A Very Sad Christmas Kick Out?....

It didn't stop with Heidi on Monday, as John from my Out of Hours Stray Team got a call out just before his shift finished on Monday night. A Whippet type had been seen wondering around for days all over Christmas. He had a big lump on one of his back legs, unable to put pressure on it, and was having problems breathing. John took him home for the night, he wanted to keep him warm and to keep an eye on him.

Yesterday morning Animal Welfare collected him and took him to our vets, I had secured a place for him after his condition had been assessed. It was a place he didn't make it too.

The lump turned out to be a huge bone tumour, his lungs were riddled with secondary tumours, some of which were extremely large. On vets advice we didn't wake him up.....

Such a sad tale of a classic Christmas kick out perhaps? One thing for sure, it made me realise just how lucky Heidi had been, and how lucky we'd been to find her.

At least at John's house this little man found some compassion and love on his last night, thank you John.

A Very Special Lady Moves On.....

I woke up on Monday morning to a phone call to say that Heidi had been rushed to the vets. She was having serious problems breathing, and wasn't in a good way at all. Imaging confirmed everyone's worst fears, the tumours that were in her chest had finally taken control, there was nothing more we could do for her.

Heidi had a great time as a SHAK dog, having arrived by the skin of her teeth one Saturday morning. She'd got herself in a bit of bother in the pound after snapping at someone touching her head, and was due to be destroyed on the Monday. I got the phone call on the Friday and as luck would have it we had a van coming up on the Saturday. She was added on as a freebie!

Not long after arriving with us, she had a really funny turn, losing her balance etc, and was diagnosed with vestibular disease. It was clear now why she'd done what she'd done in the pound. She came home with me and my family  to recover, and our love affair with an amazing dog really began.....

Heidi had a huge lump underneath, and whilst it didn't seem to bother her for such a long time, at the turn of the year we had it removed. It was cancerous, and those tumours had spread up into lungs, this was February and she wasn't expected to stay with us long.

But Heidi never gave up. In Gavin and Susie I found her a great foster family with other dogs and cats, and she really blossomed. We were lucky enough to have her back for holidays, and it was great seeing how much having her own home had helped her blossom.

Heidi loved her Gavin and Susie, following Gavin everywhere, and I will always be greatful for them giving her a chance knowing that a day like Monday would come. I think the fact that they had 10 great months with her, shows how much she loved being there, and being with them. Our thoughts are with them at this sad time.

We will all miss Heidi and her quaint little ways. She was a wonderful dog who fought so hard to survive. She may of come to us as the 'just put her on the van' dog, but she has left us as a dog that has meant so much to quite a few of us.

"A wonderful Year�.

Darling Heidi came into our lives in February. Warmly greeted by Lucy & Belle but cautiously glared at by Kofi and Gracie, our accepting, genteel Siamese.

Heidi arrived with Steve, her beloved protector and guardian having just ensured an operation to remove painful mammary tumours.  Her stomach tightly stitched back together with tubes allowing excess fluid to drain away. Every day became less uncomfortable for Heidi and with this came her emerging delightful, mischievous but lovable personality. With her trust now gained, stiches and tubes removed, tail up high we introduced her to our local field where freedom was hers and life was for living.  So many smells so much to explore!

We loved Heidi and in return she found her place in our home, respected those sometimes pesky Siamese and was at her happiest cuddled up on our or should I say Heidi�s office sofa.

Her busy year included, a visit with Steve to see Morrissey in Glasgow. A delicious Afternoon Tea at Laburnum House.  Numerous visits to the beach. And finally, a weekend of walks in the Simonside Hills where we were all privileged to see a spectacular half rainbow.

Christmas for Heidi was magical � she absolutely loved having all our family around to spoil and cuddle her.

The 27th December came and everyone reluctantly departed.  On the 28th Heidi was also ready to say goodbye too.  Thank you for a wonderful year Heidi, we all really miss you.

Thank you Steve for bringing Heidi into our lives and an enormous Thank you to the compassionate, professional and skilful team at Backworth Moorview vets.

Susie & Gavin"

Here's some of Heidi's holiday pictures.....

Heidi ready to see Morrissey

And with her best pal Star

I took this just a couple of weeks ago

Airplane Access Regulations on Service Animals to Be Reconsidered by Transportation Department; Closer Alignment with Justice Department Possible

Additional Notes:  The comment period on the Department of Transportation's Reg Neg announcement was extended to January 21, 2016 by an announcement in the Federal Register (81 Fed. Reg. 193, January 5, 2016).  By that date, 68 had been submitted, but comments submitted as late as February 12 have also been posted and there are now 87 comments on the regulations.gov webpage for the announcement. Organizations submitting comments, many of which specifically offered to participate in the Reg Neg process, are Bark Busters, the Hawaii Disability and Communication Access Board, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Psychiatric Service Dog Partners, All Wheels Up Inc., Tadsaw, Inc., Association of Flight Attendants--CWA (AFL-CIO), the National Council on Independent Living, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (by Alicia Smith), the National Federation of the Blind, Delta Air Lines, Inc., the Assistance Dog Advocacy Project (by Theresa Jennings), Los Angeles World Airports, Aerolineas Argentinas, New Zealand Air, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Assistance Dogs International, Open Doors Organization, Airlines for America, the Airline Passenger Experience Association, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Transportation Task Force and Rights Task Force, the American Council of the Blind, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The IATA, which represents 88 passenger carriers that fly into and out of the U.S., and Delta Air Lines, both feel that there are four areas on which a consensus may be difficult to achieve: inflight entertainment, inflight medical oxygen, accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft, and seating accommodations.  Service animals were not mentioned by the IATA, though some service-animal issues could be classified under the category of seating accommodations. Delta Air Lines specifically states that "the topics of (1) defining service animals and (2) developing safeguards to prevent pets being falsely claimed as service animals, would be amendable to a Negotiated Rulemaking."

Eight organizations--the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Easter Seals, National Council on Independent Living, National Disability Rights Network, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and United Spinal Association--submitted a combined comment that speaks directly to some service animal issues:

According to the notice of intent, DOT is exploring whether a Reg Neg would be feasible in seeking to �[d]etermine the appropriate definition of a service animal� and �[e]stablish safeguards to reduce the likelihood that passengers wishing to travel with their pets will be able to falsely claim that their pets are service animals.� We hope that discussion of these issues would also include consideration of �whether certain changes should be made to provisions allowing carriers to require medical documentation and 48 hours advance notice from users of emotional support and psychiatric service animals.� The current policy presents barriers to individuals who use service animals for invisible disabilities. We hope that discussion of this issue would be framed in a manner that ensures individuals who use service animals and emotional support animals will be able to do so without the inappropriately restrictive criteria that currently apply. (footnote deleted)

Several of the eight organizations signing this letter also submitted individual comments. A group of organizations representing the deaf and hearing impaired also submitted a combined comment. These organizations were the National Association of the Deaf, Association of Late-Deafened Adults, California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Cerebral Palsy and Deaf Organization, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network, Deaf Seniors of America, Hearing Loss Association of America, Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc., and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at Gallaudet University.

Los Angeles World Airports also specifically addressed service and emotional support animal issues, stating:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has experienced an escalation in the number of passengers who falsely assert their pets are service animals.... Even though ... the ACAA states "airlines can require passengers traveling with emotional support or psychiatric service animals to provide certain documentation," this provision is ludicrous inasmuch as anyone can get fake documents online and often do.... The Committee [LAWA's Citizen Disability Committee] believes that the ACAA should not provide special status to emotional support animals.... The Committee is of the opinion that existing regulations tie airlines and others from making legitimate inquiries about the role a service animal perform in assisting a traveler with disabilities."

The American Council of the Blind "calls upon DOT to implement regulations that mirror the Department of Justice's regulations in line with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act," criticizing the failure of DOT's regulations "to apply the DOJ's more moderate and common-sense approaches to the kinds of animals that fall within the scope of ADA's protections...." This organization argues that the ACAA regulations, "by permitting the utilization of uncommon and exotic creatures ... exposes the use of service animals as a whole to ridicule and resistance by covered entities and the public generally...."

A number of organizations submitting comments in the last few days indicate that they have already had discussions with the convener appointed by the Department of Transportation to initiate the Reg Neg process described below.

The Department of Transportation is not the only agency presently considering conforming its service-animal regulations to those of the Department of Justice.  In proposed rules published in the Federal Register on January 26 (81 Fed. Reg. 4494), which would apply to recipients of federal funds under the Work Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Department of Labor defines a service animal, except for two words, identically to the way the Department of Justice defines the term.  As to the substantive requirements for service-animal access, DOL�s provisions are again almost identical except that (1) DOL includes a separate provision regarding the use of service animals in food preparation areas, and (2) DOL does not mention of miniature horses as being used in a manner similar to service animals.  It is to be hoped that the Department of Transportation will allow for the use of miniature horses in flights, even if other species are excluded by any revision of its airline access rules. Unfortunately, as I have noted before, the users of miniature horses do not appear to have yet formed an effective lobbying group and no comments focusing on the issue were submitted to the Department of Transportation. The comment of the American Council for the Blind made one mention of miniature horses, as did Tadsaw, Inc. and Monica  McClain, an individual commenter.

My original blog follows....

On November 7, 2015, the Department of Transportation announced �that it is exploring the feasibility of conducting a negotiated rulemaking (Reg Neg) concerning accommodations for air travelers with disabilities,� addressing, among other things, service animals, seating accommodations, and carrier reporting of disability service requests. By using the Reg Neg process, the Department will not follow the usual pattern of having its staff develop proposals, offer them for comment in the Federal Register, then weigh the comments received before issuing final regulations.  Rather, the Reg Neg approach means that parties interested in the issues involved--stakeholders--will be invited to serve on a committee that will propose revisions for the Department, and subsequently the public, to consider. Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel; Consideration of Negotiated Rulemaking Process.  RIN 2105-AE12.  80 Fed. Reg. 75953 (December 7, 2015). 

Reg Neg Process

The Department has hired a �convener,� Professor Richard W. Parker of the School of Law of the University of Connecticut, whose responsibility is �to undertake the initial stage in the Reg Neg process� and assist the agency in making an initial determination as to �whether an appropriate advisory committee can be assembled that will fairly represent all affected interests, negotiate in good faith, and offer a reasonable likelihood of reaching a consensus on the issues.�  The Department elaborates on the convener�s responsibilities:

The neutral convener will interview representatives of affected interests, including but not limited to, disability advocacy groups, airlines, and manufacturers of aircraft cabin facilities and equipment and determine whether other interest groups should be included. The convener will examine the potential for adequate and balanced representation of the varied interests on an advisory committee convened to negotiate the regulation and/or to reach consensus on specific issues. Based on these interviews, the convener will submit a written report of findings and recommendations to the Department, and the final report will be available to the public. The convenor�s [sic] report will provide a basis for the Department to decide whether to proceed with a Reg Neg, and, if so, to determine the scope of the issues the committee will address. In the alternative, the Department may also decide to forgo a Reg Neg and proceed with a traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking.

The concept of the convener is statutory (5 U.S.C. 566(3)), where the term is defined as �a person who impartially assists an agency in determining whether establishment of a negotiated rulemaking committee is feasible and appropriate in a particular rulemaking.�  (Note that although the statutory spelling is �convener,� in a number of instances and once in the 2015 Federal Register release, the term is spelled �convenor.")

The idea behind a negotiated rulemaking is to select representatives of different groups and perspectives who can interact cooperatively with those who have different viewpoints in a give-and-take process that will lead to a set of proposals that can reflect appropriate viewpoints and be practical to implement.  An advisory committee would be formed, according to the preamble, �to seek to reach consensus recommendations on the appropriate resolution of the issues before the committee.�  If the Department decides to go forward with the Reg Neg process, it will subsequently publish �a notice of intent to solicit comment on membership and to invite interested persons to apply for nomination to the committee.�  The operation of the negotiated rulemaking committee is described in the Negotiated Rulemaking Procedure Act (PL 114-38, codified at 5 U.S. Code Subchapter III), particularly at 5 U.S.C. 566.

The Department perhaps hopes to avoid having a public hearing where those favoring one point of view gather enough of their minions to drown out any other perspectives on various issues both essential and tangential.  If, however, the convener does not think the Reg Neg process will succeed, he can recommend, or the Department can decide on its own, to forget that and let the free-for-all occur.  As to the �neutral� aspect of the convener�s responsibilities, the Department�s release states:

The Federal Government will make no claim to the convener�s notes, memoranda, or recollections or to documents provided to the convener in confidence in the course of the convening process. The convener will not interpret Department policy, make decisions on items of policy, regulation, or statute, or take a stand on the merits of substantive matters under discussion.

It will, on the other hand, be interesting to see which parties Professor Parker designates as appropriate participants in the Reg Neg process.  If face-to-face meetings are held, this will likely occur in Washington, DC.  Although Professor Parker is with the University of Connecticut, he is the director of the law school�s Semester in DC Program and has an office in the Capitol. His UCONN webpage states: 

Professor Parker has published major articles or book chapters on international regulatory harmonization and cooperation�.  He also has contributed to expert panels developing recommendations to strengthen public participation and agency analysis in rulemaking. In 2011, Professor Parker served as a convenor and facilitator for a Department of Energy negotiated rulemaking on energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers. He is currently serving as co-chair of the American Bar Association Administrative Law Section�s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and vice-chair of the Section�s Committee on Collaborative Governance. (emphasis added)

Thus, he has done this before, though for the Department of Energy, and seems rather uniquely qualified to the task the Department of Transportation has given him.

ACAA Regulations on Service Animals

In 2008, the Department issued final regulations under the Air Carrier Access Act (73 Fed. Reg. 27614, May 13, 2008), with extensive discussion of service animal access, as described in Service and Therapy Dogs in American Society and subsequently as to specific issues in a number of blogs on this site.  The current release indicates that the �Department anticipates that the interested parties may include disability advocacy organizations, airlines, airports, airline vendors providing wheelchair assistance, aircraft manufacturers, IFE system manufacturers, movie studios, other IFE content providers, service animal training organizations, and other Federal Agencies,� including the Department of Justice.  Service animal trainers should take note of this. 

The current release refers to the preamble to the 2008 regulations as mentioning possible additional rule-making regarding various topics, including service animals.  This apparently refers to the following paragraph in the 2008 preamble:

While it is possible that foreign air carriers may have safety-related reasons for objecting to service animals other than dogs, even ones that have been successfully accommodated on U.S. carriers, these reasons were generally not articulated in their comments to the docket. Nevertheless, to give foreign carriers a further opportunity to raise any safety-related objections specific to foreign airlines to carrying these animals, the final rule does not apply the requirement to carry service animals other than dogs to foreign airlines. However, foreign carriers could not, absent a conflict of laws waiver, impose certification or documentation requirements for dogs beyond those permitted to U.S. carriers. We intend to seek further comment on this subject in the forthcoming SNPRM. (73 Fed. Reg. 27636)

The preamble to the current release states that the �Department is now planning to address � transport of service animals�.�  Thus, the Reg Neg process will pay some attention to how foreign carriers have dealt with service animals, and the airlines and airports that will volunteer or be asked to participate in the rule-making process may well include foreign air carriers and airports. (This likely explains why Professor Parker met with representatives of the International Air Transport Association before the comment period closed, as mentioned in the Additional Note at the beginning of this blog.)

Definition of Service Animal

The current preamble also mentions that �airlines and disability organizations have raised concerns with the Department of passengers falsely claiming that their pets are service animals.�  A footnote to this sentence specifically identifies the Petition for Rulemaking filed by the Psychiatric Service Dog Society in April 2009.  The Department�s discussion on service animals then raises a major concern regarding service animals that has been raised by the Psychiatric Service Dog Society and other organizations: �These groups have also pointed out the inconsistency between the Department of Justice definition of a service animal and the Department of Transportation�s definition of a service animal.� The Department then states that part of the reason for exploring a Reg Neg as a means of gathering information for a rule revision is to �[d]etermine the appropriate definition of a service animal.�  This may well mean that the Department will consider aligning its use of the term with the definition provided by the Department of Justice.

In addition, the Department now states that rules may be appropriate to �[e]stablish safeguards to reduce the likelihood that passengers wishing to travel with their pets will be able to falsely claim that their pets are service animals.�  This possibility will appeal to a broad range of service animal organizations as well as many individuals with legitimate service animals who have encountered difficulty in getting those animals onto airplanes because so many gate personnel have been excoriated for allowing bogus service animals into cabins where they have become disruptive and sometimes dangerous.  As someone who regularly gets emails from service animal users, I would suspect that I have received more complaints about the consequences of bogus service animals than any other issue facing this community. 

Finally, a very specific service animal issue is described:

Various disability organizations have reported to the Department that their members are unable to obtain bulkhead seating while traveling with a service animal as the bulkhead seats are now primarily located in what has been designated by airlines as the premium economy section.

This inevitably creates a conflict with the notion that a service animal user cannot be charged extra for bringing a service animal onto the plane. 

Service animals are only one of the issues that the Department wants to put on the table for revision.  Others include inflight entertainment, supplemental medical oxygen, accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft, seating accommodations, and carrier reporting of disability service requests. Although the last two would overlap with service animal issues, the others would generally not.  The solution under the Reg Neg process may be to have several advisory subcommittees, as was the case in the Department of Energy Reg Neg process that occurred in the Department of Energy with Professor Parker�s help in 2011. Thus, one possibility here would be to create a service animal working group that would focus on the issues of concern to the Department and the service animal community.  One working group in the 2011 DOE Reg Neg process consisted of 25 participants, so the number of organizations represented can be high. 

Comment Period

In its December 7 release, the Department provided a one-month comment period, meaning that comments on the Reg Neg proposal were to be received no later than January 6, 2016.  The usual methods of commenting were provided, with the easiest being via the regulations.gov website, where one could be taken to the docket folder by typing in DOT-OST-2015-0246.  Comments have been received on many other issues than just service animals, but a number of service animal users have commented, many recommending conformity between the Department of Justice and Department of Transportation rules regarding service animal definitions and access.  Psychiatric Service Dog Partners, created by certain former participants in the Psychiatric Service Dog Society, in its comment has appropriately advanced itself as an ideal participant in the Reg Neg process.

There is a chance that the comment period will be extended.  A group of 11 organizations has submitted a letter to the Department of Transportation complaining that a 30-day comment period at the end of the year means the actual period available for these organizations �is effectively reduced to nearly two weeks.�  The groups signing the letter are sufficiently powerful that their request for an extension may well succeed.  They are: Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Easter Seals, National Association of the Deaf, National Disability Rights Network, National Federation of the Blind, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The National Council on Independent Living, and United Spinal Association. A number of these groups have taken positions on service animal issues and may be intending to do so in the ACAA context if recommended for an advisory committee. (Most of the 11 organizations requesting an extension to the comment period submitted a combined comment, as noted in the Additional Note at the beginning of this blog.)

Conclusion

Bringing airline access closer to public accommodation access for service dogs makes some sense.  An airline cabin was always an odd location to allow an untrained and potentially raucous emotional support animal, given that unlike a restaurant or a movie theater it is not possible to remove the animal and its owner from the environment and a problem situation may sometimes continue unabated for hours.  On the other hand, there are owners whose emotional need for an animal during the stress of flight may be so high as to prevent them from flying at all without that comfort. Different environments often argue for different verification procedures, and the requirement for letters from mental health professionals has not always been effective in keeping bogus service animals out of cabins, in part because some professionals have been signing form letters provided to them by patients, as Dr. Thomas and I noted nearly three years ago.

The current status of the Reg Neg process is not one of formulating concrete recommendations to resolve such complexities, though some commenters have already made important suggestions, but rather of identifying stakeholders who may be able to provide input as to what issues should be considered in developing proposals.  Inevitably, any advisory committee created to assist the Department of Transportation in overhauling its animal access regulations will have its hands full. Nevertheless, I encourage any organization interested in changing the airline access rules on service animals to contact the Department through the regulations.gov website and put itself forward as a potential participant in the Reg Neg process.

Thanks to Brad Morris, Veronica Morris, Dr. J. Lawrence Thomas, Alli Spotts-De Lazzer, and Leigh Anne Novak for suggestions and corrections. 

Can't Believe She's Gone.....

I wrote this last night. An internet problem meant I couldn't post it till today:

It feels as if there is no point right now, as if there is never any good news. Never anything to give us hope for very long. I'm sitting here in tears having just had to say goodbye to one of the dearest dogs I've ever had the privilege to meet, trying to come to terms with the cruel hand that Anja was dealt.

Anja suffered from a disorder where her kidneys were to small. Through medication and a renal diet we managed her condition, and gave her a happy and contented life living with first Doyle and then Oliver. Such fine company for a dog that was left abandoned in a crate with no food or water in the back garden of a deserted house. She loved both the boys, so much she would never go on a walk without them, and I think everyone could see just what a bundle of fun she was. Anja loved company, she loved to play, she loved life.....

Today she wasn't good. She was very lethargic and her nose was filled with a really thick mucus.  Her gums were really white and deep down I knew the inevitable time had arrived. At the vets her blood test results were through the roof, described as worse than they ever expected, and having left her to be hospitalised I got the call as I reached home to say there was nothing anyone could do.

You will have to excuse me for not remembering all the figures or even the names of what they represented, but the one I do remember was that her phosphate level which we'd managed to maintain at around 300 was up to 780. The results showed that she'd lost the use of at least 80% of her kidneys, and unlike a liver there was no chance of her regaining it.

I turned around and went back, and was met by a waggy tail, slightly jaded but a waggy tail all the same. As she slipped away we cuddled on the floor, she starting licking my face. I don't know if she was saying thank you or if she was telling me she was ready but she left this world still giving me a kiss.....

I guess that summed Anja up. So affectionate and so loyal. She always put others first. I feel as if I failed her by not finding her a family who would of benefitted from all that love, although I do know that with out us her life may not of lasted even the short time she had. And both of those points are just so sad.

I can't believe she's gone. The people she's left behind who loved her can't believe she's gone. The world really has lost an amazing character and a dog that really did epitomise everything that was good.

GSD history buffs - can you solve this mystery?

My last post on Ch Kysarah's Pot of Gold has become the blog's most viewed post of all time with over 50k views in just 24hrs. So now I have the attention of the GSD community could anyone help solve this mystery?

The above photo was sent to me two days ago by an American called Dave Thorpe.

"This was my grandfather�s dog named Asta," says Dave. "She was one of the first three dogs to come across the ocean. Notice the horizontal back. Finding the history of Asta has been elusive. All that I know is that she was one of the first three dogs to come to America. I don�t have any info other that this story from my parents. My grandfather was Albert Hergott and all my relatives have passed. I have spent hours searching and have come up empty. I wish I had better pictures but they have been lost. Early 1900s is all I know."

A quick Google throws up this:

The Complete German Shepherd, Milo G Delinger , 1952 third Edition, page 28 

"The first recorded reference to a GSD in America was when Mira of Dalmore (never registered) Property of Dalmore Kennels of H.A. Dalrymple, of Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania, was Exhibited. She was first Open Class, at Newcastle,  and first open, Philadelphia. These awards were probably in the miscellaneous Classes at those shows, for we find the same bitch appearing and winning the miscellaneous Class at New York in 1907. entered as a Belgium ( sic. ) sheepdog. 

"The bitch's real name was Mira von Offingen and was imported in 1906 by Otto H. Gross along with two others. How she came to be shown in Dalrymple's name is not known. After finding nobody in America was interested in the breed, Gross took Mira back to Germany.  Mira of Dalmore was never registered in the American Kennel Club Stud Book. 

"In 1908 she was again exhibited in the miscellaneous Class at New York in 1908, this time entered as a German Sheepdog. In this Class she had competition, another German Sheepdog known simply as Queen being exhibited by Adolph Vogt, who won first in her class, defeating Mira. This Queen, was in all probability, in fact Queen of Switzerland(115006), of Largely Krone blood. The first GSD to be registered in the Studbook of the American Kennel Club."

Anyone?

GSD winner "among the worst I have ever seen" says world's leading locomotion expert

This is Ch Kysarah's Pot of Gold. Despite the fact that his hock is on the floor, he was awarded Best of Breed at the National Dog Show in the US three weeks ago.

This winner is "among the worst I have ever seen," says one of the world's leading canine locomotion expert, Professor Dr Martin Fischer, author of Dogs in Motion, published by the VDH (German Kennel Club).

There has been quite a lot of chatter about this dog on social media - some saying the dog is awful; others maintaining that he is an improvement on other American showline GSDs. You can see his pedigree here.

Here's a video of him in the ring at the NBC-televised National Dog Show.

If you don't look too closely at him on the move, he looks OK - and the American show dogs don't have the hinged backs you see in GSD showline dogs in Germany, UK and elsewhere.  But they do have paddling-fronts and unstable rear ends which become all too obvious if you freeze the action. Have a look at these frames from this video.*

"His movement hurts almost all biomechanical principles of dog locomotion," says Professor Fischer. "It is not only the almost plantigrade position of the hind foot but - as we know from the hundreds of dogs we have studied - it is also the position of the thigh. The hind foot and femur [thigh bone] move in matched motion, which means that the femur in this dog is placed in a most unfavourable, almost horizontal, position at touchdown.

"Moreover, it is almost certain that any kind of storage of elastic energy in the hindlimb is gone with such a plantigrade position. I cannot definitively not understand how such a dog could have been selected Best of Breed."

These are strong words from Professor Fischer, who is Director of the Institute of Systematic Zoology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Jena. But I thank him for speaking out because show breeders of the German Shepherd - in the show-ring on both sides of the Atlantic - must reconsider what they are doing to this incredible breed.

The saddest thing is that this dog is by no means the worst - although perhaps the worst actually awarded Best of Breed at a flagship show.

No other breed of dog walks on its metatarsals. A dog's hock should never hit the deck when it runs in a straight line. Moreover, it has been proven to make the dog mechanically less-efficient - by Professor Fischer and others - even in the less extreme dogs.

The problem is, of course, that it is so very difficult to convince GSD show-breeders that the way they're breeding the dogs is wrong, as anyone who has ever tried can testify.

What we need is a cohort of experts with real standing, such as Professor Fischer, to lobby kennel clubs and breeders for change.

These pictures landed in my inbox this week, btw - the collateral damage to breeding extreme dogs. This is a 7-mth-old show-bred youngster handed into a GSD rescue in Los Angeles last year; presumably because the breeder couldn't find a buyer for him. (Source here.)

Beautiful dogs, failed by the humans who purport to love them the most. 

* thank you to Ann Cardon for pulling out these freeze frames

Please Don't Forget Tomorrow.....

Over the years people have always been very generous, especially at Christmas time. Food, toys, blankets..... works collections, collections with friends, we really are lucky to have such wonderful support.

With our kennels not being open to the public for the best interest of the dogs, dropping off and collecting has always meant a lot of hard work for people, so this year we're trying something new.....

'Santa's Helpers Day' on Saturday the 19th of December is your invitation to pop down to SHAK HQ with all your goodies for the dogs, and of course see our new base.

We will be at SHAK HQ, Greenwell Road, Alnwick NE66 1HB from 10am-3pm and look forward to being able to wish you Season's Greetings in person!

Thanks in advance for your wonderful support, and Merry Christmas.

Hip, hip... huh?? (Part One...)

Last month, the British Veterinary Association and Kennel Club celebrated the 50th anniversary of the BVA/KC hip dysplasia scheme.

From the press release marking the event:

"Results from the Hip Dysplasia Scheme showed improvements in the median scores of 20 of the 21 most-scored breeds over the last 15 years, indicating a reduction in the incidence and severity of hip dysplasia in scored dogs."

Said the KC's Caroline Kisko:

�This data goes to show just how much of a positive effect health testing is having on the health and welfare of dogs. 

�The BVA/KC Canine Health Schemes are useful tools to support responsible breeding and, as evidence from the data from the hip and elbow schemes, they are going a long way in protecting the future health of the UK�s dogs.� 

�Breeders who health test their dogs should be tremendously proud that they are having such a sustained positive impact on dog health, and we would encourage any breeder who does not currently use the schemes to do so, to enable the positive results to continue.�

Well that sounds great, doesn't it? But let's have a look at the actual data for the top 21 breeds.

Click to enlarge

As you can see, while there has indeed been a reduction in hip scores, it is a very small one for most of these breeds - down just one or two points in almost 20 years (with perhaps only the Newfie and Gordon Setter showing a truly significant reduction).

"Such small changes may be statistically significant but it is doubtful they are clinically significant," says Gail Smith, Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Pennsylvania.

And, in fact, if you look at the data provided for the other breeds in this latest report (download link), it is hard to share the KC's enthusiasm.

For the 159 breeds for which comparative data have been provided, 62% per cent have seen no recent improvement in hip scores - and in 25 breeds hip scores have actually increased!

Seriously, it's not much bang for your bucks given that breeders have spent millions hip scoring their dogs over the years.

It's no great surprise to Professor Smith who maintains the UK/OFA/FCI hip schemes are fundamentally flawed. It was in response to this that he developed the alternative PennHIP scheme which measures hip laxity. PennHIP  has been shown to be more effective in identifying which dogs which will go on to suffer degenerative joint disease. (Smith GK, Lawler DF, Biery DN, et al. Chronology of hip dysplasia development in a cohort of 48 Labrador retrievers followed for life, Vet Surg 2012; 41: 20-33)

"The hip-extended radiograph is simply not a good phenotype on which to make breeding decisions. It should be abandoned in favor of using the PennHIP DI. It�s that simple," insists Smith.

That said, not everyone agrees. There has, for instance, been considerable improvement in some breeds in Finland using conventional hip-screening - with the indication being that when there is breed-wide selection against poor hips, it can be effective (Finnish report here.)

Longevity has improved in the St Bernard in Finland, too - it's thought because far fewer dogs are being euthanised because of severe hip dysplasia.  In the 1990s, Finnish St Bernard's died on average at 5 years old. In the 2000s, it had increased to 7yrs 1mth - and today, it is 7yrs 6mths - quite an achievement.

Finnish geneticist Katariina Maki says: "All you have to do is get reliable results and choose breeding dogs from the better half of the population."  In fact, Maki says you don't even have to breed only from animals from the very best hips; just those that are better than the breed average. Progress will be slower, but doing it this way helps maintain genetic diversity.

I had a discussion about PennHIP a few years back with Tom Lewis - then at the Animal Health Trust, now a full-time geneticist at the Kennel Club. Lewis acknowledged that PennHIP might be better but was adamant that the BVA/KC scheme was still useful and would become more useful with the introduction of estimated-breeding values (EBVs). These launched at Crufts earlier this year and are available for 28 breeds. Lewis also pointed out that it was very hard to justify throwing away 50 years of data collected under the existing scheme.

I have some sympathy with that... but it does make you wonder how much better those EBVs would be if they were built on PennHIP data rather than on the current scheme.

Incidentally, I have gone back to the BVA to ask for more comprehensive historical hip-score data from which to better assess the success of the scheme, and will report further when I get it. Perhaps if it made more grading information available we could see more of an improvement?

In the meantime, I've discovered something else interesting about the BVA/KC hip scores - something every breeder should know.

Stand by for Part Two...

Jack Russell Terrier Club of GB slams the KC over JRT recognition

The decision by the Kennel Club to register the Jack Russell Terrier as a show-dog met with outrage when it was announced in October. (See my blog here)

Now the Jack Russell Terrier Club of GB has confirmed that the KC went ahead despite its vehement opposition and has issued a swingeing statement in response. It calls the KC move "ridiculous" and accuses the Kennel Club of embarking on a journey into "a minefield of confusion, misery and despair".

Chairman Greg Mousley also accuses the KC of ruining rather than preserving the future of the breeds in its care.

The statement in full.

The Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain, has, for 40 years, stood against Kennel Club recognition for the Jack Russell Terrier and will always do so. 

We along with our worldwide affiliated Jack Russell Clubs, fought tooth and nail against the recognition of the Parson Jack Russell Terrier but the Kennel Club committee blindly went ahead. Now many years later they have realised their predicted failure and Parson Russells are almost as rare as the breed the Kennel Club started with in 1860, the Fox Terrier. They badly need a small breed to gain income!

The Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain wrote the definitive breed standard for the Jack Russell Terrier 38 years ago and it has been adopted by Jack Russell Clubs worldwide, even copied by the Parson Russell Club! No doubt it will be used once again.
Along with our affiliates we have a registration system reaching back to the mid 70s. Our terriers, worldwide, are classy, correct in conformation and possess a tremendous working ability. They are virtually free of both hereditary and congenital defects whilst among the Kennel Club breeds these are rife. 

Kennel Club recognition will not affect any of us and most importantly it will not affect the Real Jack Russell Terriers that are under our care The Parson Russell came and has almost left. This ridiculous attempt will also fail and pass.
The Kennel Club is about to embark on a journey into a minefield of confusion, misery and failure. 

The JRTCGB along with its affiliated JRT Clubs worldwide have a huge register of quality Jack Russell Terrier dating back to the mid 70s. Our registration system is carefully structured to prevent any Kennel Club pollution.
We have a breed standard that is totally work related and practical.
The secretary of the Kennel Club, Caroline Kisco, gave the reason for their move:  �By recognising the Jack Russell as an official breed we can help cement its heritage and protect its future�. Unreal! 

Well Caroline, you are 41 years too late. We have been doing just that since 1974!
The Kennel Club has NEVER cemented the heritage nor protected the future of ANY of the breeds under their banner! Quite the opposite. Take for example the poor old English Bulldog - they have protected it to the point where natural reproduction is impossible!
What kind of protecting and cementing is Caroline talking about exactly!? 

The true working Jack Russell is quite safe where it always has been, LONG BEFORE THE OLD SPORTING PARSON BOUGHT ONE! Safe, with the working terrier men and women of Great Britain and the rest of the world! 

Our worldwide aim is: 

To PROTECT, PRESERVE and WORK the Jack Russell Terrier. We have held firm against the Parson Russell and succeeded. The same resilience will hold firm again.

Greg Mousley
Chairman and a founder member of the JRTCGB

The Jack Russell Terrier was first registered as a showdog in Australia, where it has become very inbred. It was exported from there to be recognised and shown in FCI countries. These Ozzie exports, in fact, are the dogs that the KC will be recognising - not the working-bred/pet-bred native dogs that are popular in the UK with those who couldn't give two hoots about Kennel Club registration.

So the newly-registered KC dogs won't be the real deal. Sure, they may descend from the same original stock but they have been primped, pimped and inbred for several generations by those who are only interested in what a dog looks like, not what it it truly is under the bonnet.

Inevitably, it will lead to considerable confusion. The danger is that the imposter will start to water down the real Jack Russell as people won't be savvy enough to avoid the KC-registered dogs.

If you ever wanted proof that the KC is not about the dogs, this is it.  Bottom line? The Jack Russell is not theirs to steal.

The "Hands off Our Jack Russells!" petition to ask the KC to revoke this decision is still active - with currently over 800 signatures.   Please sign if you haven't already!

Arnie the Frenchie: "perfect in every way"

Source

This is Arnie - a French Bulldog who, according to his UK owner, has sired a litter of puppies due this month.

Arnie is, apparently, health-tested and "perfect in every way".

Well.. except for the teensy, eensy issue of his nostrils.

Annie doesn't actually have any.

For the record, here is the visual guide the French Bulldog Club in the UK uses re nostrils.  Only Grades 1 + 2 are considered acceptable for breeding.

Of course, only Grade 1 is really acceptable. But it's very hard indeed to find a Frenchie with nostrils even this open.

Although not impossible.

I suspect it is little coincidence that these Frenchies are more moderate in other ways too - finer heads and with longer muzzles. Of course that's not what's fashionable at the moment. Just look at this nostril-free zone gracing a current Tesco advert here in the UK.

Yep every little helps, but we need a lot more when it comes to nostrils.

New campaign targets the use of Pugs, Frenchies + Bulldogs in the media

I am getting phenomenally irritated with the bandwagon use of Pugs in advertising in the UK (and elsewhere). They are absolutely everywhere this Christmas and being used to flog everything from supermarkets to laptops.

The one above from Vision Direct has got to be just about the worst, though.

Here, Vision Direct, is why you've got it wrong.

� first it's just horrible to be manipulated into thinking the Pug has fallen through the ice and drowned. This doesn't emotionally hook us - every dog lover will just hate you for you putting them through the emotional mill. 

� Pugs suffer a lot of eye problems - corneal ulcers because they bump into things because their faces are so flat (no muzzle to act as abuffer...). So sticking glasses on a Pug is pretty much taking the piss out of disability.

� This Pug has stenotic (pinched) nostrils, which impairs his breathing

� This Pug has excessive facial wrinkling and is fat - both welfare concerns.

Today, I am announcing the soft-launch of CRUFFA - The Campaign for the Responsible Use of Flat-Faced Animals (in advertising and the media) - a new lobby group born out of  concern over the increasing use of Pugs, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and other 'brachycephalic' breeds used in advertising and the media.

While many people find flat-faced breeds cute, they suffer from health problems as a direct result of having been bred with a very short muzzle. Their current popularity - in part fuelled by the media - has led to a huge surge in the numbers being bred. It adds up to a lot of suffering.

CRUFFA does not seek to ban the use of Pugs, Bulldogs and French Bulldogs in the media; rather to educate advertisers, suggest alternatives and to promote the use of a healthier phenotype - e.g Pugs and Bulldogs that are not overweight, have good eyes, less wrinkling and wide-open nostrils.

Please join us on our Facebook page here.  You can help by posting links to ads which use brachcyephalics -and in lobbying advertisers to use more normal 'cute' dogs next time.

To come in the New Year... a website, literature and a press release formally announcing the launch.

Gema Comes Home.....

The one thing I've learnt after last Friday's devastating goodbye to Scout, is that when you know a dog hasn't long on this earth with us, you make the most of every second you have left with them. Scout was my shadow for the two weeks he fought cancer that I was aware of, and I mean he never left my side. Now he has gone, I have the deepest and fondest memories of  a best friend that refused to give up.....

You'll remember in the middle of all the sleepless nights and worries during the last week, that Gema had also been diagnosed with cancer. Her's was presenting itself in a different form, a bone tumour, but ultimately it is a battle we will lose.

Having spent time with Gema on Saturday treating her to essential oils and some very special one on one time, Rachel approached me on Sunday. Having had no other offers of a foster home for her to see out her days, I'd had the same feelings Rachel had.....

So despite the rawness of the pain of losing Scout, we've decided to give Gema what she needs right now, and she came home with me on Monday. I don't know how long she will be here, but I think you can already see that she is having fun and making some new friends. Making those special memories.....

Last Day For Ordering Calendar's For Christmas.....

As Christmas is quickly approaching time is running out for you to order your official SHAK 2016 Calendar..... PLEASE NOTE LAST DAY FOR POSTING IS NEXT MONDAY THE 14th OF DECEMBER.

Unfortunately as we get the other merchandise such as T Shirts and Hoodies made to order, we can no longer guarantee any orders before Christmas.

After a pre-sale at last weeks fundraising events, I'm delighted to announce that the Official 2016 Calendars are now on sale. Remember thanks to the wonderful sponsors the printing costs have been met, so EVERY PENNY from their sales goes straight helping us save even more "Dogs On Death Row."

You can order yours from our on line shop via the link below:

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/SHAK_2016_CALENDAR/p168627_1592854.