[Woogie Man]

I don't know why, I just have a gut feeling, that these health issues have a lot to do with lack of genetic diversity. Remember the royal families of Europe and their propensity towards hemophilia. Could it be that many of these issues stem from 'responsible' breeders that strive for 'quality' but are afraid to stray too far from the successful bloodlines that have made a name for themselves? By setting such a tight standard for Yorkies have we really contributed to the 'betterment' of the breed? Huddersfield Ben wouldn't stand a chance in the show ring by todays standard. Is this high incidence of liver shunt more pronounced in the 'better bred dogs' than the Yorkie population at large? Why do we nowadays shun the "throwbacks' which are true 'Yorkshire Terriers' simply due to the standards dictated by a club? For myself, I have no conclusions; this is offered as just food for thought. My personal belief is the Yorkie should have been broken down like the Poodle with different distinctions given for size. This would avoid the 'wild card' results that are common to many breedings and would narrow down the health risks associated with the various classifications. Since the inception of the breed, there have been both small and large Yorkies. Why we have chosen to ignore this in creating the modern standard is beyond me. Betterment of the breed? Get real.