BLOSSOM VALLEY RANCH NEWS!
- AS OF MAY 31, 2008, ROMEO WAS THE #1 AKC PRT & #3 ALL-BREED PRT.
- KOBI MAGICLAKER IS MISSING IN BAKERSFIELD, CA. CHECK HER PHOTOS.
ABOUT BLOSSOM VALLEY PARSON RUSSELL TERRIERS
I hate puppy mills, and no buyer should buyer a dog from a "puppy farm" or "puppy mill" -- the terms are different, but they are essentially the same. They keep their adult dogs in cages in buildings, where the dogs are kept on wire floors so the pee and poop go through and they can scoop the mess out from a small area below the cage. The United States Department of Agriculture permits such atrocious practices! They do not require that the puppy farms or puppy mills let their dogs outside to run and play. My dogs go out into 6'x12' runs and sleep inside at night. They do not live in cages in an anticeptic building. Run from such sellers. Dogs are not cattle or sheep or chickens to be "farmed"! They are suppose to be loved and raised in homes where they are properly socialized.
Moreover, puppy mills generally do not genetically test their adults before they breed them. I try to minimize genetic health defects in my puppies by doing as much genetic/health testing that is financially possible. Breeders who tell you that they have no genetic/health defects in their lines are either lying or ignorant. Ask them what tests they have done and if they submit the results to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. If they do no testing or tell you that they do not need to do any testing because they have no problems, RUN from them. Every breeder has had one problem or another over the years. Look up their kennel name on the OFA website to see if they test. A good test of a puppy mill or puppy farm is that they do not register with the venerable AKC. They register with flim-flam registries that will register ANY litter or dog from ANY puppy mill. Ask if the registry holds conformation show, agility trials, obedience tests, and other types of trials to test the working ability of their dogs. If they do not, they are merely a sham registry organized by someone to help the puppy millers appear to be legitimate.
The following is a list of some of the most prevalent problems with our breed:
- Eye Problems, such as juvenile cataracts, primary lens luxation, and persistent pupilary membrane
The following is a list of tests that can be done for the above disorders. For my dogs, the results are indicated on their web pages and are summarized on the OFA Test Results page:
Many breeders sweep their problems under the rug (e.g., selling carriers to unsuspecting breeders in the U.S.A. and in other countries), instead of submitting their DNA to universities that are studying the disorders. Carrier status of some diseases can be determined by test inbreedings. I had a scare that Casper had Legg-Calve-Perthes back in 2002, after he sustained a hip injury from a slip-and-fall accident at a dog show. To determine whether Casper had this disease, his vet recommended a bone biopsy, which was indeterminate, so I did a test inbreeding that eventually cleared him of having that disorder. To read about this test inbreeding, click here. That test breeding proved to a 97% certainty that Casper DID NOT have L-C-P. Moreover, none of his many puppies have developed it. People who are spreading rumors about my lines having L-C-P are the ones that have more serious diseases and are trying to make themselves look better than they are. Having Primary Lens Luxation, where the dog goes blind at 6 or 7 years of age, is much more serious. Having Ataxia, where the puppy's cerebellum deteriorates to the point of having to euthanize the puppy is devastating. Consider the source of all rumors. Ask if these people have produces diseases and if they have ever done a test breeding to disprove it. Most hide their genetic problems under the rug!
BLOSSOM VALLEY FROM MY FRONT YARD
LAKE JENNINGS FROM MY UPSTAIRS BACK DECK
All rights reserved. Copyright 2002-2008 by Annette Gilliam
