Dave,
Thank you very much! I appreciate being corrected and you clearly have personal
experience with the content of your post!! Thus, I accept what you wrote as
truth...I absolutely don't mind being wrong as long as there is a logical and
factual presentation of the counter argument. Yours works for me!😋
Apparently, there is much bad blood and many historical arguments that I, of
course, would have no way to be aware of.
Kind Regards and I look forward to more of your posts....you should post more
often. I would love to hear more about the history of the club and the changes
the breed has undergone over the years from someone like yourself that has
supported the breed for decades.
Thanks again,
Sarah Minsk-Eduardo
Von Whitehall German Shepherds
"Preserving the classic
German Shepherd Dog"
Member of GSDCA and Signer of Breeders Code of Ethics
On Sep 13, 2015, at 4:40 PM, David Fritsche <d_fritsche@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well Sarah, we need to back up a bit and restate a little –
The GSDCA has always been the official representative of the WUSV in the
United States. The WDA came later and is now not connected with the GSDCA –
their choice.
The long coat has never been a disqualifying fault in the GSDCA/AKC standard,
just a fault. The GSDCA and the SV have separate standards that are very
parallel but not exactly the same. The SV has changed its standard a lot over
the years, the GSDCA has not changed much at all. This does not damage or
destroy our relationship internationally except once when the SV demanded
that we change our standard to be the same as there’s. We sort of told them
to go pound sand and they decided we did not need to change our standard.
We are related to the international dog community and to the German Shepherd
community in particular but we are a member driven club where many of the
others are more ‘from the top’ in their authority structure. We are related
in a cooperative side by side relationship and are not under their authority.
Occasionally they set the idea that they should rule us, but being American’s
we do not deal with that so well. So they can lift restrictions, put in more
restrictions, add or delete classes and it has not legal authority on us. So,
long coats are still only a fault and can be and are shown. To offer a
special class for them would be the equivalent of offering a special class
for any fault, which so far our membership is not real fond of.
It all has a long history with many hours and pages of arguments, but that’s
how it stands at the moment. You have to change the memberships opinions and
the history that brought them to this point, and that may take more time that
I have left. <grin>
Dave
I think they should have their own class or be allowed to show alongside a
short coat. Here is how I see it but please correct me if I am wrong. The
GSDCA is a member of the WUSV (World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs). I
believe this transferred after GSDCA took over the GSDCA-WDA and became one
of the American voices in the WUSV along with the USCA. The WUSV supports the
Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) standard of the German Shepherd
dog. The GSDCA is a SV member club and the SV is a part of the WUSV/FCI. The
SV lifted its restriction of long coats as a disqualifying trait and allowed
them to show in their own class with full breeding status for ratings and
breed surveys.
Like the White Shepherd who was allowed to show alongside colored dogs until
1968, the long coat was also originally allowed to show alongside short
coats, as well, until 1915. Thus, we have a history of allowing both whites
and coats to share equal status with our colored short coated dogs as both
were integral parts of the foundation and formation of our breed and the
breed would not exist without either.
Breed Standards are clearly not written in stone and change according to the
whim of its controller- as demonstrated by the later exclusion of both whites
and long coats.
My guess is that the GSDCA, being also now a SV club, is trying to adopt a
similar opportunity for coated dogs. The GSDCA is now the voice for all
german shepherd dogs with its WUSV designation and must support each avenue
of our breed with equal passion and devotion. I see nothing wrong with their
action and support it completely.
But, I could be wrong about all of this and....so that is my disclaimer!
