I am totally appalled

and it takes a lot to do that.
A professional breeder deliberately produced a dog with a defective gene and then used the resulting blind and deaf dog to sire puppies for show.
Full story here
http://www.astraean.com/borderwars/2...s-cruelty.html

No problem---as long as you can produce a beauty king/queen who cares what you do to get it!

Dreadful---hopefully only in America!

My friend has a deaf partially blind 7mth old bitch for rehoming due to merle/merle mating. (if anyone is interested...)There is someone in the SE doing it regularly.

rune

Wow - Shame on the breeder and double shame on Westminster Show for making the dog BOB which is basically condoning what the breeder has done
This story epitomizes the worse side of breeding for showing.

How absolutely disgusting!! (Can't read the link at the moment as we have used our allowance and I can't do more than one thing!)

It is totally unbelievable that someone would put a dog show above health.

Helen

Someone once that with all the hassle that is caused over the fancy of the merle colour, and all the awful practise which sometimes goes on to get it and the desperation of some breeders to get more and more merles, that they wished the colour just didn't exist. I think it was someone in aussies. There are times I honestly think that could be true.
This is of course, despicable. No reasoning can justify why anyone would do a merle to merle mating.

Double merle anyone ..

But the judge doesn't know the breeding - agree the breeding shouldn't have taken place but you can't blame the judge he can't know the sire was deaf / blind !

Just following this on another forum too!

Gordons are just going through issues regarding late onset PRA and I know a litter that was carrier to carrier which potentially would produce affected - they produced one affected dog in the litter but this still made me angered as there attitude was its not until late in life so it doesn't matter - our breed clubs recommend that no matings should be made were an affected pup can be produced - I'm sure eventually we will eradicate producing any carriers but right now we can't afford reduce the gene pool that much.

I too think it is wrong that this mating was undertaken - I think in some breeds here you can't register merle to merle but not sure its been totally eliminated? It needs to be sorted though as to deliberately produce a dog that potentially could be blind/deaf is not ethical at all.

But please don't blame the judge its the breeder at fault here and the AKC for allowing litters to continue.

Oh my word, I have no words

Claire, do you mind if I don't open that link It will upset me and there's nowt I can do about the situation since sending parcel bombs through the post is frowned on by some people

I am reaching the stage where nothing surprises me with humans, I still have thoughts about that monster in Ukraine or Latvia or where ever who 'created' a two headed dog and that stupid English vet (Bruce Fogle) who actually went into the museum where the poor creature is displayed and wrote some patronising egotistical remarks in his boring and self centred book about his travels in Europe :twis ted:

I am not sure how they can say 'he has always been extremely healthy, happy and robust' when he is blind and deaf.
It's pretty discusting that people are happy to use him to sire their pups. The fact he is number 1 Sire in roughs and no1 champ producer does not say good things about the show world, it just fuels the fire for negative comments.

Why can you register a blind, deaf dog that would never win shows?