Well, speaking as someone who has shown & bred for a number of years, I was absolutely appalled at the attitude of some of the breeder/exhibitors on the programme.
They don't seem to care at all about the welfare of the breeds they are custodians of! Think it was an absolute disgrace that dogs were winning classes, even best of breed for God's sake, when it was known that they had health defects.
You're supposed to breed to improve the health, temperament & soundness of your breed, not destroy it.
I know little of Cavaliers or Ridgebacks but this was a disgrace.
There are schemes for health checks in some of the breeds that are prone to known weaknesses. Anyone buying a puppy would be well advised to find out about ones that relate to the breed they are contemplating & make sure that the breeder they are buying from has carried them out on the parents.
Luckily the breed I show, Skyes, is a hardy one with no problems, other than the fact that it's becoming extinct in this country being at the top of the Native Breeds At Risk list at the Kennel Club. Even so, last year we all voluntarily submitted swabs from our dogs for DNA testing, to be sure that nothing was creeping in.
xx
Meggie |