Three Amigo's.....

Had a great walk last week with some great friends..... Moby, Daisy and Maisie. 

I love these photographs, especially the one where Maisie is resting on Moby's head as if to say "I'm here!"

Bubbles Making Friends.....

I know I show Star at work on here quite a bit, but she really is incredible.  You have to remember she was booked into the vets to be destroyed for being aggressive, and that when she arrived after I stopped her being killed she came with a reputation of being dog aggressive.....

Big handsome Bubbles is the opposite, other dogs terrify him. Seeing photos like this are so priceless I cannot describe how massive a step this is for him.....

A Year On For Hannah.....

I really can't believe it was a year ago yesterday since we lost our little old girl Hannah. So much has happened in those twelve months, but I can still see her wandering away in the fields here in the way she did. Oblivious to everything,  but knowing she was loved.....

Tonight me and my family are coming to terms with losing one of the SHAK dogs we foster, and also a great big character. You may remember Hannah's story, but if not I have added the video of her arrival below. She was, it would appear, dumped on a busy A Road. Getting on in years, practically blind, it was a miracle she wasn't ploughed into by a vehicle.

As soon as I saw her I knew she had to come home with me, and just a few days after losing SHAK's original Grandma Ava, we had found another. I guess none of us expected Hannah to be with us as long as she was, but in those 4 months I'd like to think she had a great time and felt safe.

Yesterday she collapsed and we rushed her to the vets, it looked as is if an infection had somehow taken over her, possibly blocking her lymph nodes with something more sinister, however after a night on strong pain relief, antibiotics and methadone she didn't show any signs of recovering. Like in old people she was simply too weak to fight what ever it was that was attacking her.

I will never forget Hannah, she kept me going when I needed it after losing Oskar and Ava so close. At that time I certainly gained more from the relationship than she did, but then all she wanted was a comfy bed and some food!! She wasn't a cuddly dog, but in time she learnt to accept my need for a quick hug every now and then, and eventually I think she even grew to like them. My lasting ever memory of her will be her wandering in the field here, minding her own business and looking happy..... despite her blindness and stiff joints, that was her.

We will all miss her dearly, and we're pleased we were here for her, but most of all we feel lucky to of been able to share her final 4 months.

Sandy Update.....

Thought you might like to see how Sandy is doing with her foster brother,  our very own Tigger!  As you can see she is fully healed, and has put on weight. She is gaining confidence on a daily basis, and really becoming her own little character.

Lucie and Frank are doing a brilliant job getting this little girls life back on track, although in her case it was never really on track in the first place, for which we are all really grateful. However,  Sandy still needs a full time place to call her own, a Forever home. If you'd like more info on how you can offer Sandy that, then please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

Oh No! He's Back!....

David was back yesterday after a holiday. What do you think of that Cheech?....

"Rubbish!"

"No way! He's back?!?"

".........."

 And what do you think Lenny? Got a message for him.....

"Just messing Dad!....."

 Seriously though, it was straight back into as he and Melissa carried on with a pairing Melissa and myself had been working on..... Maddie and Sam!

New SHAK Prints Available To Buy Now.....

"Telling a story within a photograph is what Stephen Wylie does BRILLIANTLY!

SHAK � The Sanctuary aim is to raise awareness of the plight of Abused, 

Mistreated and Neglected Dogs. Every single penny helps SHAK Dogs in Need 

and so much more needs to be done."

S Ballantyne, Crowther Ballantyne Associates

Pictures say a million words. A 6x9 Print in 12x8 mount, 

showing the story that is SHAK - The Sanctuary.

All photos's taken by Stephen Wylie with a quote to make you think a little.....

"He Is Your Friend....."

"The Bars That Bind....."

"The Loss When They're Gone....."

"The Love Of A Dog....."

"The Pain Of Being Discarded....."

"The Privilege Of Running Free....."

"The World Through Their Eyes....."

At the moment they are only available through the official SHAK fundraising stall or SHAK Shop, although several retail outlets are expressing an interest. In the meantime you can order yours via the link below:

ORDER YOUR PRINTS HERE.....

And please remember EVERY PENNY from the sales of these go back into the charity to help the dogs.

"I'd like to thank the people who gave me the confidence to produce these prints, and hope they may mean a little bit to you as well as meaning a whole load to me. " Stephen Wylie.

BREAKING NEWS: a quarter of UK dog breeds so inbred they could face extinction

The Kennel Club today releases data which shows that half of all Kennel Club breeds are in trouble - and a quarter of them are so genetically impoverished they may not survive.

Those in peril include much loved UK breeds such as Irish and English Setters, the English Springer Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Bull Terrier, Otterhound, Bearded Collie and the Yorkshire Terrier.

Now this is not what those attending a press conference at the Kennel Club today (Tuesday 22nd September) will be told by KC spin doctors.

But it's what the data actually show.

Nope, those attending the event will be told how bloody marvellous the KC is for exploring the population structure of their 200-or so breeds and that the future is looking rosier for many breeds. Significantly, they will be told that the rate of inbreeding they've found is "sustainable", implying all is well in the world of pedigree dogs.  Because that, you see, is the conclusion of the authors (being paid by the Kennel Club incidentally) of a new paper published in Canine Genetics & Epidemiology this week. (Read it here.)

Nothing could be further from the truth - and the evidence presented in the paper does not support its conclusion.

All this new paper shows is that the rate of inbreeding in the UK has slowed a bit in recent years in some breeds  - probably due to the relaxation in quarantine rules which has allowed more imports, and a greater general awareness of the damage caused by inbreeding in the wake of Pedigree Dogs Exposed. 

While this is a bit of good news, the overall picture is bleak.  Many breeds are  very inbred and many breeds suffer a high burden of genetic disease. The paper documents a horrific leaching of genetic diversity in the 1980s and 1990s and not even a slowing down of the rate of inbreeding in recent years is going to claw that back.

That's because Kennel Club breeds are trapped in closed gene pools, treated as isolated species by breeders. Many KC breeds are founded on just a handful of founders - sometimes even just two dogs. The whole thing could be ameliorated with some judicious crossing to other breeds. But all but the most enlightened breeders view mating one breed to a different one as an anathema. Breed purity is still everything to most.

This paper looks at the rate of inbreeding in 200 or so Kennel Club breeds in the UK to establish what's called their "effective population size" - a measure of genetic viability used by conservationists managing small populations. The higher the EPS (or "Ne" as population geneticists call it), the better.

Conservationists consider an EPS of below 100 to be an indication that a population is endangered. Anything under 50 is considered genetically unsustainable - at "imminent risk of extinction" according to Franklin (1980).  In fact,  some modern conservationists argue that an effective population size of 100 should be considered an extinction risk and anything below 500 is a concern e.g. here)

Now this rule of thumb applies primarily to wild species, and may not be totally applicable to dogs. But 55 per cent of KC breeds in this new study have an effective population size of less than 100 - and 24%, almost a quarter, are under 50.

Over at the Institute of Canine Biology, Carol Beuchat has helpfully produced a graph showing how the breeds with more than 50 registrations a year shape up according to this paper. If you take the conservative estimate that a minimum effective population size of 500 is needed to ensure sustainability, only two breeds make the grade. (Read Carol's take on this paper here.)

Click to enlarge

The true picture could be even worse. This is because the data include imported dogs for which only limited pedigree data is available.  This will make the picture look rosier than it really as apparently unrelated imported dogs will often be quite closely related if you go a little further back in the pedigree.

Of course, this data looks only at UK breeds and the global situation could be better. Certainly, while the English Setter is on its last legs in the UK, there are zillions of them globally which may offer a way out of the genetic cul-de-sac. But this is not true for every breed.

Now the degree of threat to individual breeds will depend largely on the disease burden in those breeds - and that varies considerably. Some breeds with very small populations appear to be relatively healthy; while some much large breeds are not.  I hope today that the Kennel Club is going to announce some kind of coherent conservation plan for all breeds to help manage the genetics.

This paper is a great opportunity to highlight that so much more needs to be done and the attempt at positive spin by the Kennel Club is a great disservice to dogs.

The 29 breeds in the UK facing extinction (all with an effective population size under 50)

Airedale Terrier
Bearded Collie
Bedlington Terrier
Boston Terrier
Bull Terrier
Rough Collie
Long-haired Dachshund
English Setter
Wire-haired Fox Terrier
Irish Red and White Setter
Irish Setter
Kerry Blue Terrier
King Charles Spaniel
Lakeland Terrier
Lancashire Heeler
Lowchen Little Lion Dog
Manchester Terrier
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Curly-coated Retriever
Clumber Spaniel
Cocker Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
Field Spaniel
Sussex Spaniel
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Tibetan Spaniel
Welsh Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier

There is no panic at all about this in this paper. And yet a supporting infographic produced by the Kennel Club actually makes it pretty clear.

Click to enlarge

Don't get me wrong - the KC should be congratulated for commissioning this study. The accompanying infographics are good (the work, I suspect, of Dan O'Neill from VetCompass as they're very similar to the ones he produces for that). And I am pleased to see a new (I think) page on the KC website that for the first time explores outcrossing as something for breeders to consider as well as highlighting the problem of popular sires - have a look here.

I am just completely thrown by the paper's conclusion - and so should you be.

Again, over half the breeds studied had an effective population size less than 100; and almost a quarter had an effective population size of less than 50.

So, tell me, on what basis can this paper justify its take-home message that the rate of inbreeding in today's Kennel Club registered dogs is sustainable?

Individual breed reports are available here.

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NB: this is just a preliminary report on this important paper. I will continue to add/tweak.

The dog delusion

The stench of cognitive dissonance is never so pungent as it is when a bunch of Neapolitan Mastiff show breeders and owners get together.

Last month, there was a UK get-together of the UK branch of CACEP. 

Wazzat?

CACEP is a group of Neapolitan Mastiff breeders and owners "devoted to the revival of the true Neapolitan Mastiff", as Sheila Atter reported in last week's DogWorld.

There, she gave CACEP's mission statement:

  �'The Neapolitan Mastiff of the future will be a dog chosen from individuals with strong muscle tone, dryness and muscularity of the trunk, athleticism with balanced type, general wrinkles, divided dewlap that best represent the unique expression of our breed. 

 "�CACEP will demonstrate to the latest generations of fans, who often have a distorted idea of Mastino Napoletano, made up of excess hypertypical dogs, that the Neapolitan Mastiff is not done with too much skin and too much weight, but of muscle, power, strength and physical endurance. This is the Neapolitan Mastiff that our ancestors gave us. This is the Neapolitan Mastiff that we have a duty to choose and leave a legacy to our children.�

Oh, and....

�...the Mastino Napoletano must have the soul, the psyche of the true Neapolitan Mastiff, an indomitable dog, indifferent to pain, with a powerful bite, with courage. A dog capable of being an incorruptible, unsurpassed guardian of humans and defender of property. A terrible opponent for anyone."  

Goodness! Well, I suppose they could sit on a burglar... suffocate them with their wrinkles?
Drown them in slobber, perhaps? But at least it's a relief to hear that they're breeding them to not feel pain given the state of their eyes.

You think I'm joking?

The UK arm of CACEP is the initiative of Kim Slater, former health rep for the main UK Neapolitan Club who gave up the health co-ordinator's job because...well, various reports, but essentially I think her frustration with the resistance within the breed club to embrace real change.

Slater talks a good game when it comes to health. She has done a lot to encourage breeders to health-test their dogs - and that is something. There was even a vet and Philippa Robinson of the Karlton Index at this event, the latter doing a health survey.  But pin Slater down and she confesses to liking "typey" dogs (i.e. dogs that anyone outside of the breed would consider overdone).  And, in truth, if she was really that concerned about Neapolitan Mastiff health, she would ask the KC to de-register the breed on the entirely valid grounds that the show-bred version of this breed is a disgrace to dogdom.

But no. Slater wants to be seen to be proactive on health while still embracing a dog that is very over-exaggerated. That this is somehow justified because of the dogs'  "ancient" roots is laughable.

Now there were certainly Mastiff-type dogs on Roman murals. But they looked like this:

Not like this.

The breed was, in fact, recreated in the 1950s  - see Terrierman's excellent piece on that here. They remained clean-lined, reasonably moderate, imposing dogs for the next 20/30 yrs.  The dogs below are from the 1960s and 1970s and they have real presence - particularly the first two. You'd think twice about entering their property, wouldn't you? And while they're big and solid, they still look athletic. You can also see their eyes and they have open nostrils (many of today's show-dogs are stenotic).

But then the show-ring really got hold of them. And before long, we ended up with a dog that couldn't even see an intruder, let along intimidate one.

Oh. And every single one of the modern dogs above was bred by or belongs to the man that Kim Slater invited over to judge at the CACEP event in the UK.  Here he is, on the right at the CACEP event - Nello Vacarro of the Della Rupe Mastino Kennel.

Vacarro is from Rome and looks rather scarier than his dogs, so hope I'm not risking life and limb by calling him out here. His Facebook page is open (well, as I write this) so you can see for yourself what kind of dogs he likes.  Now there are one or two recent more moderate dogs there but, really, way, WAY too many that look like the ones above - and this one below with red pits for eyes.

Have a look, too, at the "magnificent"trophy awarded at the CACEP event.  As I pointed out in the Comments section on Sheila Atter's DogWorld piece - all I see is a sad, mutated, mutilated dog. And, boy, those roses....!

The whole thing is completely delusional. 

If the 2014 KC Health Survey reports findings as bleak as I expect with this breed (it isn't just the hideous conformation, it's that they're lucky to make five or six years old before keeling over), I will be breaking a personal rule and launching a petition - to persuade the Kennel Club to de-register them until breeders can demonstrably show the dogs can lead longer, less-encumbered lives.  

Seriously, anyone who buys into the current sleight of mouth should be ashamed of themselves. And that includes those facilitating this nonsense by trotting round the CACEP event with clipboards.

Sure, the KC registers only about 60 a year. But these are almost all show-bred and if there wasn't a show-ring for them to lumber round, there would be no incentive to breed them.  

The absolute quickest and kindest way to cure the Neapolitan Mastiff's problems is, quite simply, to not breed them.

Watch this space.

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CACEP's Facebook page