[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What is to come and what was there
- From: ELG440@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:29 EDT
In a message dated 8/12/09 2:59:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, ELG440 writes:
post it, please
When this was sent to me, I read it fully and told the sender how well
written it was, and thanked her for sending it to me. I asked who wrote it,
and was told I did.
It was written ten years ago, and with the upcoming combination of the
World Trials and our National, it is interesting to read some history. I
remember much of this, and if it doesn't make sense, please ignore it.
This article is reprinted by permission of the Kansas City GSD Newsletter
issue #12, July-August 1999 and its Author, Evan L Ginsburg, ESQ
THERE IS MORE TO HEAVEN AND EARTH
THAN IS DREAMED OF IN OUR PHILOSOPHY
There have been many controversies in the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America over the last few years, none as volatile or as important to the breed
as the Standard changes now being contemplated. It is important to
understand a little history of the breed and the parties involved to
understand the
questions that are now being raised. It is more of a question, at this
point, than a fact.
The last major change to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America Standard
was back in 1959. An annual meeting was held on October 3, 1959 in Audubon,
Pennsylvania with 58 members present. At that time, the issue of
disqualification for German Shepherds with white on more than 50% of the dog's
coat
was put before the membership. It was officially adopted, the votes were
306 for and 104 against. At that time there were 719 members of the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America. The procedure used at that time was that the
proposal was first approved by the Board, it was then sent to the American
Kennel Club for approval, and finally to the members
hip for voting and final acceptance. It was published in the July 1960
German Shepherd Dog Club Review, that the vote had passed, and went into
effect November 17, 1959.
It is now approximately 40 years later, and some members of the board of
directors of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America are proposing that the
Standard be changed again, now for a very different reason, not todisqualify
anything in particular, not to try to improve the breed, not to appease an
uprising in the membership, but to come in line with demands made by the
German Registry and Breed Club, the SV.
Approximately 100 years ago, the breed was established in Germany called
the German Shepherd Dog. At that time, a gentleman by the name of Max Von
Stephanitz registered the first German Shepherd, and a organization was formed
known as the SV, (Schaeferhund Verein). In 1913, the German Shepherd Club
was formed in the United States called the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America. The German Shepherd Dog Club of America was established with the
American Kennel Club, the registry in the United States for dogs, and became
the
parent club of the German Shepherd Dog in America.
The German Shepherd Dog Club of America then joined with other countries
and the SV to form what is called the WUSV, or the World Union of SV. This is
an organization formed to promote and control German Shepherd dog clubs
and dog shows throughout the world, and the SV and the GSDCA were two of the
earliest members. The German Shepherd Dog Club of America at that time took
a very strong and important leadership role in the world, even donating
money to start an organization called the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals,
which began to register and examine hip dysplasia, which has now grown to
be the premiere organization for hip and elbow eval
uation in all breeds throughout the world and the primary evaluator in the
United States. Even the SV is now using the OFA for early evaluations, and
there have been and remains substantial differences between the SV and the
AKC. The AKC accepts hip evaluations at two years, the SV at one.
As to the use of OFA, the SV is very different in other ways, than the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America. The SV is a registry, keeping the records
and controlling the shows. Therefore, the SV is more like a combination of
the AKC and the GSDCA.
The activities of the SV in Schutzhund work include a portion of training
which incorporates as a very fundamental part of its foundation, what is
called "bite work." Because of the concerns with the image of dogs in
America, and the desire to keep bite work out of the breeds, the AKC has
refused
to accept Schutzhund work as a title recognized by the AKC, and does not
want its' member clubs to promote that area of dogs in America.
The German Shepherd Dog Club of America, recognizing that there are people
in America who want to do the Schutzhund work and the bite work, formed a
separate organization called the WDA, or Working Dog Association.
The WDA is an independent organization, affiliated with the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America. Its current president, David Landau, sits on the
board of directors of the GSDCA, as well.
In order to enter World Union events and the world trials, the WDA sends a
team each year to the location of these shows, representing the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America. The team represents the WDA-GSDCA, and their
uniforms show that they are there on behalf of the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America. This has worked well until recently, but now a major controversy
has been raised by the WUSV.
The reason I started this article by talking about the change to the
Standard of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America is to show the difficulty
and the time honored tradition of maintaining one Standard over the years. The
SV has been known to change its Standard numerous times, using the
Standard as a guidance for breeding and exhibiting, not just as a blueprint
for
the breeder. The GSDCA has avoided changes to their standard, maintaining the
stability of the breed, and the ideal Shepherd.
A few years ago, while I was sitting on the Board of Directors of the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America, at the beginning of a Saturday meeting,
the President, Dan Smith, mentioned that the SV has sent a letter to the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America saying they will no longer recognize the
Schutzhund degrees given out by the WDA, since the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America does not conform to the current Standard that the SV has adopted.
At that meeting, Dan suggested that the parent club may have to change
their Standard to come in line with the SV so that we can continue to have our
Schutzhund trials and the titles awarded recognized by the SV.
There was quite an outcry from many of the board members at the meeting,
and nothing further was brought up. Sunday, when we reconvened, it was
pointed out that since the WDA already uses the Standard as put forth by the
SV,
there was no need to change anything further, as it was only the WDA events
that were affected anyway, and therefore, the entire matter was dropped,
or at least that's what the Board was led to believe at the meeting. It was
a surprise to many of the board members that the WDA was not supporting the
standard as adopted by the GSDCA, and approved by the AKC.
We now come to 1999, and it has now become known that a series of
correspondences have continued between Herr Messler, Head of the SV, and Dan
Smith,
the President of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America. It is important
to know, that the SV and the WUSV claim to be separate organizations, but
Herr Messler is the President of both. It is also important to know that the
Constitution of the WUSV, as initially established with the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America, allowed but one vote per country, and that vote
goes
to the founding member of the WUSV, or the parent club of the country in
which the vote is granted.
Recently an organization called the United Schutzhund Club of America has
been active in the United States, putting on Schutzhund shows, and
attempting to obtain the vote in the WUSV. When Helen Fisher was President of
the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America, she attended the WUSV meeting, and
argued that the vote should remain with the parent club of the country and the
founding club of the WUSV, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, since
that is what the constitution of the WUSV demands. She was able to obtain
sufficient support for that to occur, and Schutzhund USA (who call themselves
USA), was denied the vote. Most recently WUSV has agreed to give two votes
to clubs in the United States, one is USA and the other is GSDCA.
It has become very clear from letters written and statements made that USA
wants the sole vote in the World Union, and wishes to become the only
recognized German Shepherd organization in the United States with that vote.
A very important faction and a strong group of people from the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America, wants to retain the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America vote in the World Union, and therein has begun the current situation.
Most recently, the World Union has sent a letter to the German Shepherd
Dog Club of America (we believe it is recently, but it may be as long as four
years ago), demanding that the German Shepherd Dog Club of America change
its Standard to come in line with the World Union Standard, or face
expulsion from the organization. If expelled from the World Union, the titles
granted by the WDA, would no longer be accepted by the SV or recognized by the
World Union or its affiliate clubs. The remaining vote at the World Union on
behalf of the United States for German Shepherds would be the vote of USA.
Recently when the USA organization began its own registry of dogs, the
World Union explained that their dogs needed to be registered with the SV in
order to continue holding their shows, and at this time, the United
Schutzhund Club of America is registering their dogs, both with the SV and the
AKC.
In one of his most recent speeches, Herr Messler made the comment that the
GSDCA may have to withdraw their registration from the AKC and begin to
register with the SV, in order to "come in line" with the World Union.
The theory seems to be that the World Union wants one breed and one
Standard throughout the world. There are a number of countries that have
decided
not to join the World Union, the United States may become yet another.
Canada has refused to join the World Union, they register with the Canadian
Kennel Club, and it appears that Australia belonged at one time and then
withdrew their membership.
In response to the demands of the WUSV, our President, Dan Smith, assigned
portions of the SV Standard to a number of individuals, all but one of
which were members of the WDA. The assignment was to review portions of the
Standard to see how they differed from the Standard now being used by the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America. From that point on, the entire process
seems to have developed into a juggernaut, and whether it is rolling downhill
or stagnating depends upon who you talk to. One of the people who was
assigned a portion of the Standard was Barbara Lopez. Both Barbara and Frank
Lopez were members of this Ad Hoc Committee. Barbara and Frank, of course,
have been very strong supporters of the German style dogs, importing and
breeding many German bitches, and therefore, were in a position to evaluate
both
the German Standard and what values it might give to the American dog.
Barbara gathered together a subcommittee of individuals, who evidently she
selected, that included people more attuned to the American style Standard.
A meeting was held at the last Board meeting, prior to the Board meeting,
to discuss the situation. At that time, it was first realized that rather
than study portions of the Standard, some individuals had written up their
own and new Standard. In a manner which to this day appears to be somewhat of
a mystery, MaryEllen Kish presented an entirely rewritten Standard that
she had prepared. It should be noted that MaryEllen Kish and Dan Kish have
been presenting a sort of seminar on the differences between the German and
the American Standard. This seminar has been presented at a number of club
meetings, and has resulted in quite a bit of con
troversy, but has been well received.
After the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, and those individuals who were
included such as MaryEllen Kish, a truncated proposal for a rewritten
Standard has been combined, and was going to be "reworked" and presented to
the
Board at the next Board meeting. It now seems someone on the board has taken
steps to send a new standard to Germany without board approval, membership
review, or AKC acceptance.
At this point, it might be a good idea to set forth the players and the
organizations, they are as follows: GSDCA/WDA/AKC/SV/WUSV/OFA/USCA. The
alphabet does not sufficiently delineate the problems, and therefore, it is up
to each and every individual involved, and each member of the German Shepherd
Dog Club of America, to decide for themselves what is in the best interest
of the breed, the club, and the future of the German She
pherd Dog Club of America. Whether it is in the best interest of the
German Shepherd Dog Club of America to remain in the World Union, whether it
is
important to have one Standard throughout a rather expanding, global
presence of German Shepherd dogs, or whether it is time for the German
Shepherd
Dog Club of America to stand up as a leader and independent protector of the
breed, is a question that can only be answered on a personal basis.
If we only use figures, of course, we cannot compare to the numbers that
are being bandied about. In other words, the World Union, with numerous
countries, has 30,000 or more members. On the surface it would look like the
GSDCA, with approximately 3,500 members, could not compare at all. The USA,
which appears to have approximately 10,000 members, would even seem to
overshadow the GSDCA. However, it must be pointed out that to belong to a
regional club of the USA, requires a membership in the parent club. Also,
until
recently a great number of the enthusiasts of the German Shepherd dog in
America have not joined the German Shepherd Dog Club of America through
dissatisfaction with its governing bodies and governing policies. Therefore,
now
may be the time for the parent club and its Board of Directors to stand up
and take its place back in the world that it had approximately 80 years ago
when it helped establish the GSDCA, then the World Union, and the OFA.
The facts and figures are not the true story, there appears to be some
personal and ego driven factions involved, and those issues will be left to
another time. Some of the points that should be raised, however, are that the
President of the SV judges the Seger show each year. The President of the
SV is all but a lifetime appointment, as he remains as the President year
after year, and before Herr Messler, the President was Herr Martin, and Herr
Martin stamped his own personal opinion and views on the German Shepherd as
it was he who chose the Seger each year, often choosing dogs from his
brother's kennel or his own, or often offspring of his own breeding and dogs.
Here in America, with a very different outlook and attitude, not only does
our President not judge our National, he's precluded from doing so while
sitting as President. This is an entirely diff
erent philosophy of freedom and democracy, and is as set forth in not only
the United States Constitution, but the Constitution of the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America, representing democracy and freedom in all
matters.
We are then left with a number of questions, these questions should be up
to each individual to answer on a personal and private basis, and that
opinion should then be sent to each of your 19 Board members. Some of the
questions that we might ask are as follows: Is it in the interest of the breed
to
change the Standard? Do we need to remain affiliated with the World Union?
Is the fact that a demand has been made on the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America a sufficient reason to change the Standard? Is the fact that a
demand has been made on the German Shepherd Dog Club of America a sufficient
reason to refuse to change the Standard? Is the breed
deteriorating in any manner and will a change in the Standard help stop
the decline? Are the breeders responsive to the Standard or is the Standard a
guideline for judging? Do we want our Standard to be a guide for both the
breeders and the judges? Do we need to rewrite the entire Standard or can
we modify some terms to come in line with the SV? Is the SV Standard a
superior Standard to the Standard now set by the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America? Should the WDA continue to be affiliated with the German Shepherd Dog
Club of America, if they cannot support the Standard of the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America? Should the German Shepherd Dog Club of America
withdraw from the AKC and join the SV so that they can remain a member of the
World Union? Should the German Shepherds in America be in line as to their
Standard breeding and judging with what is being done in Germany? Is the
German system of judging and breeding superior to the American system? Are we
in a position to follow the World Union and the demands of the SV, or should
the German Shepherd Dog Club of America stand alone against the home
nation and origin of the breed? Are the dogs that have been bred, shown,
exhibited and recognized under the German Shepherd Dog Club of America
Standard in
any way superior to those which havebeen bred and recognized under the SV
Standard? Do we want the President of the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America to be given the authority and power that the President of the SV has?
Is
it a proper function of an Ad
Hoc Committee to rewrite the Standard on the demands of another
organization, the SV? Having only changed the Standard a few times since it
was
originally written, is this a sufficient justification for a change at this
time? Should we be even considering such a change without an ongoing dialogue
with Herr Messler? Is there anything to assure us that if we make a change
at this time, the SV will not come back and make further demands within the
next few years? Is there any reason not to change the Standard, or is the
Standard in such a disarray after all these years that it needs to be
rewritten? Should we consider an entirely new Standard or should
we try to convince the SV that our Standard is superior, and they should
modify their Standard to match ours? Each reader may have additional
questions, we have so far very few answers.
At this time, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America intends to bring
back to the Board at the next Board meeting, a proposed Standard.
If the Board adopts the proposed Standard, it will be sent to the
American Kennel Club to see if they will approve it as recommended by the
Board.
If the American Kennel Club accepts it, it will then be sent to the
membership for approval. If the membership approves it, it will then be sent
to the
SV to see if they are willing to allow the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America to remain a member of the World Union, and if so, the Standard will be
adopted. There is some discussion that it might be sent to the SV first, as
that seems to be the motivation behind the entire action. This is the
official board position, as told to the membership, but it does seem that the
initial proposed standard has been sent to Germany without notice to the
entire board.
This is an important issue, that raises many more questions than provides
answers. You, the reader, should make up your own mind and your own decision
based on a number of articles that have been written in the German
Shepherd Dog Club of America Review, and the facts as not only set forth in
this
article, but that are available on the internet, and the lectures of Herr
Messler, the letters written by Herr Messler and the response by Dan Smith,
our President. Once you have made your personal decision, assuming you can
do so with the somewhat limited facts that are available, you should let
your Board members know your opinion, your position, and yo
ur desire. This is, as far as I can tell from the past controversies, a
pivotal point for the German Shepherd Dog Club of America.
When this matter is over, and it probably will be resolved by the action
taken by the Board in the next few months, the German Shepherd Dog Club of
America will either move into the new millennium as a partner with the World
Union, or an organization standing alone to become a new leader in the
world's recognition and acknowledgment of the breed. It is impossible at this
point to predict which direction is in the best interest of the breed, the
club, and the membership.
The decision should be yours. It is important that if you are not a member
of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, that you join today so that
your opinion can be translated into a vote. If you are a member, it is
important for you to speak to your Board members, read the information
available
on the internet, obtain as much background, history and information as
possible, and then make a determination in your own mind as to what is in the
best interest of our breed.
This matter calls for active and immediate involvement by everybody. It is
one that can
provide the "fork in the road" in the future of our breed that appeared
back in 1913 with the
foundation of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America. It is interesting
that in 1999, the
100th anniversary of the registration of a fairly new breed called the
German Shepherd Dog
(that is the English translation of the German phrase), that we find
ourselves at a crossroads.
It is that crossroads and your action, your involvement, your decision,
that will dictate the future
of our great breed.
Evan Ginsburg
Asgard German Shepherds
http://www.asgardgsd.com/
Where Type Movement and Temperament come together
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