Showing
showpug said:
Manchesters....I looked into and read up on the Penn Hip testing. Sounds very interesting. I am going to see if there is a vet in my area that is familiar with it and trained properly. It seems more reliable and scientific then regular OFA....less room for human error and biased interpretation.
I also agree with the notion that there are too many "cheap" championships out there. Sometimes I am amazed at the dogs that carry these titles and shake my head in disbelief! It pains me to go to a specialty only to see dogs that paddle, have slipped hocks and roachy toplines!!
I also realize that some of the best brood B*itches are not champions and rather they are R.O.M's etc. I respect and acknowledge that, BUT I still plan on titleing a dog before I breed it. I guess if you believe that all health testing should be done before a dog steps foot in the ring then I guess it would be our responsibilty as a breeders to Penn Hip test all puppies before even selling them OR calling them show prospects. Not to mention the eyes and cardio certifications for pugs. Now talk about needing to be a Rockefeller!!! LOL!!
As it stands, my dogs will all be tested before breeding, but not before entering the ring. If money is lost then it's my money and they are still just as good at warming my lap even if they can't be bred.
Once upon a time I was gungho into showing. But I never had the money to spare, and as an owner handler trying to show Dobes all I was doing was building the points for everyone else, lol.
Then parvo and other things came along that made it risky to take one's dog around other dogs. So my excitement waned. And then of course in 1995 I didn't have energy to do any traveling. In December of 1995 I had a few mini heart attacks, and ended up having open heart Jan of 1996. At the tender age of only 53!!!!!!
That kinda took the wind out of my sails energy wise. For a long time! We don't have a whole heck of a lot of shows around here anyway......well, maybe for those who don't mind driving a couple hundred miles each way, you could take in the New Orleans shows, and the lower Mississippi shows.
I had one B*tch who finished in something like 5 shows.....took 3 majors in one weekend, and a month later finished going BOB for 5 points over the #1 Toy Manchester!!!
My friend Terry (lady) has taken off with my dogs and their kids, and is pretty much doing it all in the show ring and breeding. What many folks do (those who have more patience than I) show in obedience while waiting for show prospects to mature. However the words "obedience" and Toy Manchester are somewhat oxymoronic (make some folk dig out their dictionaries!) There are few TITs with obedience titles.
But shucks, if you enjoy the socialization of going to shows, and having your dogs get even with you for everything you ever did to them, I sure can understand that.
I have gotten to the point that I don't even go to the local shows here in Pensacola. Just the thought exhausts me! Down here in the south tho we do run a greater risk of picking up all kinds of bothersome problems going to the shows......unexplained diarrhea and such. Not to mention the gosh awful heat in the summer and fall, up till November.
And I must say, I am pleased to meet a distant cousin of the Rockefeller family, rofl. I was a neighbor of theirs......we lived in North Tarrytown, and they were up the road in Pochantico Hills.
Have a super good night.