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Comparing Europe and the US
Hello Mr . Bengtson , I want to thank you for your years of dedication and your more recent reviews / comparisons of shows in Europe and the US . We routinely have dogs shown in Europe , especially in Finland with Rajalinjan Kennel . Their shows are huge , and competition is stiff in sighthounds . Our Ch . Phaedra Tamerlane is currently one of the top dogs of all breeds over there , but our US friends don ’ t seem to comprehend the gravity of that — they chalk it up to a small country with a few dogs . We know better !
The Finns also take health testing very seriously . In fact , their Borzoi club pays for DM testing . I hope we can save our sport here ; we need a huge advertising / education campaign for young people . When I ’ m done poring over my magazines , I take them to the vet clinic so they get looked at by as many people as possible .
Kevin Shimel , DVM Phaedra Borzoi
Hoboken , N . J .
“ Purposely Bred ” Dogs
Hi Bo , I know that you are trying to steer away from the term “ purebred ,” but I don ’ t think “ purposely bred ” is the term to use . Being a professional groomer , I get several calls a week from people wanting to bring in their chiweenies , puggles and morkies (!), not to mention the various and sundry “ oodles .” All of these are being purposely bred by irresponsible people who take advantage of the public . Some of my customers even tell me their puppies come with papers ! I am always tempted to ask if it ’ s The Chronicle or The Mercury News !
Maybe you should use “ purposely bred of the same breed ” if you don ’ t want to use purebred ?
It ’ s funny that the horse world doesn ’ t seem to have a problem with the term purebred . Maybe because not as many people have horses as opposed to dogs ? Just a thought , Sharon Kroeger
Gilroy , Calif .
Of course you are right : Every planned litter , even if the parents are of different breeds or no breed , is “ purposely ” bred . My thesaurus recommends synonyms such as “ of unmixed ancestry ,” “ full-blooded ” or “ pedigreed .” Perhaps it ’ s not possible to get away from “ purebred ,” but I don ’ t think the term helps us with the animal rights extremists . And most “ purebred ” breeds aren ’ t that pure anyway , and it ’ s certainly not why we love them . — BB
[ Ed ’ s note : For the record , I don ’ t happen to share Bo ’ s discomfort with the use of the term “ purebred ,” so you will continue to see it in the magazine . Bo and I will have to agree to disagree on this one . — AR ]
The July Hound Issue
Hi Allan , I always enjoy Dan Sayers ’ “ Icons of the Past ,” so it was especially nice to see Doris Wear and her Stoney Meadows Whippets included in the series [ July 2016 issue ]. Slightly shocking , too , of course , since it doesn ’ t seem that long ago that she was showing and judging … but of course it was , since she died in 2003 at 92 years of age . Thanks to Dan for crediting the quotes about Mrs . Wear ’ s breeding program to my breed book .
Just one very small correction : The famous old Mardormere kennel , which provided some of the Stoney Meadows foundation , spelled its name that way , with an “ r .” It ’ s often dropped by modern writers , but “ Mardomere ” is incorrect and not how it was spelled in the kennel ads , in contemporary show catalogs or on the AKC registration certificates . I know Dan would want even such a small detail to be correct .
One clarification / correction to my own article about the American Whippet Club National Specialty in the same issue . Karen Lee takes exception to the statement that West Coast exhibitors are happy to travel to the Midwest or back East , but not the other way . As she points out , this does not apply to Whippet exhibitors , many of whom supported the National Specialty in California from all across the country . It is true
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