Well Bred: A Three-Pronged Approach to Keeping Dogs Out of

Transcription

January 2011
Well Bred: A Three-Pronged Approach
to Keeping Dogs Out of Shelters.
A
By Patricia B. McConnell, PhD • From Bark, June-August 2010
while back, a couple—I’ll call them
John and Maryanne—came to see
me because their dog had bitten a visitor. “He was just fine as a puppy, but now
that he’s older, he barks and growls at
company as though he wants to eat them.
The bite was the last straw—he hurt a
good friend who came over to borrow a
book and we still feel guilty about it.”
Because background information is always helpful, I started by asking them
where they got the dog. “From a great
breeder,” John answered, “She has lots
of champions.” When I inquired if they
knew much about the behavior of the dam
and sire, Mary said, “Well, the mom was
adorable, but we can’t tell you anything
about the father because we couldn’t get
near him. He was barking and showing
his teeth, and neither of us wanted to go
up and pet him. The breeder said he was
just being protective of his puppies.”
Ah, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the
tree, does it? The couple’s dog was acting exactly like his father. The father
whom the breeder continued to use as a
stud because long ago he earned a title
in the conformation ring. And this was
a highly respected breeder, one whom
many would call “responsible.”
But no, she wasn’t. Breeding a dog with a
predisposition to be aggressive to strangers is not responsible breeding. Breeding
a dog with an undershot jaw, a potential
for long-term health problems or genetically mediated behavioral instabilities is
not “responsible breeding.” And yet it is
done relatively often by those who breed
show dogs, working dogs and companion dogs, as well as by those who allow
dogs to come into the world because nobody was paying attention.
Irresponsible breeding is not news, we
all know there’s far too much of it going
on in this country. Breeders who fail their
dogs and their clients are well known in
dog circles, and are often publicly disparaged. But the flip side—breeders who are
truly responsible is often ignored, and I
would argue that our companion animals
suffer for it.
What about those who breed their dogs
carefully, select the right homes for
the puppies and remain accountable
throughout each dog’s lifetime? Ah, but,
one might say, how could anyone be considered “responsible” when they bring
more dogs into a world where so many
dogs are in shelters?
Before I go further, let me state unequivocally that the current focus on
adopting dogs from shelters and rescues
is a very, very good thing. We need to
do everything we can to get dogs out of
shelters and into good homes, and I am a
stalwart cheerleader for those efforts. In
years past, a long string of needy dogs
wound its way through my farm, and
when I “retire” enough to work just one
full-time job, I will begin the process
again. However—bear with me—adoptions and spay/neuter programs are only
two-thirds of the picture. While rescue
efforts have saved many, and spay/neuter
programs have done a tremendous job
reducing the numbers of dogs going into
shelters, still, about two million dogs die
in shelters every year. The solution is obvious, right? We should discourage any
and all breeding, right?
That sounds reasonable, until you look
at the 1995 research carried out by Gary
Patronek and Andrew Rowan, who investigated the demographics of pet ownership and the numbers of dogs entering shelters. They found that about 7.3
million dogs are acquired annually as
companion animals by U.S. households,
while an estimated 6.2 million puppies
are produced by breeders (both professional and backyard) and puppy mills.
Further, Patronek and Rowan estimated
that about 4.4 million dogs enter shelters
(continued on page 2)
Next Meeting — January 17th, 7:00pm at Marie Callender’s
(I-8 & 70th St., 6950 Alvarado Rd.)
Dog Daze Deadline: the 3rd of the month.
Send Dog Daze contributions to Audrey Austin • Send information for the calendar to Bruce Barnett
Well Bred.. (continued from page 1)
Dog Daze is a monthly puublication of
All Breed Obedience Club Inc., a nonprofit obedience club serving San Diego
County.
Articles which appear in this paper do not
necessarily constitute an endorsement of
the subject matter by ABOCI. Articles
may be quoted, provided credit is given
to the author and Dog Daze. Subscription
rate for non members is $15.00.
ABOCI Class Info:
(619) 287-2211
Dog Daze Editor
Audrey Austin
(619) 966-9977
[email protected]
ABOCI Officers
David Smelser, President
(760) 643-9469
Judy Ekdahl, Vice President
(619) 593-6219
Audrey Austin, Secretary
(619) 966-9977
Sarah Ball, Treasurer
(619) 248-4701
Board Members
Bruce Barnett
(619) 280-5647
[email protected]
Cathy Colley
(619) 442-2422
Dog Days Publisher
Kathy Upton
Cell (858) 837-1151
[email protected]
annually: 400,000 from amateur breeders who don’t find homes for their litters,
2.2 million strays (600,000 of whom are
reclaimed) and 1.8 million owner-surrenders. Of those, about 1.8 to 2.1 million dogs don’t find new homes and die
in shelters every year. But, if 7.3 million
dogs are brought into homes every year,
and only 6.2 million are produced, where
do the “surplus” dogs come from?
dog’s life. That’s a huge effort,
take it from me—I bred Border Collies for several years.
My Lassie had two litters, and
I still remember crying for days
when a few of her puppies died o f
an unknown disease. I had her spayed
(more tears), even though we had no idea
whether or not the problem was
genetically based.
We know the answer. Most dogs end up
in shelters because of what owners describe as “behavioral problems.” Many
of these problems can be easily solved,
but the dogs’ first families either didn’t
know how to or lacked the desire to deal
with them. People who work in shelters
know well that many of these “behavior
problems” are things like “doesn’t come
when called” (although the dog has never been trained to do so), or “chewed on
shoe” (as seven-month-old pup left alone
in the house for eight hours did). The
other common reason for surrender is
economic. In some cases, people had no
idea how much money it would take to
raise a dog from puppyhood to maturity,
or, through no fault of their own, they
lost the financial ability to care for a dog.
As all responsible breeders do, I
took dogs back at any age (nine
years in one case) and worked
with the dogs for many months before
finding them just the right homes. I followed all the pups for years and, when
needed, helped their guardians resolve
any behavioral problems that developed.
That is why I would argue, the prevention effort needs a “third leg” to keep
dogs from dying in shelters. That is
where responsible breeders come in. Responsible breeders not only decrease the
chance that a dog needs to be re-homed,
they keep dogs out of shelters in the first
place by following them throughout their
lives and being willing to provide a home
if one becomes necessary.
It’s not easy to be a responsible breeder,
it requires a major commitment of time,
energy and knowledge. Good breeders carefully select a mating pair based
on genetics and physical and behavioral
health: care for the dam and the litter
as they should be cared for, provide an
enriched environment for the maturing pups, sell only to the best of homes,
provide lots of support for humane, effective training, and act as a resource
(and possible home) for the rest of each
2
And yet, in some circles, when
I mentioned that I bred dogs, I
was treated as a social pariah.
This is not uncommon—ask any good
breeder. Truly responsible breeders are
rarely reinforced for their efforts. More
often, they are lumped in with irresponsible breeders and castigated. Given that
the good breeders are the ones who are
keeping dogs out of shelter and rescue
groups in the first place, it’s a sad irony that doesn’t do anyone an
good.
Everyone knows that a tripod
is sturdy because it has three
legs. That’s what we need: a threepronged approach to keep dogs from
dying in shelters and to provide relief
for overwhelmed rescue clubs. Encourage everyone, except responsible
breeders, to spay and neuter
their dogs, encourage more
adoptions from rescues and
shelter, and as importantly,
reinforce responsible breeding
through public education efforts about
what that entails, along with an occasional pat on the back to those who do
it well. After all, isn’t positive reinforcement effective in all species?
Brags — Brags — Brags...& Cries
Dazzle’s Big Brag: Dazzle and I finished her TDX track
yesterday to add the TDX letters to her name. She had to drag
me through the whole track, leaping in the air from time to
time to hurry me up. We finished the 875 yards in 14 minutes. She didn’t even slow up for the turns, stopped long enough to
retrieve her articles and off she went again. You would think
she’d slow up at 11 years of age. Maybe she did slow up enough
for me to handle her myself. I am so proud of Dazzle. After
the test was over, we went back to the car. Dazzle wouldn’t get
in, not even for liver. So I gave her a toy to carry while I walked
her around. She went to the other side of the car where I had
tossed my tracking stuff. She dropped her toy and pulled the
tracking line from the car. She was ready to do another track
while I was still panting from the last one. It was a great day
for tracking, overcast and cold. Four dogs passed out of six.
What a wonderful tracking event and a wonderful day. I’m still
on cloud nine
From Catherine Zinsky
Catherine Zinsky has more than enough to brag about. What
fabulous dogs she has, what a fabulous trainer she is, and what
a fabulous journey they’ve had so far. Let’s start with her report:
My older boy, Kyle (Ch OTCH Trumagik Step Aside, UDX
17, OMG), was again invited to the National Obedience Invitational in Long Beach. We entered, but then decided not to
compete because of Kyle’s health issues. BUT…he was one of
the top 10 Border Collies in the nation to be invited.
Kyle finished his Obedience Grand Master Title last August.
This is all compiled by scores. Ten Master Titles are required
before the Obedience Grand Master is earned. To get a Master
Title, the dog must amass 200 points based on scores, with 60%
in Open and 60% in Utility. To date there are very few Obedience Grand Master Titles. Kyle and I are honored to among
them.
From Lonnie Ruskin
My young boy, Kellan (Ch. Borderfame Soul Train, UD), began his obedience career in the summer of 2010. In nine shows
he went from his first Novice leg to Utility Dog. No failures.
He also earned a 200 score and 3 High in Trials and 2 High
Combines.
Lonnie Ruskin cries about her handler error. Molly lost a leg
and a blue ribbon because Lonnie slightly moved her hand and
it was counted as a double command. Ugh!
I wish I had a nickel for all the “but for’s” I’ve had. But for
that missed jump, but for that broken long down, but for that
whatever. We all have been there. — Audrey
And lastly, a new Border Collie puppy, Dax, entered our lives.
He’s unlike my other two entirely, but nonetheless a joy to have
in our house. His breeder, Debbie Butt, was nominated Breeder
of the Year by AKC for 2010. To date, that’s his only claim to
fame…but it’s early days.
And I can add...for you agility enthusiasts...I can’t count how
many runs Gamma and I have failed because of only ONE minor error...a hesitation in front of a jump...a knocked bar...missing the first weave pole....or the last weave pole. I have learned
to focus on the wonderful “almost” Q’s and awesome “pieces”
of courses and that we are really having fun together! — Kathy
From Geri Zuckerman
Super! Geri Zuckerman and her Portuguese Water Dog, Clue
finished their CDX in Yuma. Both worked very hard to get
here. Hip, hip, hurrah for the team!
From Mimi Lorie
Mimi Lorié’s little Australian Shepherd, Artemis, started her
show career at the tender age of 10 months at Bahia Sur by
winning the Rally Novice B Class with a score of 98. She was
the highest scoring rally dog in ALL rally classes that day. She
then finished her Rally Novice title with a score of 95 at the
OCSDC trial and another score of 98 at Hidden Valley the following weekend.
From Audrey Austin
Zazzy’s big brag: Audrey Austin’s Zazzy, Chesapeake
Bay Retriever, passed her Tracking Dog test with an awesome
job, finishing her 457 yard track in seven minutes. Nobody
passes a TD without lots of other people. I want to say Thank
you to Sally Nesbitt, our trainer and one of our judges, to Robin
Grunwald our other judge, to Pat Ames our wonderful tracklayer, and everyone who made the test possible.
Zazzy has had a spectacular year with earning seven titles in
Rally, Obedience, and Agility.
3
January 2011 — Eulogies
“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love and loyalty,
They come to teach us about loss.
We try to replace them, but never quite succeed,
A new dog never replaces the old dog,
It merely expands the heart.
If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big.”
—Erica Jong (Submitted by Cathy Colley)
Betty Fisher remembers:
White Fang, Frankly Franklin RN
(Franklin), Newfoundland.
Franklin passed away very unexpectedly in March. He was a rescue
from the shelter. They gave him to me seven years ago. He was a lovely friend and
very dear person. Frank really loved living in the country and running in the fields.
White Fang Prize Package CD, NAP,RE,CS,CI
(Prize) Bulldog.
June 18, 1998 – June 7, 2010.
Most of you knew my precious Prize with her issues but in spite of them she earned
titles in numerous venues. She was my very special friend, we shared a chair at the
shows, shared our lunches and even shared a birthday. They are both very missed.
Lydia and Boaz Clark remember:
UCD,FO,UACH Darla CD,RE,OA,NAJ
We obtained Darla from Alice Via’s
Boxer Rescue when she was 2 ½ years
old in Sept. 2001. Kalani helped us
choose Darla! We were her 5th &
forever home. We were told her issues
were counter surfing, trash stealing and
she could pull in a plastic crate’s door
to escape. All this we considered manageable. And were we glad we did.
Boaz and Lydia had to send Darla,
Boxer, over the Rainbow Bridge
Thursday evening, Oct. 14, 2010. Her
titles tell of her willingness and accomplishments. She was so much fun to
work with and was only held back by
our lack of experience and time! She
did everything with gusto and enthusiasm. Darla loved people most of all
and enjoyed petting and attention. She also loved digging for moles, gophers, and squirrels, sometimes digging a hole so big
she would disappear into it. In her last year, Darla gradually aged with good cheer and Boxer gusto. Thank goodness the back
arthritis caused numbness rather than pain, so that her hind end moved like a drunken sailer, all while her front end kept going
strong. Darla would be head high with her Boxer smile, stub tail still wagging! Her crazy hind end going any which way gave
another aspect to the happy “Boxer pretzeling.” She is buried under her favorite apple tree that she and Boaz used to race to in
the mornings when the apples ripened. She loved to pick her own ripe apple from a low branch and eat it!
4
Somewhere over the rainbow - -
In Memoriam – Lyric
NewfWaves
Dec. 19, 1999 – Nov. 15, 2010
SpCh Sweetbay’s Lyric RE, CD, TDX, OAP, OJP, OFP, VCD1, WRD, UAG-I, EGC-V, OAC-V, OJC-V,
TN-E, TG-O, WV-O, CSL3-F, CSL3-R, CSL3-H, CSL3-S
Lyric was at her best when she was busy. She loved the water. So much so that she would verbally protest all the while she was
made to stay on the boat. She had spectacular jumps off the boat and loved to swim. She had her own way of doing things, and
at one water test managed to beach the boat stern first, much to the
disbelieve of the judge. And Lyric loved to track, getting her TD
and TDX but always seeming to just manage to miss an article
or find a different article on her track for her VST. But the
journey was the most fun.
Lyric loved agility. She took great pride in
telling off her handler if the handler made
a mistake or ran too slow. Lyric was
well known for her singing
before an agility trial,
basically saying
“Let’s get
going! I’m
ready to
run!”
Lyric had a ball at the
Incredible Dog Challenge and
did the 60 pole weavepole challenge.
She never missed a pole. Lyric was a real
crowd pleaser in competition events.
But all the titles and alphabet soup
after her name were only tributes to the fun
she had with life and the love she showed me as
her handler. She was there for me through some pretty
heavy times with my chemo, and she would usually be found
somewhere by my side or under my feet. She will be missed.
—Lois Apfel
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . . .
23
Our Holiday Potluck Photo Album
6
Calendar of Dog Events
EVENT TYPE
DATE(S) Addl. Day?
AKC Obedience & Rally Trials
Closing date (blank=N/A):
4 UKC Obed. & Rally Trials
General Meeting
Obedience & Rally Show & Go
AKC Agility Trials
NADAC Agility Trials
Obedience & Rally Show & Go
General Meeting
AKC Agility Trials
AKC Agility Trials
AKC Agility Trials
1/7/2011
12/22/2010
1/8/2011
12/22/2010
1/15/2011
12/31/2010
1/17/2011
Info:
1/9/2011
Info:
1/16/2011
Info:
Info:
1/20/2011
1/5/2011
1/21/2011
1/5/2011
1/22/2011
Info:
Info:
Info:
1/22/2011
1/5/2011
1/23/2011
1/5/2011
1/22/2011
1/5/2011
1/29/2011
1/21/2011
2/12/2011
Info:
Info:
1/23/2011
Info:
1/30/2011
Info:
Info:
2/21/2011
Info:
2/25/2011
2/9/2011
2/26/2011
2/9/2011
2/26/2011
2/11/2011
3/12/2011
2/23/2011
3/18/2011
3/2/2011
3/26/2011
3/9/2011
Info:
2/27/2011
Info:
2/27/2011
Info:
3/13/2011
Info:
3/19 & 3/20
Info:
3/27/2011
Info:
CLUB
LOCATION
Kennel Club of Palm Springs
Indio
Janis McManigal, 5946 Copperfield Ave., Riverside, CA 92506-4510
Kennel Club of Palm Springs
Indio
Bradshaw: www.jbradshaw.com
San Diego Dog Fanciers
HVOC training grounds, Escondido
Premium at: www.sandiegodogfanciers.com/UpComingEvents.htm
All Breed Obedience Club
Marie Callender's Rest., La Mesa
Meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Channel City Kennel Club
Seaside Park, Ventura
Simi Valley Kennel Club
Hidden Valley Obedience Club
9 a.m. to noon
San Fernando Kennel Club
Ventura Co. Dog Fanciers
Golden Ret. Club of SD Co.
Rohr Park, Chula Vista
Lynda Tjarks, 14491 W Cameron Dr., AZ 85379-4426
Ups 'N Downs Agility Club
Valley Center
Premium at: www.ups-n-downs.org/trials.html
Allied Gardens Community Park
8:30 to noon
Location to be determined
Meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Obed. Club of San Diego Co.
Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar
Lynn K Spears, 1799 South Point Drive, Bonita, CA 91902-4046
Silver Bay Kennel Club
Silver Bay Kennel Club
Brenda Farrington, 14491 W Cameron Dr., AZ 85379-4426
Keeshond Club of So. Cal.
Walnut Grove Park, San Marcos
Del Sur Kennel Club
Bates Nut Farm, Valley Center
Bradshaw: Information to come
SD Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Canine Nosework Seminar Coming in February
A sport nearly any dog or human can do!
Saturday February 5th, 2011 from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, Location: Santee, CA
Instructors: Jill Marie O’Brien and Amy Herot, Founders of K9 Nose Work • www.funnosework.com
Host: Coaching Creative Canines
If Interested, Contact: Christy Hill: [email protected] or (805) 794-0345.
If you know of events we should have in our
calendar...be sure to send them to Bruce Barnett.
His email is on page 2.
7
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San Diego, CA 92117

Well Bred: A Three-Pronged Approach to Keeping Dogs Out of

Transcription

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