The post with the thread that never ends spilled over onto Querencia, where Stephen Bodio quotes Jess’s commentary on that post and the same sort of debate ensued. The debate also moved onto discussing whether we need stricter breeder regulation. It seems that various breeder regulations are being used by the various self-appointed mandarins to harass those who deviate.
Jess recently experienced how far these mandarins will go to cause trouble when the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club (of the UK) published quotes from her blogs and online commentary in an article in their publication, The Saluki. They didn’t ask her for her views, but they did manage to publish her e-mail address!
Why can’t we all just get along?
If we can’t have a rational discussion about genetic diversity within the various contrived genetic bottlenecks we call breeds and if all people who deviate from the norms get this sort of treatment, then I don’t think we’re going to get along.
And we shouldn’t.
I don’t care what people do with their lines.
I do care when various pseudo-scientific bromides are used to justify practices and to pillory those who are using science to ensure that their beloved animals remain viable and healthy.
It should be up to consumers to decide which dogs they want, and as consumers, they should be privy to all the knowledge about genetic diversity issues.
But they very often aren’t, and on the ‘net and as a meme within the dog culture, inbreeding is often defended.
And it can be defended, provided one has access to new blood.
Which is exactly what is being denied in the closed registry system.
And now we’re back to where we were.
No way we can get along.
***
Oh and here’s a brindle saluki:
Brindle, for some weird reasons, is controversial in salukis.
I got the first three pages of the article. I’m definitely missing at least one page, with the bit that I sent you. There’s nothing juicy on the first part, except I get called a “breeder” complete with quotation marks (love that), so I’m hoping I’ll get some good material out of the missing page.
They put not only my e-mail address, but the DemonPuppy blog address (not the dog blog, weirdly), they NEVER contacted me, EVEN THOUGH my real and complete name is there on the About Us page, which is right next to the Planned Litters page they pulled a quote from.
They also put several ads for crossbred litters in the UK in the article. Interestingly, they did NOT print any contact information associated with the classifieds ads.
thems saluki people are lame.
I’m kind of surprised that they were bashing Lurcher breeders too, since I thought longdogs and lurchers are fairly common in the UK and have been for a long time. They’re a pretty old traditional working cross.
A halfghan would be a longdog, right?
Any cross of two sighthounds is a longdog. Saluki/Whippet, Greyhound/Whippet, Saluki/Greyhound. The Halfghans and the two Slouhiwakh we have are all longdogs. Some people tend to use lurcher and longdog interchangeably though, even though a lurcher is a cross between a sighthounnd and some other breed.
The club does not like Salukis being used in any cross. There are a number of people in the UK who do this for a buck, and there is a market in stolen Salukis for the purpose as well.
Jess, actually it is no news that Breed Clubs (within any KC registered breed) are not in favour of crossbreeding.
But to use a person as an example/scapegoat in an article is really unethical and mean! To me it only shows the standard of their petty minds!
Sadly nothing in this world works on “live and let live” principle…
I am aware of that. I really don’t care if they approve of my cross-breeding or not. But to print my contact information in what is essentially a personal attack on me (did they think it was okay just because they didn’t use my name?) is beyond the pale. I don’t even live on the same continent.
Politics in breed clubs can be vicious. But I’m pretty sure that it’s considered uncool to diss each other by name in their publications. That’s what mailing lists are for.
“why can’t we all just get along?”
Perhaps because our species is largely xenophobic, paranoid, highly emotional primates with the capability of holding in mind multiple contrary/conflicting ideas simultaneously.
That’s exactly it!
I accept my contradictions.
I almost believe that contradiction is the true essence of our species.