Re: [pyrnet] GPCA -- and dwarfs

[Jack & Charlotte Perry <pyreau@erols.com>]

Linda,  Thanks for an excellent explanation of what I felt was  the intention
of the motion..
Charlotte

Linda Weisser wrote:

> Cindy,
>
> I sure don't think that you're being a pain.  So, let's see where we can go
> with this.  We need to separate "litter registration" from "individual
> registration".  I presume that all dwarfs are included in the count of the
> litter being registered.  Most dwarfs are not even identified by the time
> that a litter is registered.  One then has a choice to individually
> register a dwarf or not.  Or the dwarf could have limited registration.
>
> Nothing in what the GPCA proposes to do will have any effect upon the
> ability of a dwarf owner to register the dog and show at any AKC event.
> Techinically full registered dwarfs could be shown in conformation.  They
> would undoubtedly be excused for "lack of merit" but couldn't be
> disqualified because our standard has no DQs.
>
> What the GPCA would be saying is that the club will not recognize with its
> own private club awards an animal that demonstrates a genetic deformity
> which makes it totally outside the standard.  We really are talking about a
> great deal more than just not being "correct to the standard".  I'm not
> interested in arguing here the "relative" merits of other Pyrs.  Dwarfs are
> clearly in a different category and we recognize that and the club has a
> general "policy" of striving to eliminate them.  The fact that "The very
> people who know that he is a dwarf, that know it's a condition that is
> trying to be eliminated or
> controlled within the breed, and know that while he isn't  'correct to
> standard'  he does currently exist within the breed" is at least partially
> behind the Board proposal.  If the people who know most clearly that this
> is a serious genetic defect are willing to reward such with their own
> highest recognition, what does that say about the "seriousness" of the
> desire to combat the problem?  As in "sure,we don't want dwarfs and we know
> they are a genetic problem in the breed but heck, we'll make this one (or
> that one) a Hall of Fame dog and call it the best among the breed."  At
> some level that may not make much sense.  Just because you know something
> exists and you don't hate it and you don't banish it to the outer rings,
> does not mean that you need to honor it.
>
> How is this changing things in the public eye?  Interestingly enough one
> officer of the club received close to a dozen phone calls over the year
> from people wanting to known where they could get a Pyr dwarf since they
> had just seen one and thought that they were *so* cute.  Personally, this
> tends to strike terror into my heart.  This situation is certainly not
> helped by putting the GPCA imprimatur of a HOF on them. This also connects
> somewhat to the earlier thread about breeding for dwarfs deliberately.  It
> does seem increasingly clear that there may be a market out there.
>
> I really wish that we could strike some sort of balance here.  Dwarfs are
> not "freaks" or horrors or to be banned and/or banished.  They are what
> they are through a "mistake" of the genes.  They are not anyone's "fault".
> They are not, or should not be, an embarassment to anyone.  They simply
> "are".  OTOH, they are *not* just like any other Pyr only smaller.  They
> are not "cute".  Do we see human dwarfs as "cute"??  I sometimes wonder if
> breeders who are so quick to trot dwarfs out into full public view and make
> an issue of them, would be so quick to take into public and "promote" a
> normal size Pyr of their breeding who exhibited serious structual faults or
> bright blue eyes or some other serious deviation from the standard.  I
> suspect that these breeders would be *very* unwilling to have the public
> (and other breeders) see a dog so deviant from the standard. So what makes
> dwarfs different??
>
> There are probably more questions than answers, just as there is clearly
> more heat than light.
>
> Linda Weisser
> lmweisser@olywa.net
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@pyrnet.org with
>         unsubscribe pyrnet-l
> as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.