[ SHOWGSD-L ] ( A SERIOUS subject)
- From: "Carolyn Martello" <marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 17:37:29 -0700
( SORRY about the misspelling ) <G> Dinnertime!!
I think everyone is aware of the difficult job the Board has with many
serious
issues to deal with. i.e. National locations, low membership, the World
Trials, Anti dog Bills, and lack of good P.R. for the Breed. Same things
that
concern all of us. The Board is MUCH appreciated!
uh....However...BUT... ( sorry ) <G>
They can NEVER expect to start changing the Standard...the very foundation
of this Breed and what it is today without EXPECTING some pretty harsh
reactions!
The Board made this decision. THE MEMBERSHIP DID NOT! I would assume that
the
membership of the GSDCSA, Inc. are the very CORE..the breeders, Judges,
handlers,
exhibitors, and Performance people that love this Breed and DO care enough
to
react strongly to protect what THEY believe is RIGHT.
We should never be condemned or chastised or ridiculed for reacting to this
type of action that will change what we believe to be the Best BREED in the
world..forever in our lifetime!! The Board should expect no less!
IMO this issue is NOT Jimmy or about who "likes" black and red, or sables,
or Bi colors, or blacks or even about masking genes or albinism or Panda or
Piebald colors..nor about OFA, degrees, or loving owners. IT's certainly
not
about winning or losing. This is strictly about the Standard for this
Breed
and what it is and will become!
The Breed began with a mixture of working dogs available as 'The Captain'
used numerous types; including some colors & types we NEVER would think is
in the background of our Breed because we don't see them today.
( ELIMINATED in the process of setting the Breed Standard! )
No matter what we learn about masking genes and albinism we can never change
the fact that whites were never a preferred or a desired color sought after.
With the vote on the specific choice of "fault" or DQ...the results allowed
us
to breed without the concern many had for getting whites in their
litters...or
almost whites. There was a time it was a major concern. Say what you want
about masking genes and albinism...when you go to a "white site" you often
see
'varieties'of color.
One that protested my posts long and loudly has a litter from a very pale
silver/white sable ( I "guess"? ) The litter shown has two whites...two
blacks
and a dark sable.
The black has WHITE feet to the pasterns...and the dark red sable has WHITE
feet to the pasterns. The Panda Shepherd and the Piebald started with
breeders utilizing whites in their program. You can't argue this truth.
We used to see GSD with both front legs solid white....white blazes and
muzzles
and tails....
..?..WHY condemn the AWSA because they are utilizing white dogs from other
Countries as they try to develop the Breed and continue to BEG for
separation
when we actually consider these "other colors" as GSD's???
A simple quick letter to AKC...just Let them go.
Let them develop into a wonderful Breed from the foundation of the BEST.
WHY NOT?? Because of DNA??
Then that logic accepts livers, blues, pandas, piebald, Undershot jaws,
floppy ears..( they also OFA, can be highly trained and are much loved )
WHY hold them captive in Limbo for a few hundred more members...or allow the
Breed Standard to regress to the infighting it used to be for a few hundred
more members?
You think it's a nightmare for the BELGIAN BREEDERS!!
Wait till someone buys a bitch and breeds to a dark dog and gets whites in
their litter. That is the way it used to be....and the animosity between
the
two was PALPABLE!
The whites were called "bucket puppies"....because they were destroyed at
birth rather than some breeders admit they had whites in their lines.
And... It was not because anyone thought it was a 'lethal' gene, or
albinism.
We have been free of all this with the DQ.
SURELY there are other ways to build a membership rather than change our
Standard!?
Carolyn marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.marhaven.com
-----Original Message-----
From: On Behalf Of Sheree Moses Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 5:13 AM
So, here we were, minding our own business, enjoying watching a major entry
(that we hadn't built:) in GSD's, visiting with friends, showing a few
other dogs (Labs), watching our Black and Red dog win a couple of
groups........and the calls, the texts, the emails......
I read a few. Jim read a few. At first we were going to ignore them, but I
have to tell you, some of this is why some people get fed up and move on.
Surely raising guppies must be easier.
Just a few comments.
Being on the Board is a thankless task. It is far more time-consuming than
most people realize ( including frequent teleconferences, which in Jim's
case, means he is pulled over on the side of some interstate for an hour or
more), and costs a fair amount of personal money. They are faced with a lot
of difficult decisions, but, lacking a money tree, sometimes they have to
make them. You can't spend a quarter if you only have a dime. At least,
not for long. And yet, many of the membership (and what really makes me
crazy...NON-members) do nothing but criticize. If you think you can do a
better job, for heaven's sake....RUN for the Board.
In one of the forwards, someone asked why the List was censoring "spirited"
discussion....I don't see where referring to someone as "sly" or saying they
lacked integrity and would probably be digging ditches were it not for this
breed falls under "spirited." Mean-spirited, maybe. As was the suggestion
that the timing of the article on whites was part of some deep conspiracy
meant to browbeat the membership. Must be nice to be that powerful. Next
maybe they'll blame him for global warming and the recent economic downturn.
(And I'm still not sure which under-angulated black/red dog with BAD?
temperament they were referring to??? Must have been some other dog, because
the one I'm thinking of had excellent character)
As for the whites, as someone recently pointed out, the DQ groups (ie the
Other Color) have been attending every board meeting for forever. When Jim
joined the Board that was one of the first things he commented about, that
we needed to "either let them compete or cut them loose" and he said so out
loud. The OC people perceived this to mean he was fair-minded and might
help them, and asked him to listen to their situation, which he and other
Board members did.
We (Kaleef) don't own a white, don't intend to own a white, have no
financial interest in whites. A couple of years ago I turned down a breeding
to an OFA certified, performance titled bitch whose owner was looking to
expand her gene pool, and I feel a little guilty about that. I was
conflicted, and a coward. But, I personally prefer black/red, or a nice
dark sable. Somehow I have ended up with blacks. But, no whites. So, in
effect, we have no dog in this discussion, and are certainly not profiting
financially from the white issue.
The purpose of the article was to dispel the rumors and mis-information that
were out there about the genetics of white GSDs. Not Berger Blancs, or
Non-Pigmented GSD LookAlikes, or whatever. White German Shepherds. The
article was written so that the membership could make an informed decision
about the issue. Until recently, I was as guilty as anyone else about
thinking they caused albinism or parti-colors, and thought that they, like
many other white animals, carried genetic lethals. So I was pleasantly
surprised to learn that none of that was accurate.
The point is that the white color should probably have never been made a DQ
in the first place. Saying "but that's the way we've always done it" just
doesn't seem very educated to me. And we are fortunate to have a better
understanding of genetics, so we know exactly how white is inherited. I
wish the other issues that plague our breed were so easily understood.
I love our Standard. It needs a little clarification in places (and if you
don't agree, explain to me how a blue or liver can be a serious fault when
noses not black are a DQ?), but it is the blueprint for our breed. But
sometimes Standards change for good reasons, maybe this should be one of
them. You, the membership, decide.
Here are some of the problems for the Whites.
The AKC will not allow a new breed based on a DQ in an existing breed.
The AKC will not allow new varieties (as in Cockers, Dachshunds, etc).
IMHO, that would have been the best place for them, but AKC refuses.
The situation w/the Belgian breeds (separate in this country but varieties
in the rest of the world) is a nightmare for them when imported dogs produce
the wrong coat/color.
So, fairly, what do we do with the dedicated breeders of White German
Shepherd Dogs who are healthy, productive members of our breed? Where can
they go to compete with their dogs? What should we, the GSDCA, do about
them? That is the reason for the article, so that MEMBERS can make informed
decisions. It's not really an opinion, just a pretty factual article so
that people can think about it, and decide. If you have an opinion, write a
letter to the editor and I am sure the Review will print it. Or , write a
factual article about the issue, and they would probably run that, too.
As for me, it doesn't really matter. I'm still going to love and show and
enjoy my dogs. If someone has a white dog that's better than my colored
dog, more power to them, that's what competition is all about. Going back
out to clean puppy runs, where I should be, instead of writing this.
Sheree
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POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its
administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in
any post.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
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