AKC, Tear Down This Wall!
The AKC has announced that it is searching for canine heroes in the following categories: rescue, therapy, service and exemplary companion. Nominees are NOT required to be AKC-registered but must be an AKC-recognized breed. That eliminates the “mutts”, and many are very deserving, especially in the area of therapy. Where has it been proven that DNA means a dog is good at therapy, service and companionship? Does each breed have a written standard for these qualities? I look forward to the genome sequence discovery to validate this. If the AKC stands for the best in dogs and stands behind its Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program–open to all breeds and mixed breeds–why can’t it open this search?
AND SO NOW IT IS HAPPENING. Apparently the AKC decided UNANIMOUSLY TO HAVE A SPECIAL PROGRAM JUST FOR MIXED BREED DOGS. One of the goals is to enable this powerful organization to speak for ALL DOGS. Stay tuned for details of the proposed new program!
Taking this one step further–
When the CGC program began, one of the most noticeable effects was that people began to add a second dog to their family because they had found that one dog was easy to live with if it was a CGC. They came again to classes, this time with the newcomer. And, invariably the newcomer was a purebred dog because the CGC had opened the door to competition in obedience, agility, rally and a host of other AKC-sponsored activities. Would opening the search to mixed breeds have the same effect for the AKC? As one example, DogTown has found adoption success after training its shelter dogs to successful CGC evaluations. Could CGC training be the silver bullet to a forever home and more adoptions? Perhaps the spay/neuter contract should also include the signature of a trainer who could certify that the dog had successfully passed the CGC evaluation?
DOES THAT GOLDENDOODLE HAVE REAL CURLS?
A groomer interviewed for an article in a gooming magazine revealed that owners of GoldenDoodles whose dogs have straight hair have her apply human salon products to form curls. The curls last for weeks. Her business has boomed and owners book months ahead, drive long distances and pay top dollar for the “GoldenDoodle Look”. This seems to be a high maintenance mutt!
In 2006 Hills Nutrition began to develop diets targeted toward attacking illness on the genetic level. One of their successes in this new DNA diet effort is j/d. It is a prescription diet and so only available at a veterinary hospital. Those with arthritis have benefited from feeding j/d in as little as 4 weeks. Today there is a growing body of j/d positive anecdotal evidence.
TOO OLD TO USE?
Veterinarians often get calls about expired medications. For example, a box of heartworm pills purchased on Jan. 1 might have an expiration date of April. Does that mean the pills have lost their effectiveness? Not at all, says a veterinarian from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. The expiration date only denotes the time after which the product shouldn’t be sold or dispensed. The drug companies set the expiration date in advance of the time when any effectiveness might drop off.