Very well said Susan. And so very true for many breeders. Breaks my heart, and those unsuspecting companion puppy owners hearts. As well, of course, the well intentioned, but misinformed ( lied to ) breeders who purchase these walking time bombs. Colleen Donnelly Susan Madlung <stormygsd@xxxxxxx> wrote: I believe that the biggest problem today is that "structure" has over ridden "health" as a priority. Breeders make claims to breed for both, but when push comes to shove, most often that "superstar" structure in the ring will take precedence over health.. our breeds' quality determinants are, for the most part, the results of dog shows - health is not necessarily a component. When looking for a stud dog I seriously expect that anything less than the very best in health clearances is often acceptable if the animal is a "superstar" - we see and hear this all the time when a breeder breeds animals that have known health concerns, e.g disregard a bad hip, for example, - I think this is part of what Kathaleen was referring to . Granted, we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, but today, for many breeders, health history does not play any sort of role in their breeding programs. "So what if several ancestors and relatives have died writhing in seizures at very young ages - these 2 will produce Grand Victors!!!" it's revolting. Sue Madlung - Shadowacre Reg'd German Shepherds http://www.shadowacre.com ** UPDATED MARCH 27/05*** ----- Original Message ----- From: To: ; ; ; Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 10:08 AM Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: was Rose Colored Glasses / silly question > > In a message dated 4/8/2005 1:05:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > rivendellp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: > Neither is desired and both work to interfere with proper function. Breeders > who truly want to improve the breed should avoid animals that produce faults > > in structure just as they should avoid animals that produce health problems. > > Paul > ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. 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. 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@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================ The only way to understand & estimate the nature of the dog is to study his whole development. Such a task requires a sympathetic, dog-loving observer, who tries as far as possible to enter into the innermost mind of the dog, and who will know how to short-circuit all his purely human points of view. --Max von Stephanitz --------------------------------- Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2005. 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. 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@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org ============================================================================