Information on working terriers, dogs, natural history, hunting, and the environment, with occasional political commentary as I see fit. This web log is associated with the Terrierman.com web site.
Sunday, February 05, 2017
There Are No Winners at Westminster; Only Losers
Let's be clear that there are no winners at the Westminster Dog Show -- only losers.
Agreed. The Westminster show and other conformation shows the world over represent a way of thinking about animals that is outdated by a century. Like all animals, domestic wolves must be allowed to outcross, or they will go extinct.
BTW - I finished that book you blogged about last week, called *A Matter of Breeding* by Michael Brandow. Like most literature on the subject, I'm glad this book exists to try to get the word out that pure-breeding is bogus, and mixing is where it's at. I think it fell a bit short in style (overuse of the passive voice), and although its point that elitism ruins dogs is welcome, I wish there were more in this book on the advantages of outcrossing. Brandow's criticism of dog shows is clear, but he sticks up for primitive, working, and mixed dogs almost as an afterthought, even though I'm sure that wasn't intended. I'm still waiting for the book that shows just how important it is for dogs (and other animals) to remain natural and functional, with as much genetic diversity as possible to keep them healthy and strong.
I think you need to add a reaction block of Sad to the bottom of your page. It would help with your articles on the AKC.
I also found it interesting that the AKC now has two types of Russell Terriers, especially that The Russell Terrier is not even a type registered by JRTCA. Here is an article about the differences in the three breeds by a Linda Cole. She is no relation to me or my husband's family that I know of and, if she were, I would hunt her down and correct her lack of education.
I found several wrong facts in the article, too many to actually cover here. The most outlandish one was that:
'Both the Jack Russell and Parson terriers were bred as working breeds. However, it’s the Parson terrier that was bred as a hunting dog with a higher energy level. The Jack Russell terrier was bred more as a companion dog. Although both breeds share the same intensity in prey drive, the JRT understands when it’s time to chill out, and they are mellower than their cousin, the Parson terrier.' I had to laugh at the last statement.
3 comments:
Agreed. The Westminster show and other conformation shows the world over represent a way of thinking about animals that is outdated by a century. Like all animals, domestic wolves must be allowed to outcross, or they will go extinct.
BTW - I finished that book you blogged about last week, called *A Matter of Breeding* by Michael Brandow. Like most literature on the subject, I'm glad this book exists to try to get the word out that pure-breeding is bogus, and mixing is where it's at. I think it fell a bit short in style (overuse of the passive voice), and although its point that elitism ruins dogs is welcome, I wish there were more in this book on the advantages of outcrossing. Brandow's criticism of dog shows is clear, but he sticks up for primitive, working, and mixed dogs almost as an afterthought, even though I'm sure that wasn't intended. I'm still waiting for the book that shows just how important it is for dogs (and other animals) to remain natural and functional, with as much genetic diversity as possible to keep them healthy and strong.
I think you need to add a reaction block of Sad to the bottom of your page. It would help with your articles on the AKC.
I also found it interesting that the AKC now has two types of Russell Terriers, especially that The Russell Terrier is not even a type registered by JRTCA. Here is an article about the differences in the three breeds by a Linda Cole. She is no relation to me or my husband's family that I know of and, if she were, I would hunt her down and correct her lack of education.
I found several wrong facts in the article, too many to actually cover here. The most outlandish one was that:
'Both the Jack Russell and Parson terriers were bred as working breeds. However, it’s the Parson terrier that was bred as a hunting dog with a higher energy level. The Jack Russell terrier was bred more as a companion dog. Although both breeds share the same intensity in prey drive, the JRT understands when it’s time to chill out, and they are mellower than their cousin, the Parson terrier.'
I had to laugh at the last statement.
Here's the link for your own amusement.
http://www.canidae.com/blog/2013/07/difference-between-parson-jack-russell-and-russell-terrier.html
Debi and the JackRat Pack.
Thank you for your articles. I always thought I was too critical of the dogs, and judges, and then I found your comments. Betsy
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