GOLDEN RETRIEVER BREEDING AND AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

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Over a year has passed since Mulder died of hemangiosarcoma. I struggle each day to make sense of it and Peter and I continue to miss him terribly. Unfortunately it’s not news that our beloved breed is often diagnosed with and will die from some type of cancer. The statistics are disheartening to say the least. The money poured into research has not given us any concrete answers and although we do have more information, that information is not at all comforting.

Pedigree research reveals Goldens diagnosed with cancer appear in most, if not all, of today’s bloodlines and often there are multiple dogs in a pedigree that have suffered this fate. Many have succumbed before the age of 10 years.

It is my opinion that cancer is the foremost issue our breed faces. However for many breeders it seems this has become an “inconvenient truth.” I have first hand knowledge of numerous breeders who have bred dogs that have succumbed to cancer, own stud dogs whose offspring have been afflicted, incorporate animals into their breeding program whose sire and/or dam died of cancer and then blatantly lie about this, telling prospective buyers they “have no cancer in their lines”. Prospective customers have every right to ask about the occurrence of cancer in the pedigree of the pup they are considering. And they have the right to the truth, however inconvenient it may be.

I do not ask they discontinue breeding their dogs, I only ask they be honest and forthright instead of telling prospective customers what they want to hear and are desperate to believe. Often these people come to us having suffered a devastating loss and want to be reassured this won’t happen again. It is reprehensible to be anything but truthful at a time like this.

I’ve done this for many, many years and can honestly say for a long time I did not have a reported cancer death in dogs I had bred. Then I started to hear of the occasional case. Now I hear about them more frequently and have no answer as to why. But what I do know is I will do our breed more of a disservice by hiding these facts from people whether they are pet owners, breeders looking to incorporate my pedigrees by using my stud dogs, or those purchasing potential breeding stock from me. Shame on any breeder who does otherwise.

I do not ask or expect to be put on a pedestal for being honest, it is simply the right thing to do, however inconvenient.

As always, your comments are welcomed.

Berna

The GRCA National Specialty held in Conyers, GA the last week of September was a huge success. Held at the Georgia Horse Park, there was more than ample room for all events, grooming in big airy horse stalls all with electricity, parking areas for motor homes, and hotels & restaurants in close proximity. The Atlanta Golden Retriever Club hosted one of the most well planned, well run, and enjoyable nationals I’ve ever attended and the Georgia weather was perfect for showing dogs.

While attending the National, I had the honor and privilege of judging the Golden Retriever Foundation Gala’s Top Twenty Competition and what an evening it was! Not only were the country’s top winning Goldens in attendance, there was a wonderful array of Golden artwork in both the silent and live auctions along with a delicious meal. This was the largest Gala ever held with 575 people attending and 21 dogs entered in the competition. I am grateful to the hardworking Gala committee for thinking of everything and ensuring the evening ran smoothly. This is a small group of people who work tirelessly so we can all have a glitzy, glamorous, and memorable evening. My hat’s off to them and I will always be thankful for the opportunity to judge this event.

No sooner did I arrive home from the Georgia trip when a group of friends and I trekked up to Essex Junction, VT to attend the first specialties held by the Green Mountain Golden Retriever Club. This small club pulled it off big time. I can’t remember having such a nice, relaxing time at a specialty. The specialties were held separately from but at the same time & location as two all breed shows offering exhibitors a chance for 4 majors in both sexes. We all agreed this should happen more often and hope more specialty giving clubs will look into this. Again, many kudos and thanks to the members of the Green Mountain GRC for putting on two great specialties and making everyone feel welcome and wanting to return next year.

Four of the Mulder/Risky pups made their specialty debut at the Vermont shows and had a rollicking good time for themselves.

Back at home we marked the one year anniversary of our life with Cha Cha, the Havanese and now we can’t imagine life without her. She continues to be one of the most entertaining, loveable little dynamos we’ve every known. All day she makes us laugh. And at night she is such a good snuggler in bed we call her our “little hot pack”. She is a great puppy babysitter, playing with the Golden pups with abandon. She also rules the roost, making sure the big dogs know just who is in charge. Come to think of it, she’s in charge of me & Peter, too, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

MANY THANKS FOR SPRING AND OTHER THINGS

We’ve been through a lot in the last few months. Losing Mulder suddenly 3 days before Christmas was a crushing blow. We’ve learned a lot since then, especially how much our friends mean to us and the difference they make in our lives. We’d like to take the time to say a special thank you to Rose DeSantis and Kathy Mehmet who handled the Mulder memorial donations which were made to our 2 favorite causes, Take The Lead and the Golden Retriever Foundation. Because of their efforts, Mulder will be remembered for a very long time. They also provided us with a wonderful memorial notebook containing 3 previously unseen photos of Mulder that we will always cherish, a complete listing of memorial donors with their addresses in order for us to send proper thank yous, and all the notes that were included with the many checks they received. Rose & Kathy, we will forever be in your debt and we are so grateful. We’ve added to the notebook all the wonderful cards and e-mails we received from all over the country, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. We are SO grateful so many of you took time from your busy days to express your sympathy. And a special shout out to our friend Martha Rietta who lives in Vermont. Martha, there are no words to adequately express how much your friendship means to us and how much your support helped us through some very dark days.

Our dogs helped us through this awful time as well. The “little Princess” Cha Cha never left our sides , snuggling when we needed it and giving us hours of comic relief. She is a blessing in a little white fluffy dog suit and we are lucky to have her. Mulder loved her…

Five weeks after Mulder’s death, our beautiful Risky gave birth to 12 healthy Mulder puppies. Life has a funny way of helping us through things and this was truly a miracle. We had not planned on breeding Risky to Mulder but timing is everything and because she needed to be bred over the Thanksgiving Holiday, Mulder gladly stepped up to the plate so we would be able to celebrate the Holiday with our Moms.

Of course we are hanging on to a few of these pups so you’ll be hearing about “Locket”, Pebwin Inside My Heart and her brother, “Flip” Pebwin Inside Out. We are also very excited to have a male and female in the homes of our good friends Andrea & Richie Fiske and Mary Ellen & Darren Leveille. Andrea & Richie loved and cared for Risky’s dad, Dealer, and this is the first dog they’ve had since he passed away. Now they have a Dealer grandson “Ace” Pebwin Inside Deal. Those are some big paws to fill but we think Ace is up to the challenge. Mary Ellen & Darren have been with us through thick and thin and it was Mary Ellen who took me out for the first time after Mulder passed. Off we went to a wonderful shopping center, what better way to ease a woman’s pain, shopping then lunch at the delicious P.F. Chang’s. Now they’ve added Pebwin Inside Story to their busy household of Goldens and Shelties. Scoop will have tons of fun learning Agility and gaining all the confidence she’ll need to be their next bright star.

We would be remiss not to mention the fantastic care and support we have always had and continue to receive from our vet, Mike Lappin, and his dedicated and caring staff at the Animal House. They were there with us every step of the way and we can’t thank them enough. All of them share our joy and our sorrow because they care as deeply for the Golden Retriever breed as we do.

When we got back in the saddle and off to dog shows again, our Mulder son Paxton showed us why we do this garnering 2 more points, 2 Best In Sweepstakes, and a major Reserve. He’ll be staying home for a while now so he can mature a bit and grow some coat. Rudder earned a 5 point major going Winners Dog at the Hudson Valley Specialty. WOW! His 4 month hiatus from shows was just what the doctor ordered. And the breathtaking Deuce won Best Of Opposite Sex at Hudson Valley. We laugh that Deuce only has 2 speeds….stop and GO! He is a zero to sixty dog and what a thrill it is to be taken around a big ring by him.

We still miss Mulder unimaginably but we have so much to be grateful for and to look forward to. Spring is here, the snow is melted, the crocus are popping up, the birds sing, life continues, and Cha Cha has learned to fly…..

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!