Society for the Preservation Of White Swiss Shepherd Dogs | Other
Society for the Preservation Of White Swiss Shepherd Dogs
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23.01.2022 This may be one of my more controversial pieces, but please stay with me until the end and give it a chance. The adopt don’t shop movement is toxic. Yes, yo...u read that correctly, but don’t crucify me yet. Hear me out. I am all for responsible rescues. I just think the movement needs more nuance. Adopt don’t shop needs to become Adopt or shop, just do so responsibly. Adopt don’t stop pits two kinds of dog lovers against each other. It also lumps reputable breeders together with backyard breeders and puppy mills. If you truly love dogs, then you really cannot only be in favor of rescue. Reputable breeders do not allow their dogs to end up in rescue. They offer a lifetime of support and make it a contractual obligation that any dog bred by them is returned to them should the owner no longer be able to care for them. Only supporting rescue, and demonizing even the most reputable of breeders, essentially means that the only dogs you think people should own are ones bred either through irresponsible breeding practices or irresponsible ownership of intact dogs bought through the proxy of a rescue. If you truly love dogs, you should be demanding that we do better by them. You should want there to be more reputable breeders in the world. Reputable breeders make it their goal when breeding to not only preserve a breed’s original purpose, but to produce overall healthier and more conformationally and temperamentally sound dogs with predictable drive. Without reputable breeding, we’ll eventually run out of healthy and genetically predictable dogs to enjoy. Adopt don’t shop also overlooks the crucial element that some people need dogs bred for specific jobs and they need to be able to reliably know that dog has the correct drive and health to do it which can’t be guaranteed in a shelter mix. For instance, even well bred service dog prospects often wash. Training a service dog is a lengthy and costly process, and the handler is often quite literally placing their life in the paws of their service dog. A handler would be taking a much larger risk in trying a puppy or even adult dog with an unknown past and genetic history. Other jobs that typically require a well bred dog from proven lines include: hunting, herding, livestock guardians, personal protection, search and rescue, or military/police work. In addition to needing specific things out of a working dog, many people want a well bred dog as their companion. Arguably companionship is the largest purpose for dogs and for most people it is the most important, so why should we not want the best for our companions? We want our dogs to be with us for as long as possible, so we should want them to have the absolute best start in life. We should want them to come from generations of fully health tested parents in order to breed them away from common heritable health issues. We should want predictable temperaments and drive, so we know that the dog we are bringing into our home is a good fit for our lifestyle. We will always need reputable rescues, but it is important to know that there are many reasons that someone would not want to bring an unknown mix with an unknown past into their home. Maybe it’s because they have small animals and aren’t willing to risk their lives on a rescue that may prove to have an extremely high prey drive or be small animal aggressive. Maybe it is because they have children and can’t be sure the rescue has the temperament needed to tolerate the specific behaviors often exhibited by small children. Maybe it is simply because they want the joy of raising a specific breed from a puppy and ensuring it has the absolute best start in life in terms of socialization and training. The important thing to know is how to separate the reputable from the those who are not, as there are examples of both in both rescue and breeding. Knowing how to tell them apart makes a world of difference. Know better for your dogs. Demand better for your dogs. Adopt OR shop responsibly. (Post inspired by a comment by Beret Walsh)
15.01.2022 Degenerative Myelopathy in German Shepherd Dog Degenerative myelopathy is most commonly seen in the German Shepherd dog, and appears to be attributable to a mut...ation in the SOD1 gene, similar to a form of motor neurone disease ( or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in people. Two alleles are involved, and one allele has dominance over the other, which accounts for the variability in expression that is seen. It is thought that this disease affects 5-8% of older German Shepherds in Australia. Signs will usually begin around 5 9 years of age in the German Shepherd. Signs are due to the immune mediated destruction of myelin (the substance surrounding nerve fibres) in the thoracic spinal cord, leading to loss of these nerves. The first signs are knuckling of the hind feet, and hind limb ataxia (termed proprioceptive deficits). Once the spinal cord damage progresses past this initial stage the effectiveness of treatment is much diminished. Hence early diagnosis is vital. A DNA test can provide results Following this initial stage, hind limb reflexes are affected (termed upper motor neuron dysfunction), then weakness in the hind limbs develops, progressing to paralysis (lower motor neuron dysfunction). These stages respond poorly to therapy. Eventually destruction progresses from the middle of the spinal cord to the upper cord and brain stem, leading to forelimb weakness and eventually interference with the muscles of breathing. Treatment is with specific supplements and drugs aimed at interfering with the immune destruction in the spinal cord. Degenerative myelopathy cannot be cured. So this is the reason why DNA test all my dogs, there are by far too many breeders who dont and then poor unsuspecting owners have to watch their beloved animals suffer from this horrid disease. So if your thinking of buying a GSD, ask breeders... Do they test for Degenerative Myelopathy along with all the other important test?
07.01.2022 Some interesting but important to know information for all our get togethers.
