KC Meeting with GSD club representatives -(fact not fiction) - Page 5

I second that, Sue.  Thank you, Jodie!
 
Noddi, well spotted... at last, lol.

Carole
There are varying levels of 'knowledge' in the 'Joe Public' range. I do have a great interest, and the underlying reason is that, as you know, I don't think the way the SV and showline who follow the SV is good for the breed - conformationally that is.  That is my personal opinion.

The reason that I keep up my knowledge with the 'show scene' and the KC in terms of the GSD is because both of those parties are the ONLY people who can and are influencing direction in the breed - the breeders, and the judges and the governing bodies. So all I can do is question what is happening, in some cases 'challenge' where it's going, what the SV are doing and what the KC are doing. I am for mandatory health testing and always have been - someone on the board even proved this by copying over a post of mine from another forum, where I was adamantly supporting mandatory health testing, and that post was going back a couple of years. Although their reason for posting it was to discredit my intentions, but that seemed a strange way of doing it. I've said it often enough, but for some reason people don't believe me.

Perhaps you are simply underestimating 'Joe Public' many 'dog' people, who actually do have a bond and undertake activities with their dog do choose to seek and acquire knowledge. I have also worked in a rescue centre and still volunteer for them, so I would say that dogs are my primary hobby.  I have several friends who are also very 'into' GSD's and are far more knowledgable than I, and often keep me up to date with anything of interest in the BC magazine.  Malcolm Willis' book was gifted to me when a friend who was also a 'GSD' person died. I had long wanted the book, as I wished to understand more, especially about genetics, and so was delighted to receive it, especially as it has even more meaning for me because of the circumstances.

Finally, to everyone who thinks I 'defend' the KC, can you please give me examples, as I don't ever remember defending them.

That's it Carole, in a nutshell.

Sue B, Misbeeb,

It is I who should be thanking you, for it is people like yourselves who care for the breed and strive for a better future, that enable people like me and my family to have beautiful, healthy dogs in our homes!

Breed Survey - Elbow scores

I believe that as in Germany this was to be phased in from desirable to mandatory, I believe that last year somebody clarified this situation on this forum but I can't remember the year when ED's were to become mandatory I think it is 2011 but it may be 2012. Perhaps somebody who does know can confirm this.

Elbow Score - Thanks DP
So in time this will be marked mandatory on the breed survey form  ,  personally I would have liked this to be not greater than 1, but given time and progress then I think that the satisfactory score will be reduced - rome wasn't built in a day.

Jodie
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at your naivety.

Showline breeder does not automatically guarantee health checks have been done, or that poor health results haven't been ignored - it has happened and I'm sure will happen again. You will find good and bad breeders both in showline and non showline, the same in every walk of life.

It isn't rocket science to find any breeder that does the health checks and discover the results. You simply have to research.
Up until now, health testing hasn't been mandatory for showline either, since they have been under the UK KC non-mandatory health policy.  

If you assume that any line of breeder (in this example showline) is automatically producing puppies free from hereditary defects, you are sadly mistaken. Great hipscores can produce HD etc , you need to understand how certain defects 'work'.

I find it ironic that the showline faction, championing health here in the UK are happy to set the bar at a grade of 2 for elbows. I question that decision and how that promotes health within the breed. Grades are 0 being the best and 3 being the worst, why would you settle for 2?

Even the UK KC's 'recommendation' (yes we all know it's not mandatory at  present and that is a whole other can of worms) for elbows is:
Advice to breeders is wherever possible to use only those dogs with grades of 0 or 1 for breeding.

Dingodog:
                    was you in that film " one flew over the cuckoos nest ". cos it cannot be so long that you wre released from some kinda  mental facility.
                     but have to admit you certainly played this thread along with gusto.and certainly fooled all the people all this time. i actually blame them for replying to you ( me included ).you are definately a kc soul mate or an alsationist, probably both, there again you can't be as you strung more than one sentence together.