Virginia
Zurflieh, editor
Moving the Boxer toward Y2K
Compliance
As Bob Dylan said, "the times they are
a’changing"....and never more quickly than now. Computer programmers are working
frantically against time to eliminate the "Y2K bug" from their machines, and we
in the Boxer fancy are going to have to work equally hard - and smart - to eliminate the
"bugs" that, if ignored, will threaten the continued existence of our breed and
the dog fancy in the Y2K and beyond.
The "health bug" is the first one
that comes to mind. We are now breeding dogs in an age of "puppy lemon laws" and
pet buyers who don’t hesitate to sue at the drop of a health defect. Far more
important than that, we are breeding dogs in an age of almost miraculous technical and
medical advances that promise to enable us in the not-too-distant future to check our
puppies for hereditary defects via a simple blood test, and currently enable us to
eliminate from our breeding programs dogs afflicted with any of several major hereditary
health problems, such as SAS, hip dysplasia and, with less certainty, even Boxer
Cardiomyopathy. The more informed buyers and breeders of the 21st Century will soon insist
on that kind of testing, as well they should. The establishment of the ABC Boxer Health
& Research Committee and the American Boxer Charitable Foundation are very positive
signs that boxer breeders are beginning to address the health "bug" in earnest.
More on this aspect of Y2K compliance below...
The second, and related, threat we will
face (and are already facing) is the "PR bug." And lest anyone thinks that
negative public relations is not a terrible threat to the continued existence of our breed
and the dog fancy, just go to your local newspaper, TV station, and animal control agency
for glaring evidence of the current anti-breeder/purebred dog atmosphere in this country,
a direct result of publicity about the pet-overpopulation problem here. Or for reports -
in living, blood-red color - about the animal rights activists’ anti-fur
stance, which has now gained almost "mainstream" acceptance.
The major PR "bugs" in our
breed are cosmetic surgery and white coat color. Those are the two points on which the
general dog-loving public can legitimately call into question the Boxer breeder’s
concern for animal welfare. However, considering that, despite opposition from the ABC
board, 41% of the ABC membership voted recently to allow natural ears in the showring
without penalty; AND that a respected longtime breeder, AKC judge, and current ABC board
member recently suggested in a public forum that the ABC Code of Ethics be amended to
allow for AKC Limited (non-breeding) Registration for white puppies, we are hopeful that
the Boxer will be fully Y2K compliant on at least those two points within the next five
years.
Step Right Up: FREE Ads in BU for Health-Tested
Boxers!
As an incentive to health-testing, Pat and
I are offering a FREE ad in every issue of BU for dogs who have been tested and found to
be free of SAS and HD (both OFA and PennHip are acceptable), with normal thyroid and
disclosure of numbers of PVCs from a Holter test. The Holter and thyroid test would have
to be repeated on a yearly basis. Submission to BU of the current year’s results
would entitle the dog or bitch to another year of FREE advertising! The ads will all be
the same size - same format, and will include a picture of your dog. Personally, I hope
we’re swamped!
NEW DOMAIN NAME, NEW
SERVER, NEW ADDRESS FOR BU!
Please change your bookmarks
to reflect BU’s new address: http://www.boxerunderground.com
