March 2000 Newsletter - Volume 3. Issue 3

In This Issue

• Economics 101 Or More About Pogo And The Enemy, by Tom Crowe
• From Where I Sit..., by John S. Ward
• Letters to the Editor
• Results Of Exhibitor Survey On Dog Shows (Part II), by Dorie Crowe
• Dog Show Etiquette 
• In Memoriam
• The Shaggy Dog Stories

©1999 MB-F, Inc.

You may use this paragraph as permission to reprint any article in the MB-F Newsletter providing 6rticles are printed in their entirety, proper credit is given to the author and to the MB-F Newsletter, and a copy of the publication in which it was reprinted is sent to the MB-F Newsletter, P.O. Box 22107, Greensboro, NC 27420. Opinions expressed by authors in this publication are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. Publisher reserves the right to edit.

Economics 101 Or More About Pogo And The Enemy
by Tom Crowe

In any basic economics course one of the primary laws is the Law of Supply and Demand. Anyone owning a fuel-operated vehicle knows quite a bit about the Law of Supply and Demand. For instance, it is quite evident when the Demand for fuel is low and the Supply is great the price per gallon of fuel will decline. Likewise when the Demand is great and the Supply is limited prices will rise. More important, however, is that the hawks will swarm and take every advantage of the situation to foster creative chicanery to profit by the situation. The Arab cartel of crude oil suppliers know quite well about Supply and Demand and the consumer pays at the pump, as we all know. What does all this have to do with dogs and puppies and big business?

Please let me explain. There are approximately 1400 all-breed Dog Shows, plus another 11,000 related dog events, including 1995 Specialty Shows each year with probably a million and more spectators eyeing the contestants and looking for a place to buy and own a puppy of their desired breed. Television, if you haven’t noticed, has a dog on almost every show in one role or another and in every commercial and they are all cute. All these conditions create the DEMAND and it is growing and growing with each passing day.

What about the Supply? What about the breeders ignoring this situation and making puppy ownership nearly impossible with almost ridiculous demands for ownership to the prospective buyers? Are we, under these circumstances, able to fulfill that huge demand for puppies with absolutely verifiable registrations? Not with the present situation that exists. I think that would be a wildly overly optimistic dream. What, therefore, is the answer when the AKC with its present policies based on a long outmoded system of controlling registrations seems unable to take action?

A recent article in Dog News written by John Mandeville clearly explains the problems with the present registrations system. He has been an insider and has been faced with the problems. In his article he offers an in-depth analysis of the situation and a most sensible solution to the entire registrations problems. His solution, however, will require some concessions on the part of all breeders and the AKC. If you have not yet read that article it is important for anyone interested in the sport and its future.

If some solution such as John proposes is not recognized and adopted I can see the demise of the AKC as a power source of information given and accepted without question as it once was. Dog shows, judging assignments and winning are not the only things that matter in our sport. Our integrity as a group and our whole existence in Purebred Dogs are at stake if we don’t soon realize: WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY’S US”

For several months MB-F and InfoDog have been gathering information regarding breeders. We had a goal of amassing 10,000 concerned breeders and others interested in fighting the problem of irresponsible breeders. We are happy to announce that goal has been reached and exceeded and it is continuing to grow each day as we realize we do have a fight on our hands. The majority of those joining the fight are breeders, more than 8,000 to date have signed on bringing many plans and ideas along. Serious breeders are interested in finding solutions to solve the problems being foisted upon the public.

We are now looking forward to thousands more joining this crusade. Plans are afoot to create a National Breeders Association. We are discussing and formulating the form this association, consisting of qualified and registered breeders, will take. When this takes place the public will become aware that there is an organization of honest breeders, and a place where honest information and a supply of puppies are available for their purchase — puppies that are healthy, affordable and correctly registered. Breeders will still have the final say as to whom they will sell to but at least a step will have been taken in the right direction to begin the end of the irresponsible breeders and their fake registration papers.

We must increase the supply to end the excessive demand. An association of true breeders with high standards is only the beginning to the only real answers to the problems in our registration system. Over this the AKC has no voice and they cannot regulate honesty nor can they afford the millions required to police the situation. They are not an enforcement agency and do not have any enforcement jurisdiction or powers over the situation. The attitudes of the breeders and their willingness to face this situation will be the deciding factors in this fight. To sit idly by and wait for someone else to do the job will surely make you one of the enemies as Pogo says.

There are many more items and ideas being generated within our Breeders Forums. Those ideas will be forthcoming ASAP to further our programs along. STAY TUNED AND STAY READY TO PARTICIPATE. IT TAKES A BIT OF TIME TO CORRELATE ALL THE IDEAS BUT THEY WILL SOON BE ON THEIR WAY FOR YOUR INPUT AND ACCEPTANCE IN THE PROGRAM.

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From Where I Sit
by John S. Ward

This column is being written two days after my return from The Westminster Kennel Club show in New York. Each year at this time I am once again impressed by the keen interest and deep affection the American public has for the purebred dog. The show itself draws thousands of spectators each day but with the advent of television coverage it is seen literally by millions of people. Almost everybody I will meet for the next week or two will comment on how greatly they enjoyed the spectacle and will enthusiastically discuss which dog in their opinion should have gone Best in Show.

Participation in the Westminster show is of course limited to dogs that have won their championships and the announcer on the microphone at the show points out that none of these dogs was bought in a pet shop and he very properly urges the spectators to buy their next dog from a breeder. It might be interesting to speculate on what would happen if everybody literally took his advice. Before we do that however it is necessary to identify the various sources of purebred puppies that are available to the potential buyer.

For purposes of this examination I will assume that these puppies come into this world in one of three situations. First of all there is indeed the individual whom we in the dog game categorize as a “breeder”. This individual is interested primarily in producing dogs that can be exhibited in AKC dog events. The most promising puppies in such litters are either retained by the breeder or sold to what we call show homes. The other dogs in the litter are sold to those seeking a well-bred pet. At the other end of the scale are those individuals whose operations are usually referred to as puppy mills. These kennels are operated as an economic activity without regard to show quality and their sales are made primarily to pet shops.

There is also a third type of breeder who does not fall into either of the above categories. This individual typically owns a single purebred female dog which is bred for a variety of reasons. It is probably a family pet and oftentimes the breeding is made so that the children may see at first hand the reproduction process. Another reason might be simply to produce another pet and perhaps make a modest profit on selling the rest of the litter. In most cases the female will be bred only once in her lifetime. Most of the dogs for sale through the medium of classified advertisements in the newspaper fall into this category.

The laws of supply and demand apply to the marketing of purebred puppies whether or not it can be considered an economic activity. Obviously there is a large market for purebred dogs that is currently being met by the three sources listed above. It is unrealistic to think that this market can be filled solely by the breeders of show quality dogs regardless of how much we want this to come about. This then is the dilemma faced by The American Kennel Club, i.e. how can the integrity of the Stud Book be maintained in view of the wide variation in the motivation and goals of dog breeders. On site inspection of all breeders’ records is obviously impractical and even random sampling would not result in total accuracy of identification of dogs and examination of records. The use of microchips for identification and DNA sampling for verification of parentage are powerful tools for maintaining an accurate registry but their cost is not insignificant.

Over and above the question of accurately identifying a dog is the public perception that registration should somehow also guarantee the quality of a puppy, similar to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. If this certification is not possible it must be made perfectly clear that a registration certificate is only equivalent to the birth certificate of a human being and no other guarantees apply.

If you have read this far you are perhaps waiting to see what solution I can propose for these knotty problems. I must confess that I have no easy answer. All I hope to accomplish in this discussion is to point out that getting rid of the puppy mills will not solve our problems even were such an action possible. Unfortunately some of the so-called exposes on television would like you to believe that all would be well if only the AKC would straighten up and fly right. I hope that some of what I have said above will help to counter that simplistic reasoning.

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Letters to the Editor

I am Kathleen Reed of Kaylar Newfoundlands and would like to inform InfoDog about something which happened recently here in the Midwest concerning the local “puppy millers” organizations. I posted this letter to the Newf-tech list of which I am a member. I feel this posting should be forwarded to as many breed lists as possible. I thought that “responsible breeders” might be interested in the following:

The Missouri Pet Breeders Association has voted as of March 1, 2000, to stop registering litters with AKC papers and also to use other registries such as the “All Breed Pet Registry” and the “United Kennel Club International” registry to “paper” their puppies for a period of 60 days. All this in protest of the AKC ruling that any stud dog used for more than five litters must have DNA identification. The Iowa Pet Breeders Association will be holding a meeting to see about following in Missouri’s footsteps.

This appears to be a case of blackballing AKC to get them to stop the use of DNA for identification of litters. It seems to me that it behooves those of us who are always on the case of AKC to “do something about irresponsible breeding” should back AKC on this one. They are finally doing something!

I would suggest that it might be a good idea to support AKC through a letter writing campaign FOR the use of DNA identification. And, perhaps even donate an extra $10.00 per puppy produced this past year as a support to AKC in their efforts and to let them know that responsible breeders do not want them to back down on the issue of DNA identification. Please feel free to forward this post to as many breed lists as you can.

Kathy and the furry gang http://www.kaylar.com/kaylarnewfs.html

~~~~~ This is a very important letter - please take a moment to read it. It may be crossposted to other lists but any questions should go back to Kim Townsend please. Thank you.

Victoria King hero@bigplanet.com
Chinese Crested Rescue (+ other small dogs) Orlando, Florida

From: Kim webmaster@nopuppymills.com 
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2000 8:42 PM
Subject: NoPuppyMills THE BIGGEST NEWS EVER!!!

I am tempted to write this entire letter in capital letters....I am so excited! The following is the latest news from the Missouri Pet Breeders Association (MPBA). MPBA is comprised of mostly commercial dog breeders in Missouri and is a very powerful factor in making Missouri the #1 puppy producing state in the nation. The following letter is from the president of the MPBA:

******start of letter********

The ninth Annual Seminar and meeting is now past. There were approximately 300 present for the annual meeting on Saturday, February 26th.

Many of these were present due to the recent DNA information issued by AKC. Breeders are up in arms over this, and, after a very lengthy discussion, attempts at various motions, and then more discussion, the members passed the following NON-BINDING RESOLUTION: That members stop registering with AKC as of March 1, 2000, and stop furnishing AKC papers as of March 15, 2000. This resolution carried overwhelmingly.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND: this IS NOT a part of MPBA By-laws, and MPBA is not a governing body with the power to enforce any such action. This could be looked upon as a resolution and will be complied with by the members at their discretion only. There obviously will be no compliance requirements by the MPBA to see whether you comply or do not.

It is my personal belief that if everyone stands together and does this, it will make a huge impact. However, better planning is needed before it can be done. Several other state organizations have contacted me stating that more time than the motion allowed was needed. This could affect the reputation of the entire pet industry. On Sunday, February 27th I had, as did many other board members, multiple phone calls. Many of the calls were from very angry members who could not believe that MPBA could condone such activity. Some want to pull their memberships. Others were applauding that some action was finally taken. Still others were very confused over what to do. (Reminds of [sic] us UFO days, no? Or are you too young for that?)

The only way to change what is happening in our industry is for everyone to stand together. AKC has made it very clear that they do not want our business. There were some very disparaging remarks made at the Westminster Show concerning our industry for the second year in a row. The expense associated with their recent DNA mandates will bring many dollars into their coffers; taking them from us. They give us no choice as to where to get the DNA testing done, and if you don’t comply, they can pull your privileges. If they pull your papers, dogs you sold before will then be unregistered, and you may be expected to refund the purchase price, and maybe more. All papers that you have from AKC will no longer be valid if you lose privileges. They don’t belong to you, they belong to AKC.

Remember, if and when you do go to an alternate registry, and there are several that can get papers to you in a hurry, be sure to keep all records as though you were still registering with AKC, because they can still come back on you for several years and cancel papers on dogs you have sold, making you liable for them. Any credible registry must have accurate records kept to assure the public that the puppies are actually purebred puppies.

Another thing that needs clarification: MPBA is not going to act like AKC. This is YOUR industry. As said before, approximately 300 were at the Saturday meeting, and I think the rest must have called me and other officers Sunday and Sunday night. I wish everyone could have been at the meeting. I’m sorry that some who were there and called Sunday in opposition to the measure didn’t feel they could speak up against it at the meeting.

And when you do have an issue with something that is done, feel free to write or call to express your thoughts. Not everyone will be happy with everything we do. We can only try to do the best we know how to further the welfare of the Missouri Pet industry. We still feel this is our primary goal, as stated in MPBA’s purpose for being.

Sincerely,

(signed) Brenda Kemp MPBA President

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Results Of Exhibitor Survey On Dog Shows (Part II) 
by Dorie Crowe

And now we present the final section of our Exhibitor Survey on Dog Shows. These last last five questions give the Show Chairman and show-giving club additional information regarding things exhibitors would like you to consider when you are planning your event, and the show(s) they think come closest to their ideal. In the interest of space, and because the questions deal with the same subject matter, we are combining the opinion answers to questions 22, 23 and 24. So, the questions/answers appear below a little out of order.

23. What do you see as the major problem at the shows you attend? 

22. What can kennel clubs do to improve their shows?

23. Other (please specify)

24. What exactly is the problem with the item you checked above?

These answers/opinions fell into several categories we have organized for you below:

JUDGES: (No. of Responses: 378)

SITES/LAYOUTS

FOOD 

The next question gave exhibitors some problems. For example, they were quite sure what was the best for them and why, but some either knew only the location, or mixed up the name of the cluster with a different cluster’s location, etc. Those that had conflicting information or not enough information to identify the particular show had to be thrown out of the equation; those that gave us enough information that we were reasonably sure how to count their vote, we did. And, of course, there were some that thought there was no club worthy of being called “The Best”. These are the clubs whose shows had great sites, wonderful judging panels, ample space for grooming and parking, reasonable food, good motels/hotels, great concessions, nice trophies, ample ring size, friendly club members who organized a clean site in a good location. So, ladies and gentlemen, we give you the 491 votes for the kennel clubs that offer everything a Dog Show should be:

25. In your opinion, what kennel club show that you have attended offers everything a Dog Show should be (please use proper club name, NOT the city where the show is held)? If the club has more than one show, list the one you think exemplifies the best.

CLUSTERS:

INDIVIDUAL SHOWS:

 Note: There were 185 individual shows and Clusters that received only one vote. In addition, some of these club names were not recognizable or foreign. In the interest of space we have not included them here.

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DOG SHOW ETIQUETTE POSTER

The following poster appeared at the November Springfield, MA, Thanksgiving Cluster. We were so impressed by it that we followed up to determine who was the idea-person behind it. We are pleased to let you know that it was the original idea of Joan Malek, Public Education Coordinator of the Toledo Kennel Club. She laminates their 2’ x 3’ poster and mounts it on an easel at the main entrance and also uses this same copy as a handout at each other entrance. We’re always looking for good ideas to share with other Show Chairmen, so we’re passing it along to you.

WELCOME TO OUR DOG SHOW

DON’T FORGET TO:

ASK BEFORE TOUCHING OR FEEDING A DOG! Often people have spent hours grooming their dog. Other dogs are nervous at shows or maybe not used to crowds or children. And some dogs grab for treats or they might have finicky stomachs.

NEVER LET YOUR CHILD HUG A STRANGE DOG! Just like most people object to being grabbed and hugged by strangers, so do many dogs!

WATCH WHERE YOU STEP! We want you to make sure that you don’t step on any feet, noses, or tails of our friends. Also, unfortunately, not all dog handlers are considerate enough to clean up after their dogs.

KEEP ALL FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE OUTSIDE OF RING BARRIERS! Each dog and handler has only moments in the ring for the judge to evaluate him and any distractions (food or objects thrown into the ring, body parts hanging over or under the ring barriers, and/or loud disturbances) can throw their performance off.

ALWAYS ASK FIRST IF IT IS A GOOD TIME TO TALK! You might be catching someone as they are nervously waiting to go in the ring, or hurriedly grooming for an upcoming ring time, or maybe just closely watching dogs that they are interested in. If we are engrossed in something, we will be happy to let you know when and where is a better time to talk.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL

* * * * Kennel Club

Phone: ***-****

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In Memoriam

Longtime MB-F employee and friend, Dorothy John, passed away December 23, 1999. Dorothy served as a dedicated employee since June of 1962. She was supervisor of the printing department when the company was located on Broad Street in Detroit and lived and worked through many changes in the company.

In recent years she was in charge of the shop area. Some of her valuable duties included handling all mail going out of the building, and packing judges’ bags, paperwork, materials and all necessary supplies for the shows going out of the Madison Heights office.

Dorothy was also responsible for keeping our office and shop areas neat and tidy, printing ribbons on some temperamental-at-times equipment (until this duty moved to the Greensboro office) and taking our truck drivers and shop help under her wing by offering help and advice.

Her desk was directly across the aisle from the time clock and she was often the very first person most of us greeted each morning upon clocking in for work. She often enjoyed sharing stores about her beloved family – nephew, Gordon, and his wife, Karen – and their three children of whom she was very proud. They were her “grandchildren” in every sense of the word.

Dorothy was totally committed and dedicated to her job at MB-F. She was truly a valuable part of our company family and will be sadly missed by all.

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   The Shaggy Dog Stories

You Know You Have Too Many Dogs...

When you have more grass in your driveway than in your backyard.

When your neighbors find ANY dog running loose and automatically bring it to your house.

When you want to watch TV and you have to sit on the floor because all of the furniture is “occupied”.

When it takes you longer to wash your dogs’ dishes than your own.

When you have to use a wash tub for a water dish.

When you have to run an obstacle course to get to the phone.

When you see one of your dogs doing something bad (like chewing something up or leaving a “dog deposit” on the rug) and you have to run through the entire list of dogs’ names in order to yell at the right one and by then it is too late.

When the HazMat team comes to your house on trash day to handle the “deposits” that you have placed in your trash can.

When you have all of your dogs in the back seat of your car and it automatically changes lanes when they move to the other side of the car.

When you NEVER go anywhere for a vacation because it costs more to kennel your dogs than to go to Hawaii.

When you have an extension on your king-sized bed so you all fit.

When Eukanuba makes home deliveries.

When you move your bedroom into the garage and put a king and queen-sized bed together so all of your Rottweilers, I mean dogs, can sleep with you.

When you can’t remember all of your dogs’ names and just call them all ‘brown dog’ [or black dog, or red dog, etc.].

When you take your dogs for a run in the park and people think it is a dog show. [More like a 3-ring circus!!!]

submitted by Patricia Reuter via the Internet

The Path

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead! He remembered dying and that the dog he loved had been dead for years.

He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, the man and his dog came to a high, white, stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill there was a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he stood before it he saw a magnificent gate that looked like mother of pearl. Beyond the gate the street looked like it was paved in pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the pearly gate. As he got closer he saw a man sitting at a desk. When he was close enough he called out, “Excuse me, what is this place?”

“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.

“Wow! This is wonderful! By the way, would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.

“Of course, sir. Come right in and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured and the gate began to open.

“Can my friend,” the man gestured toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”

The man thought a moment then turned his back on the man at the desk. He continued to walk with his dog along the road as before. After another long walk, at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road that led through a farm gate that looked as if it was always open. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw an old man inside who was leaning against a tree, reading a book.

“Excuse me!” he called to the reader, “Do you have any water?”

“Yep, come on in, there’s a pump over there.”

“How ‘bout my friend here?” the traveler gestured toward his dog.

“There should be a bowl by the pump.”

The man and his dog walked through the gate and, sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and gave some to the dog. Then he took a long drink himself. When they had their fill of fresh, cool water he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.

“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.

“This is Heaven,” the man replied.

“Well, I’m confused,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”

“Oh, you mean the place with the gold streets and pearly gates,” the man at the old gate said. “That’s Hell.”

The man with the dog asked, “Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”

“No,” the man with the book stated. “I can see how you might think so, but we’re happy the way they screen out the folks who’ll leave their best friends behind.” (submitted by P. Mondok)

Humor is a good thing.

If you have a favorite doggy laff
-- particularly a true story --
please send it in and share a good laff with fellow dog enthusiasts.

Send to:

MB-F, Inc.
c/o The Shaggy Dog
P.O. Box 22107
Greensboro, NC 27420

e-mail: mbf@infodog.com

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