Bred-By Bitch

Pet food recalls are scary business, especially when they are large enough to reach the national news. Salmonella is the usual contaminant found, even in premium brands of food such as Solid Gold. However, there is another threat that has not made it into the headlines: Chinese chicken treats. Though the FDA issued warnings about […]

If you’re planning on breeding your bitch, you need to find some potential puppy daddies. If you are breeding to make the breed better, this process can be a bit daunting. This is a rough guide to my process in selecting a stud that will best complement my bitch. Goals Are you just going to […]

I love stewarding in the show ring! It is fun to see everything from the judge’s view, and I often have a great time chatting with them. They are so knowledgeable, and ALL of them have hilarious and horrific dog show stories. Most clubs will work around your dog’s ring time, and give you plenty […]

 In my years at dog shows, I have seen some pretty terrible outfits. Really terrible outfits. Putting aside style and fit for now, I’ve outlined what I see as the worst things to wear in the ring. My belief is that we go into the ring as a representative of our dog. Thus, it is […]

Once again, the “popular sire” effect is proving to be a disservice to the health of a breed. A study done in France followed 10 different dog breeds and their genetic diseases and prevalence. The goal of the study was to evaluate the risk of disseminating genetic diseases when using line breeding, close breeding, and […]

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is in the news once again due to the deplorable euthanization of Lennox, a supposedly “dangerous” pitbull mix in Northern  Ireland. But Northern Ireland is not the only place that allows the extermination of unwanted breeds of dogs. In fact, 11 US States have breed-specific legislation on the books. This year […]

Showing your own dog in conformation classes can be intimidating, especially to new exhibitors. Hiring a handler is an easy way out of this predicament, but it takes away a lot of the dog show experience. If you have decided to show your dog, here’s a primer on picking the class entry that’s right for […]