FAT AND STUPID

Just when I was starting to have buyer’s remorse over our Presidential election along comes something to remind me how lucky I am to live in the US. Now don’t go hating on me. I really admire a lot about other countries. Regular readers will know that I am an Anglophile, admire the way the French live, think no country is as stylish as Italy, believe the Japanese are incredibly hard working, and find India a fascinating culture. However, when it comes to pet ownership, the Brits can be a little extreme.

Too Much Malamute

While waiting for show results, I stumbled across this headline, “Barking mad: Owners of obese dogs and fat cats could face jail under controversial new rules”. While dog owners in the UK were napping the British animal rights nutcases managed to get the Animal Welfare Act passed which includes a provision to fine pet owners 20,000 pounds ($31,127 at today’s exchange rate) and jail them for up to 12 months (a lifetime in the US). Now, when I first read this I thought it was a joke. But, it is for real. You guys in the UK need to slap your elected officials up side the head with a box of doggy treats. Did you really survive the Blitz, to have some frumpy woman in sensible shoes and a bad haircut tell you what you can feed Fido?

Plus Size British Subject

I have owned a pudgy puppy or two and I, myself, have been on the plump side for the last 20 years (OK, OK, I’m fat.) However, I and my dogs live pampered, indulgent lives, and we like it that way. So I will put on my Harris Tweed jacket and my Gucci loafers, and get in the Honda and go down to my local bakery and buy two croissants, one for me and one for my Scottie, Cairn and two Poodles to share, while I read them this article under the headline, “Britain soon to become nation of fatties”. Wonder if they’ll put her husband in jail?

DOGS HERE AND THERE

We began this site thinking of readers here in the US, but we have developed a faithful following from all over the world for which we are eternally grateful. The dog fancy is truly a universal interest. One of our regular readers, Sofie Wilbraaten from Norway, writes suggesting we begin a discussion on the differences between purebred breeds here in the US and in Europe and the UK. It’s a subject near and dear to my heart. It’s also a subject that never fails to stir up a lively debate. We have seen some excellent European dogs here as well as at least one Asian dog. So everybody join in, but keep it civil ;-)

Ok, I write this blog, so I will go first. When I got into this game some 40 years ago, we in the US looked to the UK for the best examples of many breeds, virtually all the terriers, and several other breeds as well. While the British terriers were imported to improve soundness and type, I remember British Pekingese were more extreme (larger heads, flatter faces) than American examples of the breed. Later in the 1970s and 1980s German Rottweilers and German Shepherd Dogs were imported to improve substance and soundness.

CH Hjohoo's Best Wishes To Hjo

Just recently we have seen a couple of Swedish imports that I believe will be an important influence here, the beautiful Bedlington Terrier, CH Velvety Angel Eyes, and a fine example of my own breed, the Cairn Terrier, CH Hjohoo's Best Wishes To Hjo (Hjo is a town in Sweden and is pronounced “you”) bred by Swede Elisabeth Theodorsson, owned by Brazilians Mario Duarte & Victor Malzoni and shown here in America by Armando Morales.

CH Exl's Leather N Lace
Number One Cocker Spaniel in the US

As far as consistent differences between American dogs and British and European dogs. Here’s my own, very personal opinion. We have here in the US many talented professional handlers and many breed enthusiasts who are master groomers. As a group Americans like their dogs like their movie stars, not a hair out of place. This leads to extremes in grooming like the sun flower faced West Highland White Terriers or the walking dust mops that are American Cocker Spaniels. In many breeds, the standard set by Americans is what the rest of the world aspires to. You simply do not see poor examples of grooming in our Poodle, Maltese, or Pekingese rings. I do not mean to imply that dog fanciers outside the US are poor groomers, but that outside the US, a more natural look is generally preferred.

CH Camcrest Bebe Queen Of Trouble
Number One West Highland White Terrier in the US

Another characteristic, this one lamentable, is the tendency of American breeders to refine breeds to the point of losing sight of the breeds original purpose. Four examples, happily now in the past, were Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, Vizla, and Irish Setters of the 1980s. In an attempt to achieve a racy, elegant silhouette, some of the highly regarded dogs of the era were overly refined and lacked the substance to do the job for which they were bred. I could cite specific examples, but on the advice of my attorneys, I won’t.

An excellent examle of a US Doberman Pinscher
BIS Winner CH Aquarius Garbo V Tiburon

Finally, as I have written before, radical animal rights groups have had an impact on British and European breeds. I fear that some of our breeds will either evolve to an unrecognizable version of the breed or disappear all together. The same people that clamor over the Walrus, one of God’s most awkward designs, would deprive us of the Pekingese we have lived with for thousands of years. But enough of my ramblings, let us hear the your opinions. We will print all responses, excepting those not suited for the eyes of my 77 year old mother, who is my most dedicated reader.