Contrived
Hysteria - HYPE
"The War Office kept three sets of figures", says Herbert
Asquith, "one to mislead the public, one to mislead the Cabinet,
and the third to mislead itself". This statement points to a common
habit of man in dealing with statistics: statistics are most often used
in an incomplete way to support whatever the individual/s wish to convey.
The fact that numbers are misused in support of or against a cause,
does not necessarily nullify the cause. But misrepresentation weakens
the side using it, in the long run. Whilst this may be the route emotional
animal rights activists choose to use, responsible breeders must choose
that which is best for the breed.
At
the root of it all - CAUSE
To be sure, few things are as devastating as bringing a chow chow into
one's home, giving it love & bonding with it as part of the family,
only to find out that all one's dreams of a relatively long & happy
period of time spent together has been shattered by a crippling disease
inherited or congenital, developed by the much-loved companion. Whilst
hereditary & congenital conditions occur in all species (man equally),
the way individuals choose to deal with it will testify to their depth
of understanding the root of it all.
One way to combat
these health concerns which occur, is the extremist route - often emotional
and not based upon indepth understanding of nature and current scientific
& medical knowledge. The extreme animal rights activists mostly
choose this route.
A second way would
be the route required of all responsible breeders: to find out as best
they can, with the help of limited knowledge available through science,
medicine and experienced breeders, what most likely lies at the root
of the chow chow in terms of possible hereditary & congenital health
concerns. Then, to systematically work in conjunction with current scientific
& medical understanding and experienced breeders, trying to minimize
the occurence of such concerns.
Thus, the breeder's
current scenario is, amongst other things, to do health testing.
Possible
Benefits - HOPE:
It is imperative to understand that current medical understanding in
all species, although amazing, is also very limited. Although this is
the route to follow at present when combating a perceived condition,
one must always remember that medicine as applied to all living beings,
is a practice, not an exact science. Working with the unfathomable depths
of creation & nature, man finds time and again, that which seems
to provide great answers today, often carries with it a hitherto unknown
burden to be discovered in the future generations - be it medications,
theories, etc.
For instance, numerous
reports of inconsistencies in x-ray taking & evaluation exist. Speaking
from personal experience & direct conversations with radiologists and breeders who have opted for second opinions,
this is acknowledged as a flawed system. Or the controversy regarding
the origin of certain eye conditions, currently thought to be hereditary.
However, until more accurate understanding/methods become freely available,
these are the best options currently open to the majority of breeders
wishing to improve the breed as best they can.
Understanding
that testing is not a flawless system, does not absolve the breeder
of doing health tests, just as understanding that failures of the justice
system does not mean we don't make use of the justice system at all.
It simply helps the breeder decide what relative value to place upon
formal gradings and evaluations, within the context of the entire breeding
picture. It also helps the breeder to gain perspective, to understand
what he/she hopes to achieve by doing these health tests, and to ascertain
in which specific area, by means of currently available health testing,
they will achieve their most lasting contribution to the benefit to
the breed.
And understanding
this helps the buyer to realise that he/she should be supporting the
responsible breeder, both by purchasing only from a responsible breeder
as well as by remaining in contact with the breeder with informative
feedback regarding the dog - for life. It also helps the buyer understand
why the responsible breeder's dogs may be more expensive, as they go
to the trouble of re-investing into the breed.
The
future, today - ACTION
The chow chow has been recorded at man's side for many thousands of
years. It deserves to be carried into the future by it's human caretakers,
in a manner which will leave it healthy & actively at man's side
for many more thousands of years.
For the buyer, this means recognizing that chances for a generally healthy
pup is so much stronger when purchasing from a responsible breeder.
Yet, as these breeders are working within limited and imperfect genepools
and knowledge, there will be imperfections and occasionally even those
'special needs' chow chows coming from the responsible breeder. It is
important to provide the breeder with as much feedback as you are able,
in order to help them make better breeding decisions. It is equally
important to support responsible breeding by not purchasing pups from
completely untested parents.
For the breeder,
this means acknowledging that it is neither wise nor possible to exclude
all imperfections from a genepool, as, when this is applied, even humans
would cease to exist as a species. It has, however, proven possible
to gradually, with time, measuring (health tests) and wise decisions,
markedly decrease the occurrence of certain imperfections by wise breeding,
thus ensuring that the breed as a whole remains healthy yet typical.
It behooves each serious breeder today to examine their motives, their
understanding and their ability to continue this hobby in a responsible
manner. A manner in which the future of the breed is as best contributed
to as we are able to, today. Health testing is the breeder's small &
selfless investment today into the future of the breed - a future way
beyond the breeder's ability to benefit from personally.
