Your comments educate, inform and promote positive change.  Bringing problems to light before they become major issues contributs to our sport.  Send your good news, new ideas, and thoughtful opinions to Letter To The Editor

TDP Policy:  All e-mail or written letters are deemed to be for publication but not all will be published.  In order to encourage open communication within the framework of privacy, names may  be withheld upon request but only when the writer is known to us. We assume no responsibility to verify the validity of letters or the information contained therein but will summarily reject "sour grapes" rants. DoodleDog says keep it clean, keep it short.

Letters To The Editor 
DoodleDog's eyes are squinty and his nose is bent out of shape so keep it clean and keep it succinct or like all Bullies, he will edit, eat, or bury it!   A Letter to the Editor is automatic permission to publish unless the writer specifically states that it is not for publication. If it concerns dogs, dog clubs, dog breeds, dog shows, or dog doings, funny or serious, we want to hear from you!
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This is YOUR Section.  DoodleDog put my stuff on Editorial Page

Healthy Pets Act: I can't imagine anyone who has taken the time to buy a pet from a breeder would not be interested in stopping/defeating  this bill going forth again in 2008.  I don't know about those buying from the pet shops.  The pet shops will have free reign if this bill goes through and most breeders who care about the health of their dogs will be stopped from breeding. Norma J Strait norjean@cox.net

More on Gladstone Letter:  After reading all the information relating to this issue I have to say that I did not find one sentence in Mr. Gladstone's letter to be intimating in any way.  It actually was quite informative and authored by someone who I would consider an expert in this matter.  I thought that it was made quite clear that the only thing that was being suggested by Mr. Gladstone is that you not vote to eliminate this color in your breed for all the wrong reasons.  There are many breeds that have the same genes for color as yours that have been being bred for years with many good contributions to the gene pool coming from blue merle dogs. 

     I don't always agree with him but to suggest that Mr. Gladstone would write such a letter to help out a friend is a ridiculous statement.  Yes Mr. Gladstone is a director of the AKC and your issues with him would change very little regardless of what letterhead he decides to address you on.  I think that he made it quite clear that the opinions were his own. 

     I find very few good reasons to change standards for any breed.  It seems to me that most standards that are changed usually are done so because the breeds have gotten so far from the standard that it is easier to change the standard than try to breed dogs that more closely resemble it. 

     Many of our breeds are in serious trouble and the opinions of people who have successfully breed their respective breeds are very valuable whether you agree or not.  People should be grateful that they are willing to share there knowledge and they should take advantage of there generosity while it is available.  This type of interest in matters such as this is exactly the kind of thinking that is needed in the fancy to put many of our breeding practices back where they should be.

Yours truly, Brian Still BRSTILL@MSN.COM (AKC handler)

Protecting Breed Development: I have no dog in this fight, but I will say that I have always appreciated the support we (in Tollers) have gotten from ARBA. They have been good to our breed as we made our way to full AKC registration. I would highly question Ms. Barber's intentions since our dealings with Mr. Robert Slack have always been excellent, intelligent and in consideration of our breed.  Frankly, I am surprised and disappointed that you allowed just one side of the story. Is this the "new" Dog Press?  Linda Fitzmaurice, JavaHill Tollers WEBSITE: http://DuckToller.com

On Animal Rescue: While I agree that the 'formula' of mandatory spay/neuter for pets can theoretically eliminate all offspring... we are millions away from that situation, and years of hundreds of thousands of offspring still to be rescued, or brought in by animal control.

     With mandatory spay/neuter starting tomorrow everywhere, it would take probably take ten years to collect all the strays 'everywhere,' and meanwhile they would be reproducing the entire time, thereby extending the population. Stray populations in milder climates reproduce all year long.

     I wish it was such that the problem was not enough animals... that would be the case if everyone in the US would adopt an animal or two, but don't look for that to happen anytime soon. I am sure the proponents of mandatory sterilization would remove such mandates if companion animals were getting scarce! We could start helping the islands, or other countries, with their stray populations.

Charlotte Bass table25@bellsouth.net  Animal Rescue New Orleans

Good Breeder Policy:  I breed Curly-Coated Retrievers and receive your email newsletter. I have read most of the issues you have sent me.  I make puppy buyers aware of health issues within the breed, within my lines, and back up my claims with links to the offa.org site. I haven't done much about AR issues - it's too overwhelming. What I have done in the past is to send email to my puppy owners in the various states when issues come up.

My husband Jim Crosby, was the behaviorist named in the Vick amicus brief. He is available to anyone in the US to look over prospective animal legislation and tell what parts are workable, what needs to be changed (and why), and what parts are awful. He sometimes even runs across legislation that is good, but the pro-pet people can be their own worst enemy.

          Most puppy people just want a dog, a friendly, yet competent breeder who is available and answers questions. One of the places that I send prospective puppy buyers is to the closest dog show to do a meet and greet since Curlies are a "rare" breed and on the extinction list. I chip and register my puppies prior to shipping them so that they are clearance ready. I also make sure that the owners are aware that there are health clearances done through shows because of the savings. It's been my experience that although I make that information available, offer rebates for getting health clearances on pets, most of my buyers don't take advantage of these things. I don't know why... Several owners have not registered their dogs with the AKC.   Paula Crosby, Jacksonville, FL  DasDraken@aol.com

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