Comments on: This just in: Obama family narrows the choices

By: Alex Verrastro

Alex Verrastro — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:17:19 +0000

I’ve had to correct myself a couple of times when talking about these” hybrid” dogs. I don’t have a problem with the dogs themselves, I have a problem with bad breeders who deliberately lie on their websites, etc. Aka; please do your homework, and if they won’t let you visit the kennel, find someone else.

By: Selma

Selma — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:05:15 +0000

I met someone recently with two field Goldens - she was visiting from Kentucky. We started chatting because I said “Wow, beautiful dogs. They look the way Golden retrievers used to look before they got all weird. I didn’t know there were any still around”.

Heh.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:01:45 +0000

Hahaha Gina to answer your question: anyone who has trialed in Agility, taken a plethora of training classes in various dog sports, is interested in breed history or been a regular on this Blog! lol!!!
My cousin by marriage and her husband have had flatcoats for years. They run an Inn and the dog(s) have always been part of the welcoming committee, a job they have done with dignity. Then they get to go down to the beach and play in the surf.
The new owner of the training center where I have been going, once she gets things organized and classes resume, has a flatcoat along with labs and I think a golden. For an uncommon breed, there are a lot of flatcoats in the periphery of my life!

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:18:21 +0000

Anne,

I’m laughing because I seem to have influenced you in that you know the “best” goldens are the ones most like flatcoats. Hmmmm … where would ANYONE get an idea like that?

Gina

By: Anne T

Anne T — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:34:40 +0000

So have I in regards to Retrieverman! There is a breeder of field goldens within 5 miles of me, and though I am not a fan of goldens, I do like her dogs a lot, and have participated in Obed and AG classes with dogs of her breeding. They are much closer to a flatcoat in type, and do well at every sport known to retrievers other than the AKC breed ring. If I were enamored of goldens, she’d be among my first choices for a pup.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:56:42 +0000

Gina,

Info noted on Flatcoats. I was reading about them at the excellent Retrieverman weblog and trying to piece back together where the now divergent “breeds” actually came from. He has several good posts on the subject and how different colors used to show up in the same litter, etc.

As for the civility matter, I’ll note that the ad hominem name calling is not coming from me.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:28:07 +0000

AnneT -

Not Victorian? Much much younger? Fantastic, you’re helping my point! Very much helping my point. The point is that the dog is NOT the dog of the Pharaohs, despite the name. I moved the bar 5,000 years this side of history and you just moved it another 100 years.

You forgot to quote this bit from the Wiki:

“Ethical Dilemma

While the “Egyptian Myth” has been thoroughly disproved—both historically and genetically—many breeders and breed clubs still promote this breed as “the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Hound.” In addition, little is done by the breed clubs to reeducate the public.

In fact, yearly in the U.S. at nationally televised dog shows the breed is introduced as “the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Hound”, the description provided by the national breed club. This raises a number of major ethical question: are puppy buyers being mislead thinking they are buying an ancient Egyptian breed when they are really purchasing a rabbit hunting dog from Malta; do these actions subvert a national treasure and symbol belonging to the Maltese people.”

And that bit from the wiki holds true. When I look up the Breed History on the AKC website, it says:

http://www.akc.org/breeds/phar.....istory.cfm

“The Pharaoh Hound, one of the oldest domesticated dogs in recorded history, traces his lineage to roughly 3000 B. C. Fortunately, the history of Egyptian civilization was well documented and preserved through paintings and hieroglyphics.”

DNA analysis has shown that the Ibizan and Pharaoh Hounds are modern creations about as old as most other breeds (thus Victorian era).

By: 2CatMom

2CatMom — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:46:32 +0000

I’m really glad to see the ‘appleheaded’ Siamese making a comeback. Seems like there’s a real trend toward these in the pet world, if not the show world. They are just beautiful cats:
http://www.siamesekittens.com/

I’m not recommending this breeder - but just look at that picture. Now that’s what a Siamese cat should look like - nice muscular cat with very blue eyes and very distinctive points. Not one of those way too skinny kitties. After all - your acquiring a cat, not a runway model.

By: stellaluna

stellaluna — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:52:09 +0000

“Here’s Luka, a yellow flatcoat.”

What a gorgeous dog! I remember seeing a cream-colored Schipperke in obedience at Golden Gate in the late 70s. It was very pretty, and apparently the owner was very brave to have been taking it out because from what I remember, the people in that breed didn’t like that little “problem” being made public. I haven’t seen or heard of another one since, but I know they have to be out there. That’s the kind of thing that some enterprising creep would try to capitalize on these days, if it were possible — like white Dobermans.

By: stellaluna

stellaluna — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:46:03 +0000

“All of these names made up by puppy-mill scum to move the merchandise make me puke.”
(Comment by Gina Spadafori — January 12, 2009 @ 7:36 am)

I swear, I think the fad of made-up names for mixed breed dogs seems to have gotten started with this little e-mailed haha that was making the rounds several years ago:
http://www.funny-dog.com/jokesfun/crossedwith.htm