Complaint Review: Jodi Lynn Cheshire Beach

Let us begin with this first... “No good dog can be a bad color” – Capt. Max von Stephanitz. The father of the German Shepherd breed. Since the late 1800′s, history shows that the German Shepherd has been an extremely popular breed across the world, and continues to remain popular today. They protect and serve in law enforcement, do a variety of Search and Rescue, serve in Wars in many capacities, provide a myriad of services to handicapped individuals, provide families as lovable companions, herd and guard as farmhands, and even star in their own television shows such as “Rin Tin Tin”. German Shepherd dogs can have a variety of coat colors ranging from the typical black/tan, to sable, to all black, or all white. Unfortunately, the white-coated German Shepherd is not allowed to show in the conformation ring along with its fellow German Shepherds.

The reason: the white coat is considered a disqualifying fault in the AKC/GSDCA German Shepherd standard. The white coat was not always considered a fault; in fact, it was one of the original colors of the German shepherd dog, and a very important part of creating the breed itself. Reviewing history, we will see where the white coat fits into the big picture of the GSD. Over in Europe and especially in Germany, shepherding was a common way of life. The shepherd would use his dog to herd the sheep where he needed them to be throughout the day, and guard the sheep against various unwanted predators. This was the foundation – starting point – of the dogs we know and love today. For numerous years, the Germans used a wide variety of dogs to herd their sheep, with no consistency of “type” among the dogs. All shepherding dogs had been placed under the category of shepherds, with no consideration of their size, color, or shape. Captain Max von Stephanitz changed all of that. As a young cavalry officer, he traveled all over the country and stayed with families along the way, many of them farmers. He was fascinated with the shepherd dogs and their working capabilities. However, he noticed that what one dog flourished in the next dog lacked. If only he could create a dog that could have all the qualities of a total working shepherd dog. He generated information on all these dogs and created in his mind what he thought a well-rounded shepherd dog should encompass. Winifred Strickland states in her book, The German Shepherd Today, that Max Von Stephanitz “saw a dog who would be extremely intelligent, quick on his feet, protective if necessary, noble in appearance, trustworthy in character, physically sound so that he could work tirelessly all day long, and be born with an innate desire to please, a dog who could reason and be a companion to man.” As his ideas formulated, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to breed such a dog and make it available to sheepherders all over Germany.

During the last decade of that century, Captain von Stephanitz experimented with breeding dogs, taking the best of the shepherd dogs across the country to get the qualities he desired. Grief, a white coated shepherd dog, was one of the shepherds Max often used to generate his idea of the perfect working dog. In 1899, he attended The Karlsruhe Exhibition and bought Hektor Linkrsheim, a grandson of Grief, but Max immediately changed his name to Horand von Grafrath. Because Grief was white and Horand was line related to him, Horand carried the white gene and sired many white pups and many colored pups with the white recessive gene. On April 22, 1899 the Verein fur Deutsche Shaferhund (the SV) was founded, with Max von Stephanitz as the first president. Horand became the first entry in the newly found SV Stud Book and the first written foundation of the German Shepherd breed. In German Shepherds the recessive gene for white coat hair was cast in the breed gene pool by the late 19th and early 20th century breeding program that developed and expanded the German Shepherd Dog breed in Germany. A white herding dog named Greif was the grandfather of Horand von Grafrath, the dog acknowledged as the foundation of all contemporary German Shepherd bloodlines. Information provided in early books on the German Shepherd make mention of Greif and other white German herding dogs, with upright ears and a general body description that resembles modern German Shepherd Dogs, shown in Europe as early as 1882. The early 20th century German Shepherd breeding program extensively line bred and inbred "color coat" dogs that carried Greif's recessive gene for "white coats" to refine and expand the population of early German Shepherd Dogs. White coats were made a disqualification in the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany breed standard in 1933 after the breed club came under the control of the German n**i party that took over all aspects of German society in February 1933 when Hitler declared a state of emergency.

The German breed standard remained unchanged as German breeders repopulated the breed in the years after the conclusion of WWII. In 1959 the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA) adopted the exclusively colored breed standard of the parent German breed club. History provides us with the factual information that the White German Shepherd was an important aspect in the founding of the German Shepherd breed. History also shows us when and where the discrimination came from. During the time the white coat color was banned, science was lacking the information that we have today, and many false theories (although stated as facts!) were given to the white coat of a German Shepherd. Breeders thought that the white coat caused dark shepherd�s coat to pale into an undesirable light color. (Remember their focus was on beauty in a large way…) They also thought that the white coat was a sign of albinism or disease. Today, science and breeding history has proven that the white recessive gene masks the actual color of the dog, making them appear white, and brings along no health problems: in other words, the gene which causes white does not itself cause any other defect. They are otherwise genetically identical to colored German Shepherds. During Winifred Stricklands interviews with Herta Von Stephanitz (daughter of Max), she learned some history on why Max gave up.

In the 1930s,Nazism started to spread throughout Germany rapidly. They were the “elite” and they had power. At the same time, breeders of “luxury” breeds disputed Maxs unyielding position that this was a utilitarian breed. They wanted to focus on beauty and less worry about function. The racial views and plans of the Nazis gave them a different view of what the German Shepherd should have been than what Max von Stephanitz’ dream of the German Shepherd was. Many SV members were Nazis and intervened in the SV affairs. They continuously attempted to rid Max of his work. They even threatened him with a concentration camp. After thirty-six years of managing the SV, he gave up. He died one year later on April 22, 1936; ironically this was the anniversary of the conception of the SV. The Nazis, including Hitler, saw the white coat as an undesirable trait, and further assumed that the white coated dogs’ genes paled the darker coated dogs’ colors. With little knowledge of science, they blamed the whites for many diseases as well. Germany soon barred white German Shepherds from the conformation ring and the breeding pool. The United States followed suit in the late fifties, early sixties..

 Now this review is from Jen Balkovec, in Pittsburg Pennsylvania, who claims that she finds it refreshing to be around people that treat their animals like dogs and not humans... Well I find my dogs a lot more trustworthy than most humans, including the muttering of a delusional schizophrenic. I will pull up her address and phone number in case anyone want to further contact her in regards to this matter. In addition, to all this the last few months of harassing and stalking me she has started in on my 16 year old daughter. My daughter was a victim of sexual battery by a high school coach, Jen B decided to make a mockery and humiliate my daughter by informing everyone that my daughter was lying and making all this up even though there is a federal lawsuit. My daughter has since has to go on anxiety medicine, and is a constant nervous wreck. What kind of human makes fun and laughs at a child that has been a victim to such a horrific crime. The harassment has become overwhelming, and has caused such strife and anxiety in my home. This is overwhelming. And due to the aggressive manner in which Jen Balkovec has attacked and stalked me and my whole family , including posting my home address and personal phone number for the world to see. I have had no choice but have my attorney begin the process of filing charges of harrassment against Jen B for stalking, cyber bullying, and harassment. NOW I HAVE OFFERED SEVERAL TIMES TO BUY HIM(SAXON BLAZ) BACK since she has nothing but complaints in regard to Saxon.. However, she has refused stating he isnt sick and there is nothing wrong with him. However his good health it is not from his genetic makeup but what she claims to have done herself. Now for everyone to further understand my love and dedication to my beautiful dogs a little better, All my dogs are inside dogs. They give birth in the house and those sweet babies are raised in doors, being socialized with all the other dogs and the kids. In addition I play action movies on a loop to acclimate the puppies too loud noises and bangs to create a less nervous disposition. I cook my own puppy food made with real chicken,pumpkin,carrots,,the missing link and baby rice. I use Purina pro plan lamb and rice, due to the fact it has never had a recall. I am with those pups from the day they are born to the day I deliver them to their new family. In addition, I will NOT ship puppies. I hand deliver them to each and every parents regardless of where they live Now how do you start out a conversation trying to smear somebody's name by bringing up the fact they used a white dog in thier breeding program which everyone knew that the grandmother of all my puppies was white.. Now the founder of the breed clearly stated the color is not important. In addition to anyone that has looked into the German Shepherd breed knows the dog father of the breed carried the white gene.. So please explain to me what you know, that the founder of the German Shepherd was clearly incompetent of knowing? So to further educate you on line breeding in the canine family. And see where the AKC stands with line breeding. Then we will move to OMG I used a white in my breeding program. You do understand that there are solid white German Shepherd breeders correct? Actual AKC BREEDERS that breed whites and Pandas. And though I am not a supporter of AKC and never have been. Here is some clear defined information as to line breeding. I never have been a supporter of AKC and I will never be. My dogs are CKC. I have 2 that are cross registered. However I stick to CKC. They have answered all my question about anything I may ask,and Jackie at CKC was one of the first people I spoke too about line breeding after researching it extensively and then speaking in great detail with my Vet. In addition, I have the conversation with Miss Jen Balkovec, in Pittsburg Pennsylvania, in regards to the fact that Saxon Blaz was CKC registered and not AKC. I will also post her address and her phone number therefore anyone can contact her as far as dealing further with this complaint. Now I do understand that folks out there who feel they are more knowlegable, and have elevated sense of self-knowledge and superiority, and are just looking for reasons to hold personal vendettas against people... Also making outrageous and bold face lies in regards to their own puppy. Lying about things that did not happen. However, I would like to point out that this puppy is in perfect health and has never had a health problem and was an extremely social happy puppy when he was delivered to her. She was very angry because I would not fill out her contract, for because they needed me to hold their hand because they couldn't fill out the contract for themselves and then sign it. This person was completely incompetent and did not understand having respect for other people.. Now I can verify this because he went to a friend of mine house while we waited for his mother to make her payment and demands. Now my friend works with the GBI and does not suffer from any type of mental disorder, or grandiose bipolar disorder. She also owns one of my pups she has had extensive interactions with my pups. And the parent making this report against my dogs, is a person that got angry because she didn't pay it within the right amount of time for me to be able to go to Pennsylvania first. And I was already in route to head out west to deliver other parents their puppies but she wanted me to drop everything I was doing, and forget the parents out west who paid for their puppies on time to coddle her. She could not have what she wanted the second her wanted, therefore if she felt it was necessary to smear my name. AKC is a registry service first and formost. I mean takr a look at thw show lines with thw short back legs and the hump to the spine. They don't care about breeding practices as long as the dogs in question are both AKC registered and the same breed. It is in no way a guarantee of quality. If you did a little research you would understand the positive aspects of line breeding when done by a responsible breeder who knows the genetic health and conformation of their lines. There is too much to go into here- It takes a good head for genetic science and is in some ways, an art form. Some cancer is genetically linked- some environmental. That's where your breeder comes in. A responsible breeder would not breed a dog whose lines are prone to a certain cancer, with another dog whose lines are also prone to that same cancer. If only humans were as genetically selective as a responsible dog breeder. The goal of any reputable dog breeder is to breed the "perfect" dog according to the registry standards. Inbreeding does NOT cause abnormalities/deformities as proven by genetic SCIENCE. It does make both "good" genes, that you are looking to duplicate, and "bad" genes show themselves within a couple of generations. This is done so the breeder can lock in the good traits and discover the genetic faults sooner. The dog is then cross bred to a genetically unrelated dog to strengthen the faults which were discovered. This is being done to erase faults found within that bloodline. It actually, if done properly, betters that bloodline by reducing physical and genetic problems which existed. Science has also proven that after 4 generations, the ancestor's gene pool has little to do with the traits being passed on to pups. Now the breeder has a more "genetically" pure dog thus producing consistent offspring free of the flaws which the bloodline. Inbreeding is not acceptable in humans. It is acceptable in dogs. Human species = homosapien, dog = canine... not even close to the same species. You cannot look at a dog and think human logic regarding breeding. It will never work. If it weren't for the above named breeding styles, dogs like the German Sheppard would have evolved and we wouldn't have that breed today. Please educate yourselves and don't judge a science which you know nothing about. AKC is no guarantee of quality.. yes an AKC breeder can indeed be a back yard breeder. Once again AKC is only a registry service. Guess what? ALL registries allow in breeding and line breeding! You will be hard-pressed to find a dog that doesnt have at least some line-breeding in the pedigree. This is why its important to research the breeder to assure they are reputable and breeding for health and temperment. cracked.com/personal-experiences-1712-your-purebred-inbred-5-realities-dog-breeding.html

Since there is so much information on these subjects I will rebuttal each and every one seperately. I dont do well with folks that have no clue what they are talking about. I take my information for the numerous books I have read and poured over before I ever bred the first time. I have also followed my Vet advise and knowledge the whole time I have been breeding. So instead of trying to further defend myself on my knowledge we will go with 2 seperate Vets who specialize in canine reproduction. Back to Back Breeding The Australian Journal of Professional Dog Breeders dogbreeding.net.au/revisiting-back-to-back-breeding/242#comment-84 Revisiting back to back breeding February 5, 2011 By Dr Kate Schoeffel By Dr Kate Schoeffel It is frequently claimed that breeding dogs on every heat or “back to back breeding” is bad for a b***h’s long term health and well being. However the research in canine reproduction shows that not breeding a dog when it comes into heat can in fact be bad for its health. Scientist have shown that pseudopregnancy ['phantom pregnancy'] increases the risk of mammary cancers which are the second most common cancer in dogs after skin tumours and are 3-5 times more common than breast cancers in women1 : Pseudopregnancy often occurs when a b***h is not bred. She will show signs such as nesting, weight gain, mammary enlargement and lactation – usually about 6 to 12 weeks after oestrus. Pseudopregnancy represents the extreme of the changes which normally occur during the oestrus cycle and it is suggested that it is a hang over from dogs evolution from wolves. Subordinate non breeding pseudopregnant female wolves in a pack can help to raise pups by nursing the litters of other females” 2 In 1994 Donnay and his associates showed that there is a relationship between the number of pseudopregnancies a b***h goes through and the development of mammary cancer – see Table 1 below3 . Verstegen and Onclin (2006)1 have also studied canine mammary cancer and found that a large number of bitches presented for mammary tumours also show pseudopregnancy, that a large percentage of these females had had frequent pseudopregnancies and that the bitches with recurring pseudopregnancy at each cycle tended to develop mammary tumours significantly earlier than other animals. Both of these authors say that there is need for more research but clearly bitches which don’t breed are likely to become pseudopregnant and pseudopregnancy increases the risk of cancer. Dr. Robert Van Hutchison Reproduction Seminar 12/8/02 Transcript PHFasDog: We are extremely happy to see you all here tonight and to welcome our very special guest, canine reproduction expert Dr. Robert Hutchison. PHFasDog: Dr. Hutchison is one of the country's top canine reproduction experts, and a popular speaker at specialties and other dog events. It's a great honor for us to welcome him here tonight. DrHutch: Thank you everyone for spending a Sunday evening discussing canine reproduction and puppy care. DrHutch: I feel (and look) like a jolly old elf with my holiday bag filled with wonderful gifts for the canine breeder. Mibolerone (formerly Chequedrops) are available again, we have Cabergoline for estrous cycle induction and and have now added laparoscopic surgical ai's and transcervical inseminations to our breeding arsenals. What a super way to end 2002 and start 2003!!