However, it is the responsibility of the exhibitor to decide if an individual dog is worthy to represent the breed before even taking it into the ring. Every breeder’s programmust provide balance to achieve the end goal; a dog of correct breed type, healthy (struc- ture included), and with correct breed temperament. If a breeder is over- stressing the importance of any one thing, the results (over more than one generation) could be very undesirable. Being a conscientious breeder is simi- lar to a juggler juggling many objects. This article in question mainly ad- dressed luxating patellas and their relationship to the front and rear an- gulation. Front and rear angulation, along with their balance, will affect correct movement. However, there are a multitude of other possibilities for luxating patellas. The breeding goal of eliminating luxating patellas should be addressed by every breeder as well as by the breed club. Many health concerns that should eliminate a dog from a breeding pool would not be visible and discernable while inside the show ring. The breed- er’s final judgment of what to breed to whom should be one of serious study of the breed and of the Pomeranian standard. Judges do play an important role, but not in the whelping box. To be sure, not every show dog or cham- pion should be bred. Ultimately, the responsibility of breeding decisions remains with the breeder. We must have patience with judges who are learning to judge the Pom, as well as with our novice breeders and exhibitors. I applaud those who have a lifelong passion to breed and exhibit Poms as conscientiously as possible. It is a never-ending, evolving challenge to produce beautiful, healthy Pomera- nians with good temperaments. DAVID & CARLENE GILSTRAP We are David and Carlene Gilstrap. We’ve been breeding Pomeranians under the name of Mountain Crest for over 30 years. We pride ourselves on the structure of our dogs. In our 30- plus years of breeding, we have seen
many changes in our small breed— some good and some not. It is a well-known fact that Poms are the number one bred for luxating pa- tellae. If you research luxating patel- las, you’ll find it is usually a genetic condition. Though it can be caused from an accident, most of the time it is genetic. It is not caused by a bad front or shoulder placement. A shoul- der placement may cause some stress on the rear, but it does not cause a bad rear. The front shoulder assembly and the rear assembly are two separate parts of the body. Because the patella problems in our breed are mostly genetic in origin, it would be a breeding problem. With that said, it is up to the breeder to try and breed out the bad patella—no one else can do it. It is up to the breeder to recognize when a line has a patella problem. It is not an easy task to breed out 100 percent of the bad patellas or any other genetic disorder. We will not do it by blaming someone else or by making our breeding decisions on what goes on in the judging ring. At the end of the day, it is your dog, your breeding program! ROXIE CAMPBELL I have owned and loved the Pomera- nian breed since I was five years old. I had polio as an infant and, growing up, I required many surgeries. My grand- mother had a friend who gifted her a retired champion that was then gifted to me. This dog was my constant com- panion until he passed at the age of 18. I began attending shows in the early 1970s. I had an opportunity to observe many of the great dogs of that time. I learned about structure, pedigrees, and breeding programs. Sue God- dard, Randy Frech, Nina Epps, Erika Moureau, and Darrell and Olga Baker were a few of my mentors. I bred a few litters and finished several champions under their guidance. By the mid-80s, I made the difficult decision to step away from dog shows to raise my fam- ily and start my retail business. I still, however, had my dogs and made every local show to observe and visit withmy show family.
BRENDA SEGELKEN AKC Judge Brenda Segelken, breed- er/owner-handler of Fame Pomera- nians, was former Editor of the Po- meranian Review . Elected by the APC Membership, she judged the APC National in 2017. Brenda has served on the APC Board of Directors and is a Life Member of the American Po- meranian Club, Inc. “It is apparent to me that we have let irresponsible judging lead to irrespon- sible breeding, and that judges are unaware that the decisions they make in the show ring promote the lame- ness problems in our breed.”—TNT, January 2021 RESPONSE: When I read the writer’s sentence above, the first thing that stuck out in my mind was “WE.” More specifically, “WE have let irresponsible judging…” Who is the “WE” within this sen- tence? Rightfully stated then, “YOU” are now taking on the responsibility of irresponsible judging and breeding. But “WHO” actually holds the ul- timate responsibility of the dogs in the ring? Many highly respected AKC judges of the past and present have taught, “When judging, first decide which dogs in the ring are of the correct breed type. From those, then select the best structure.” Judges should not put up a pet quality Pom just because it can move correctly. Breeders who participate in confor- mation competition do take part in an evaluation of breeding stock by knowl- edgeable judges. This selection pro- cess can assist in breeding decisions.
44 • T op N otch T oys , A pril /M ay 2021
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