Re: [PyrNet-L] gene pool size (was size)

[JGentzel@aol.com]

Boy Kelly, when you ask a question you really ask one or one hundred <VBG>. 

Let me take it a little at a time.

<Joe, you mentioned "the most talented breeder in the history of the breed in 
North America" and I'm wondering if perhaps the breeding activities during 
that kennel's most successful years may well come close to constituting a 
bottleneck of sorts for the breed???  Right off the top of my head I think of 
a couple of dogs used to establish a successful breeding program in the late 
60's that remained quite prominent throughout the seventies and beyond that I 
would imagine only a tiny percentage of our current gene pool is not 
descended from.>

That is one of the most enlightened observations I have ever seen.  Said much 
better than I might have and have tried to say it.  I would just take out the 
bottleneck part as this is or may be considered as a negative statement.  
When you search 20 or even 25 generations the numbers become staggering and 
it is staggering to see that just a few dogs show up all over the country.  
This always has been that way.  The choice was made by selection and not 
exclusion, i.e.,there was always many choices.  Our good breeders innately 
chose the best and, guess what, the best always seemed to be or certainly 
would go back to these few dogs.  Many times they did not know they were 
steeping themselves in these lines.  It is amusing to me to see people trash 
an old time breeder, never suspecting that they should get on their knees and 
kiss their feet.

Many of Mrs. Crane's dogs went all over the country.  She supplied the 
Magoffins their seed stock and what they got elsewhere, Mary had supplied to 
these people.  To many to mention here, but know that many dogs of extremely 
diverse backgrounds were used by Mrs. Crane, but also sent all over the 
country.  Few people imported dogs other than Mrs. Crane.  Mrs. Crane 
lamented in writing in her later years that she never developed a linebred 
type.  She publicly said she simply had too many dogs of too diverse a 
background to do same.  My computer data base bears this out as accurate. 

<I'm aware, Joe, that you have a fairly extensive CompuPed database of Pyrs 
and vast historical knowledge of the breed, so I'm wondering if perhaps you 
can give an accurate statistic or make a fairly educated guess as to the 
*actual* number of unique founders the breed population in this country was 
established from? >>

I can do this and will.  Give me some time.  I will estimate that of the 60 
dogs Mrs. Crane brought over that 35 to 40 were bred and went on in pedigrees 
at least a few generations.  We must remember that times were a lot different 
then, as distemper wiped out many dogs and kennels.

More later.

Joe