docking

          *** No one has proved on any level that tail docking is harmful .....but there is proof it is beneficial especially to docked breeds, otherwise why the exemption for working dogs???

Since the initial writings above several providences in Canada have BANNED cropping and docking.  CHOICE has proven over and over to lead to NO CHOICE.  We must pull our heads out of the sand and understand that the fight is far deeper than the crop / dock issue.  It goes to the very heart of the purebred dog world and/or its elimination.  The choice is choose a side...One maintains our breed standards and the other leads to the destruction of dogs - animals period ............................Wake up before it is too late and stop the insanity.

Dobs4ever - Dogs Under Fire!

Copyright © 2010 Suzan Shipp/Dobs4ever.  All rights reserved. Revised: ALL PICTURES AND CONTENT ON THIS BLOG ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF Suzan Shipp/Dobs4ever/J Bar S Dobermans and may not be used,  copied or reprinted without express permission from the owner. Copyrighted 2010

Saturday, November 2, 2013

IT'S JUST A BEAUTY CONTEST

 I can't tell you how often I hear this statement "It's just a beauty contest" as folks try to dismiss the value of the conformation ring.   It is almost always said by folks who have never competed at anything with their dog and who certainly do not fully understand the purpose of the "beauty pageant".

While beauty and grace is certainly a big part of it there is really so much more as far as evaluating the underlying structure and muscle tone of the dog.  Without strong conformation the dog is subject to or more
prone to injury when working.  This is certainly far more important for the larger working breeds than any other as the larger breeds have a lot more pressure and stress put on their bones and joints.

For me to poo poo something just because you do not fully understands its underlying importance is a big part of what has hurt the dog fancy and in the end our dogs.  If breeding is about bettering the breed then we must consider the conformation of the dog which speaks directly to the correct underlying structure for optimum performance.

Nothing is more heartbreaking than to get a dog, spend two years just to put the foundation training on it and then have it break down somewhere along the line before you finish the program you had for that dog.  It is a very costly mistake also.  Conformation helps us and guides us in breeding so we have the best chance at long term success for the working dogs.

Standards are very specific on each and every part of the dog - head structure, dentention, ear set, stop, eye shape and size, topline, shoulder angulation, rear angulations, feet shape and size, neck tie in all of which affects the overall movement of the dog ..........all of it is a part of the dog that was developed for a specific purpose based on what that particular breed was developed for.  To say it is just a beauty pageant shows a complete lack of understanding of what the breed was originally designed for and the purpose each part of the dog fulfills.

It is far far more than just a beauty pageant although we are obsessed with the beauty and the thrill of a show like Westminister it goes far beyond that .....it goes to the very heart and purpose of each breed.

That is the reason breeders are so passionate about their breed and its standard.  We must never stray far from the original purpose of the creation of the dog.  REGARDLESS of if today's society still uses the dog for that purpose or not the dog still must be structurally sound of mind, body and temperament.

Perhaps part of the reason we have misunderstood this important aspect of any breed is because the conformation ring is just that ............conformation (underlying structure and soundness) of any breed.
We all certainly love and are thrilled as we watch each breed - groomed to perfection move around the ring and show off the best of its breed.

If we did not have a written standard to follow then what would happen to breeds???  Correct size for optimum purpose -  everyone certainly agrees that to breed oversized dogs is detrimental to over all sound structure - the standard guide us and helps us stay within that standard size.

To say it is just a beauty pageant and then complain about some other aspect that you feel is not right does not make sense.  All is important ...All is vital to breeding dogs that are true and correct.  The next time you
hear it is just a "beauty pageant" ask them how many dogs they have bred that meet any standard????  Ask them how many dogs they have bred that have succeed in any venue??? Shocking you will usually hear NONE.  Don't fall into the trap of moaning, griping and complaining by those who are arm chair quarter backs and lack real drive and passion.  They are a part of the destruction of any breed not a part of the solution.  Let's get involved, Lets' breed better dogs,  Let's get a solid understanding of each and every part of the structure of the dog and its purpose.  It is a beauty pageant to end all beauty pageants and it is a vital part of what takes us soundly to the next generation.

Dobs4ever  - Dogs Under Fire!

Copyright © 2010 Suzan Shipp/Dobs4ever/J Bar S Dobermans.  All rights reserved. Revised: ALL PICTURES AND CONTENT ON THIS BLOG ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF Suzan Shipp/Dobs4ever/J Bar S Dobermans and may not be used or copied without express permission from the owner. Copyrighted 2010Bar S Dobermans and may not be used or copied without express permission from the owner. Copyrighted 2010