Comments on: Will the Kennel Club Outlaw Father to Daughter Matings?

By: James M. LaFoe

James M. LaFoe — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:49:45 +0000

Well Sandra,i agree with Winnie. i have seen these mutts that inbreeding produces and i also feel that this should be stopped. jimmy2060@gmail.com

By: Pimobendan

Pimobendan — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:05:42 +0000

Oh yes, it is “our” lovely breed! so where is the assistance to help cover “our” lovely vet bills. My faithful dog would gladly trade her Grande Champion title, ribbons and trophies just to have a good heart valve. MVD and congestive heart failure is also “our” problem. Breeding protocols should be followed and not just considered a guideline. We at least owe that to “our” dogs that have given us their best.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:51:20 +0000

Unfortunately mongrels are as unhealthy/healthy as any other dog and you know nothing of their health history or parentage. Go to a vets surgery waiting room and count how many dogs are pure breed and how many are pedigree.Mongrels get sick and bite as well. Plus they mate indiscriminately unlike pure breeds.

By: fed up of rubbish

fed up of rubbish — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:09:06 +0000

winnie i suggest you buy a nice healthy mongrel and leave our lovely breed alone!!!!

By: Staggered

Staggered — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:10:38 +0000

Still got some hard core ‘bury your head in the sand’ defending the CKCS club to the bitter end.

Surely even they must see that it is time for change rather than closing ranks and expelling somebody for highlighting issues that need to be addressed!

By: Winnie

Winnie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:27:26 +0000

I believe now Margaret (Carter I believe) is being scapegoated unnecessarily. To be clear I have been aghast about the overuse of popular sires in breeds and the impact that they have on genetic diversity for a number of years now. I have also been forthright in my opinions about inbreeding and close breedings since my family and myself have had to deal with the health issues and early life loss of three inbred pets (two Champion sired), from different breeders.

That was a number of years ago and from there I found it to be of benefit to study pedigrees and lines of specific breeders long before I approach them for a pet.

When I began looking for a Cavalier four years ago I decided to also look for breeders following MVD(and now SM)protocol and performing appropriate health checks prior to breeding. As I intitially stated, I was looking through pedigrees at dogs that appealed, and to see who was and was not following protocols, when I found the inbred pair. This was actually long before Pedigree Dogs Exposed ever aired. Hat’s off to Jemima Harrison, though, for bringing these issues into the public domain.

By: Sandra Ireland

Sandra Ireland — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:47:39 +0000

Well Margaret. I hope you are happy now. Even someone who is more health conscious than most, who has had nearly all her dogs scanned and has all her litters eye and heart tested cannot escape this relentless critisism. What a great job you have done! You should be ashamed of yourself
I would also like to point out to Winnie that both these “popular” sires have clear hearts, one age six and the other over seven.

By: Winnie

Winnie — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:55:58 +0000

It is a relief to hear this was an accidental mating but I will continue to use facts and not personal experiences to form my own opinions on how breeders are breeding and their merit in my mind. The overruse of the two studs mentioned as popular sires, shows disregard for how the popular sire syndrome adversely affects gene pools. The importance of population genetics in breeding decisions can not be stressed enough considering the current studies on diversity loss in breeds. The fact that both stud dogs were bred many, many times at an age much younger than suggested by the recommended MVD and SM health protocols in the breed (2.5 years) also tells me that the breeders involved here, all around, are not as health conscious as I would like. Of course we all have different measures and opinions and are free to make our own minds up.

By: Sandra Ireland

Sandra Ireland — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:24:41 +0000

I happen to know all about this litter. It was an accidental mating from two MRI scanned clear dogs. One of the offspring was subsequently scanned by the breeder and was also clear. All the puppies were placed in pet homes. I happen to know this breeder very well and she is very caring and health conscious. Please do not always see the worst in people.
Cavlady

By: Winnie

Winnie — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:59:21 +0000

I was recently looking through the progeny listing of a GB CH Cavalier that I like. It took me back a bit when I noticed that two littermates from him, both GB CH and born 12 Sept. 2002, were mated together to produce a litter born 25 Feb 2007.

For the life of me I can’t figure out, in this day and age when type is well set in this breed, why the health risks involved to the pups from a full sibling mating would be at all acceptable.

This also shows a lack of responsibility toward population genetics in the breed as this male pup has already sired 47 litters on public record, and his sire – 70. There would seem to be no reason to double up genes, already so prolific in a breed, in one litter of pups.

I will be glad to see some intervention by the clubs in regards to this kind of breeding.