Dog Blog
Musings
Canine genetic tests are important and must be interpreted together. Phenotype refers to a dog’s observable traits, whereas genotype refers to a dog’s genetic constitution. Phenotypic tests are typically performed by a veterinarian or board-certified cardiologist. DNA tests can be used to determine a dog’s genotype for specific genetic variants, but phenotype tests are required to obtain a diagnosis of heart disease.
New treatments are needed for canine bone cancer. Current treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor and chemotherapy to treat metastatic disease (cancer spread to distant parts of the body). Unfortunately, surgery can have complications, not all dogs are good candidates for surgery due to other health problems, and many affected dogs develop metastatic disease and only survive for one year or less after diagnosis.
Most novice and current owners do not realize that advanced annual cardiac screenings, to include Electrocardiograms (ECG) AND Echocardiograms (Echos) are paramount in the care and maintenance of your Irish Wolfhound. Typically, these screenings are performed during the adult stages of growth (beginning at two years) and onward throughout their senior years…..
If you missed the ShowSight March 2018 "The Irish Wolfhound" Breed Issue then, fret not as I am including both the ShowSight Breed feature link, https://www.showsightmagazine.com/breed-magazines but also my specific article I wrote for the feature.
In addition to the books that I already recommend on my website, I had purchased Dr. Jean Dodds co-authored book with Diana Laverdure titled, "Canine Nutrigenomics, The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health." I am making my way through this book and would recommend this as another reference tool that "Natural Rearing" enthusiasts should have on their shelf.....
We often hear people say how different life or events were in yesteryear. Often we reflect on things or people that we miss, our nostalgic memories vivid as if it were just yesterday. I frequently find myself doing so as I reminisce about how our breed society once was and the stark contrast to what it is today. The consequences of such disparities are substantial being that today we now have the lowest standards of acceptability and accountability within our organization and society. The 2017 IWCA National Specialty recently provided several instances that aroused my sentimentalism........
A recent conversation in Dogs in Review Point/Counterpoint topic of the month section that I thought was engaging as the guest panelists answered in a thoughtful, meaningful manner. The subject matter is not new:
"In your experience, is the average exhibitor today more knowledgeable or less knowledgeable about breed standards, canine structure, and gait than he/she was 10 years ago?"
I know that this problem has been debated for at least 15 plus years alone in my circles, despite the ten years the point/counterpoint mentions......
Many of you can sympathize with the frustration of having to deal with the likes of today's prospective puppy inquiries and owners. You know the type -- the people who contact you via email and without proper introduction ask for the price of a puppy, if and how many puppies are available and so forth.....It is as if you are a manufacturer and or distributor and they are contacting you to find out if a product is in stock and how soon can it ship out......
Not too long ago I read an article authored by Bo Bengtson titled "Best in Show Winners" in which he cited statistics for dog registrations after World War II. His thorough research revealed that by the end of 1949, or more to the point that decade, there were more than 240,000 AKC registered dogs in the United States. Upon reading this, I thought back to my earlier Canine Chronicle articles in which I too had performed extensive research on dog registrations as well as AKC dog event statistics from year to year.
This number of 240,000 struck me as intriguing, and I immediately started looking back through my older articles. And there I found what I needed. In my 2013 article "Metamorphosis", I had published an extrapolation from data issued by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the AKC Annual Reports as well as in the 2013 Canine Chronicle Annual Issue, "The Big Picture."
In 2010, there were 563,611 purebred dog registrations. This number represented a staggering 63% decrease in annual dog registrations from the pinnacle of AKC registrations during 1992 with approximately 1.5 million dogs recorded. Now, because AKC did not publish dog registrations in 2011 nor going forward, we are left only to extrapolate. While using the last known AKC registration data released, the CFO cited that, in 2011, registration revenue was $2 million or 8% less than 2010. Reported revenue is for both dog and litter registrations combined. Venturing forward, if the going rate was $30.00, per a single dog registration, then theoretically, registrations were down in 2011 by approximately 66,666 dogs or about 496,945 registered. Even if one does not use the single dog registration fees and decides to use litter registration fees -- the revenue numbers are close because each litter is $25.00 plus $2.00 per puppy.
From there, the CFO reported that 2012 registration revenue was down 10.6% from 2011. This way, using the same logic and approximations only, there may have been approximately 444,269 purebred dogs registered in 2012. Now, in 2013, AKC reported that there was an upward tick of 5% in registration revenue which is always welcome but worrisome as to where exactly this came from -- remember the high volume breeders fiasco -- so, we can estimate that there were 466,482 dogs registered in 2013.
2014 registration revenue was nearly identical to 2013 with $15,000 in revenue shortage from the year prior, or I estimate about 500 fewer dogs. What I do love about these reports is that the 2015 Annual Report stated that dog registration revenue was up 2% than the year prior but, this number is still less than 2009 which the AKC fails to mention. Going by AKC's revenue reports of the 2% increase over the prior year, I can only approximate that this means there were 18,500 more dogs or about 484,482 dogs registered in 2015.
If any of these numbers are to be believed, then the American Kennel Club purebred dog registrations are only twice what they were in 1949. Certainly, not a place that I think the AKC envisaged themselves to be in 67 years later.
I strongly feel that commentary is in order about an article I recently read in the Dogs in Review March 2016 issue. On page 84 is the article "Breed Club Rescuers" by Elaine Waldorf Gewirtz and reports on several, but not all, notable breed rescues that have taken place since 2012. Gewirtz's piece is on breed club rescuers who jumped into action for 200 English Shepherds, 160 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, 66 Chinese Shar Peis, 61 Shetland Sheepdogs and 47 Samoyeds. Sincerely painful, shocking stories but at the same time also heartwarming and comforting....
Some years past, I read an interview with a well-known dog breeder in which, and I am mostly paraphrasing here, she was asked what she had learned over her many decades. She responded that unfortunately, there is a downside to the sport, referring to the "dark side" of people's personalities. She was refreshingly candid, as, in fact, there are dark sides to individuals as well as bad-natured characters in this sport, and at one time or another, you will encounter them both.....
We all are familiar with the above aphorism which I believe is perfectly suited for purebred dog conformation events and its show photography. However, I feel that people unknowingly pay lip service to this truism. Almost all our typical dog show photographers shoot only stacked, profile ‘win’ show photos. Preferably, they should be focusing on, and we should demand movement shots........
Though unique to the Irish Wolfhound breed, this brief conversation with famous sportswoman, Florence Nagle is befitting of all our giant Sighthound hunters. It is solid, basic logic that should prevail within the attitude of good breeders today. Unfortunately, over these many decades, I believe that our sport's mentality has devolved, rather than evolved. Moreover, in the case of the Irish Wolfhound breed, the overall state of mind has degenerated, having lost the mental and moral qualities that were once normal and desirable.
A long time ago, in what seemed to be a different world from that of today's purebred dog conformation sport, conversations used to take place regarding type and soundness. Back then, we read magazine interviews of well-known judges and one paraphrased question often put to them was "Which would you choose, type or soundness?" As was often the case, many all-breed judges replied, "You cannot have one without the other."
Lately, having returned from a specialty breed show, as well as an all-breed dog show, I am now, more than ever, flummoxed with the quality of purebred dogs. I will add more conversations and thoughts on several other topics, but this post is concerning the forequarter assembly. I am speechless about the condition of front ends on dogs.
The central and important principle to understand is that a canine’s front end is responsible for supporting more than half of the dog’s weight. These bones are not useless or trivial components of the canine anatomy.
