Instead of one of our regular posts........tonight we wanted to bring a few things to your attention that may affect the way you view the toys that you buy for your dogs and the way the Pedigree dog is judged at dog shows.
First there is a blog about a toy that has been recalled by the company that offered it for sale. ( 8-22-08 as an update on this post, please visit Chai's blog. His owner has been contacted by another person whose dog had the same thing happen to it in 2005. They were assured by the company that the toy design would be changed to include a hole at the other end of the ball. It never was. Please email this company to register your outrage )
This toy caused a Lab mix dog named Chai to loose his tongue. I want to warn you that the photos are graphic and may upset anyone with a weak stomach. We all love our pets and no one wants to see someone that they love end up like Chai..
Do you have this toy in your home ??????
Four Paws Pimple Ball with Bell
If you do, please take it away from your dog and return it to the store where it was purchased.
It appears that all balls that look like this do not pose the same danger...there are some by other manufacturers that have a hole at the other end to prevent a vacuum from occurring if the tongue is inserted in the ball. This one does not.....
Click on the link and read about what happened to a Lab mix who was playing with this ball and how it changed his life.
Chai's Story
The owner of Chai waged a campaign to have these balls recalled by the company distributing them. The company refused initially, but has recently decided to recall the balls. Thank dog for small favors.
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Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree dogs have been around since the 1800's. Dogs were bred for a particular reason....to herd, to rat, to retrieve etc.
Pedigree dogs are registered by the Kennel Clubs. Certain standards are set in writing for each breed and those standards are judged at Kennel Club dog shows. Something went terribly wrong at some point in time. Now there is so much inbreeding of dogs to achieve a standard,that breeders have changed over time, that the dogs of today do not resemble the same breed of yesterday. Fatal health problems are threatening to cause the extinction of the different breeds as we knew them in the past.
The BBC recently aired a program about the serious health problems that are plaguing our pets because of the breeders' concept of what that breed standard should be. Dogs with horrible deformities and health problems are winning "Best In Show" and "Best of Breed" and are then being bred multiple times...passing those health problems or deformities on to countless generations.
If you have the time to watch the program, it has been uploaded to YouTube in 6 installments. It takes an hour to watch, but it may change your mind on how dogs are judged in the show ring. Can anything be done to save the integrity of these breeds before it is too late? And can pressure from dog lovers force a change of policy at the Kennel Clubs?
See what you think:
Pedigree Dogs Exposed on You Tube part 1 of 6, once there you can click on the others.
Wow, this has been very hard to read about and even harder to watch. I am hoping that the Kennel Clubs will come to their senses before it is too late...or is it too late already?
This is Dewey Dewster's Gram reportin' on disturbin' information......
