"Man is not born to solve the
problems of the
universe,
but to find out what he has to do;
and to restrain himself within the limits of his comprehension."
Goethe |
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| Philosophy |
| Breeding,
owning, and exhibiting purebred dogs is a passion that also comes with
responsibilities. |
|
| History |
| The love of dogs has been a constant in my life.
Childhood hours were spent studying dog books, dreaming about which
breeds I would have. Fortunately at the time I was able to have my
first dog as an adult, I had a passion for chows (a few months earlier
it had been another breed, one that poops everywhere and barks
constantly). Although not knowing who the prominent chow breeders were,
I acquired a pet chow with quite an impressive pedigree and off I was
studying everything I could find about my dog’s ancestry. This led me
to the Pandee dogs and the Poppyland dogs, a good start I would say. |
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| Harvey had chows and bulldogs as a child and in
adulthood the chow won out. His first chow was a full sister of the
famous BIS, BISS Ch. Starcrest The Lemon Drop Kid. This bitch,”Taffy”,
was bred to BISS Ch.The Coach of Poppyland, thus beginning Harvey’s
mentorship with Pete and Howard Kendall of the Poppyland Chows. |
|
| We agreed from the beginning on our
philosophy of purebred dogs and our efforts have been combined for more
than twenty years. In that time we have bred two “Best In Show” winners
and quite a
few more champions. Our OFA certification depth is impressive with hip
dysplasia being one of the genetic problems we have concentrated on
controlling. The pleasure of watching our chows increases with each
forward step. Through experience and critical examination of what we
have done, we grow in our understanding of breeding. |
|
| With the first 15 years being active with careers,
raising our family and just enjoying each other, the dog passion was
kept in moderation. There were times that important breedings could not
be done and important shows could not be attended. Always, though, our
passion was directed toward breeding and acquiring the best dogs that
we could, preparing for the future when we would have more time and a
larger facility for the chows. |
|
 |
|
| With the beginning of 2000, the time is now. With
relocating 2,000 miles across country and Harvey’s expert design
skills, we have the facility. |
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| Breeding |
| Breeding is the aspect of purebred dogs that we find
the most interesting and challenging. Each litter produced brings the
hopes of a better dog. Harvey and I have owned and bred chows for over
thirty
years and with each litter are reminded how much more there is to
learn. At the very least we have learned how complex genetics is,
humbly accepting that we can only make a small contribution to guiding
the pieces of the genetic puzzle together in an attempt to engineer a
better dog. |
|
| Because the breeding of dogs is where our interest
lies, we don’t feel that a “better dog” is merely one that wins a lot
in the show ring, or wins more than another. So what is a better dog? |
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| Free of genetic problems |
| Anyone who has studied purebred dogs knows that there
are genetic problems in all breeds, problems that often compromise the
dog’s prospect of a happy and long life (not to mention causing
heartache to the owner). Honestly, however, we realize that we will
never have a dog free of all genetic problems. |
|
| A knowledgeable breeder recognizes the fact that
eliminating genetic faults not only takes time, it requires large
numbers of breeding stock. Just study how cattle are bred to understand
this. Most of us agree that we want our dogs to have more human
companionship than the average cow gets, so a very large number of dogs
for one breeder to work with is not an option. And when I speak of the
elimination of faults taking time, I mean many years. To understand
this, consider the evolutionary process that has occurred over
thousands of years. With this understanding, we still hope that a
breeder with a conscience is at least attempting to decrease the number
of occurrences of those problems through selective breeding. With
consideration to both the strengths and the faults in our dogs (of
which we are aware), we selectively breed the dogs that most likely
have a chance of that healthy, happy long life. |
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| Conformation to the American Kennel Club
Standard |
| In 1990 the Chow Chow Club, Inc. wrote a description
of what the ideal chow chow should be, the standard by which all chow
chows exhibited in AKC shows are judged. Although discussions of the
merits of this standard continue and argument can be made that this
ancient breed should not deviate so much from its early beginnings, we
agree that the standard “guides the imagination of breeders,
dog show judges, and students of the breed.” |
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| We realize that we will never have a dog that matches
the AKC standard perfectly and openly agree that maybe that wouldn’t
exactly be the dog we want. As a whole the standard does describe with
accuracy the animal that we hold in such esteem. So our breeding
program strives to produce dogs that continually come closer to meeting
the standard, thereby breeding a “better dog.” This is accomplished
again by “selective breeding.” |
|
 |
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| The final paragraph of the AKC standard perfectly
summarizes the paradigm from which we breed chows. |
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| “In judging the Chow, the overall picture is of
primary consideration. Exaggeration of any characteristic at the
expense of balance or soundness shall be severely penalized…There
should be proper emphasis on movement which is the final test of the
Chow’s conformation, balance and soundness.” |
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| Exhibiting |
| To sum up the sport of showing dogs in two words, it
is very competitive. Opinions abound, egos are inflated and deflated,
and sadly friends are made and lost. |
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| With this observation Harvey and I have strived to
maintain the principal upon which exhibiting dogs is based according to
The American Kennel Club’s premise. “Competition in conformation and
performance events can best demonstrate the progress that has been made
in breeding for type and quality…” This does not necessarily mean the
winner always demonstrates the best. As we believe there is no perfect
dog, there is also no perfect handler or judge. By exhibiting, the
progress we are making as breeders can be recognized by viewing our
dogs at the shows whether we win or lose. |
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| Although we find breeding the most challenging,
exhibiting dogs is exciting and fun. In the past we have not always
been able to, but our preference is to exhibit the dogs ourselves.
Showing in and winning from the Bred By Exhibitor class is especially
rewarding. |
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| By Penny Kent
…..to be continued |
