ChriMaso

Depending upon what state you live in (assuming, the U.S.), you may be able to pursue the breeder based upon the Puppy Lemon Law in your state. Most states do not allow breeders to sell the puppies before 8 weeks, etc. As far as the trouble & heartache.... I tend to agree with the others and say, just keep her and love her and learn for next time. If you do pursue it, just remember that you might get your money back, but you'll probably have to give the puppy back. Are you willing to do that? Something to think about...

It does not look like a Labradoodle to me. Also, it looks like the tongue is blue. Is it? If so, then it's probably a Chow mix of some sort. Cute & sweet looking whatever it is. :-)

Yes, once a dog has completed its championship in the U.S.A., it can only compete for Best of Breed. Of course, if it wins, then it can advance to compete at the Group level and if it gets a Group 1 placement, then on to Best in Show competition!

Yeah. She definitely looks like either a Canaan Dog or a Border Collie mix. I bet she's a sweetie too!

Shannon - I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It is always difficult to lose these precious gifts. I have a Great Dane that is almost 8 years old and just lately he has been acting "strange" so I will now start worrying about how much time I have left with him.

We don't have "Open" or "Champion" shows per se. However, most of our all breed shows are similar to your "open" shows. We do have a few shows each year that are similar to your "champion" shows, but there are only a couple. The Westminster show in February (in New York City) is open to champions only. It is a limited show and only the Top Five in each breed is "guaranteed" a spot if they choose to enter. All other dogs in that breed may or may not be accepted, depending upon the number of dogs entered and when the entry is received. The AKC/Eukanuba Inviational show is for champions and Best in Show winners only. It is an invitation only show that goes out to the Top 25 dogs in each breed as well as any dog that has won a Best in Show or finished its champion ship from the Bred By Exhibitor class. This show changes location and is held either in southern California or Florida. There are also a couple other shows (I think only 2 or so) in which only dogs that have placed first in their class against competition. I am going to one at the end of this month in Daly City, California. It is a benched show (do you know what that is?). Yes, I do hope to make it to Crufts one day. I can't imagine how exciting it would be for me. The dog that one last year was beautiful (the Australian Shepherd). His handler is an acquaintance of mine and is a VERY nice person and an excellent handler. He is one of the best in the U.S., so are his wife and step-daughter. We had a party for him in March and it was VERY fun! What is your mailing address? I will see if I can find some Judging Schedules or some old programs for shows and send them to you so you can see how the points work. Points are different by gender, by breed, by region. As an example, for Bostons in California it takes 5 dogs for 2 points, but it takes 8 bitches for 2 points. In the same state, it takes 17 dogs in Great Danes for 2 points and 24 bitches. So, yes, it can be VERY difficult to get majors for some breeds in some areas. In the U.S., we have 7 groups and Bostons are in Group 6-Non-Sporting. In other countries, they are in the Companion & Toy Group, and still others in the Utility Group. Funny....

Actually, it sounds easy; however, it is NOT. Getting the 2 majors is VERY difficult in many areas. We didn't have any majors in my state for 8 months last year. It was HORRIBLE. AKC computes the numbers (they are updated every year) so that majors are only available at about 5-15% of the shows. If you don't travel, then it will likely take a LONG time to finish. But in answer to your question, if there are majors and your dog is nice, it theory, it could finish in only 3 shows that are all 5 pointers. But that is VERY RARE. Most Bostons are finished by the time they are 1-2 years of age. Why would Bostons not be permitted to show? Their tails are NOT docked. That is a disqualification. They are bred for very short, almost no tail. Not allowing them to show because they "appear" docked seems pretty unfair. Gotta go for now. Will respond to your point system after I have time to "think it over." Have a great night!

Very interesting. What are the requirements to enter the Limit Class? AKC championship requirements ARE kind of confusing. Ha Ha Let me try to explain. Dogs can earn their championship at any time after they reach 6 months of age. The dog must be awarded 15 points by at least 3 different judges. Each show will award 0-5 points. Points are based upon the number of dogs (same gender, same breed) that is beaten, but the number includes the dog itself. The points also vary by region based upon the number of entries of that breed. Within this 15 points, the dog must be awarded 2 "majors" under 2 different judges. A "major" is defined as an award of 3, 4 or 5 points at a single show. In California, the point system for Bostons is as as follows: 1 pt for dogs requires an entry of 2 dogs showing 2 pts for dogs requires 5 3 pts (a major) = 8 4 pts (a major) = 9 5 pts (a major) = 12 1 pt for bitches requires an entry of 2 bitches showing 2 pts = 8 3 pts = 13 4 pts = 17 5 pts - 20 So for example, if 8 dogs are entered, but only 7 show up to be shown, then for dogs, it is a 2-pt show for the winner. Of course, it CAN get more complicated. Let's say there are 17 bitches entered and they all show up. This means that the winners bitch gets 4 points. Now the WD & WB go in to compete for Best of Winners, Best of Breed & Best of Opposite Sex to BOB. So, if there are 2 male specials and 3 bitch specials (a "special is a champion competing for BOB/BOS) and the Winners Bitch gets BOS, then she has beaten 3 additional bitches, so now she gets the 5 point major. If the Winners Dog get BOB, then he will also be awarded Best of Winners automatically and in the AKC the Best of Winners canNOT be awarded fewer points that the other gender, so the WD will ALSO get the 5 point major. It can get more complicated too. Let's say the WD did win breed, but only got 2 points. Now he goes to Group competition. If he is awarded a Group 1 placement (and ONLY the Group 1), if ANY dog in any breed within that group was awarded more points (so, 3, 4 or 5 points), then the Group 1 winner gets to get those points instead. Since he beat the BOB in that breed, then he has beaten the dog with the more points, so he cannot receive less points than that dog. This how some of the more rare breeds finish their championship because there are not enough dogs in breed competition to get a major, so if they get a group 1, then they can get that major. Kinda make sense? I KNOW it is confusing. It's taken me over a year to fully understand it. Ha Ha What is the championship requirements in the UK. Do you also show in non-UK countries? If so, can you explain their championship requirements? I have a dog in Italy right now, but he was in France and obtained his French, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Luxemborg championships while he was there. I'm hoping he'll get titles in at least Italy, Croatia, & Slovenia while he's in Italy. He goes to South Africa after than.

I don't know about ethical or responsible, but I would have to say it is definitely inhumane. How cruel is it to bring puppies into this world and then euthanize them because they didn't meet your requirements? There are sooooooo many good homes just waiting for a pet. If your own children didn't live up to your expectations, would you have them killed? Sorry, but I think that killing perfectly healthy puppies FOR ANY REASON is inhuman, unethical, and irresponsible. If you don't want to be responsible for the puppies that you cause to be brought into this world, then you shouldn't breed at all. Just my opinion, of course....

Actually, you can have an ultrasound done at about day 30-35 and it should confirm a pregnancy and identify heartbeats. Your vet can probably also palpate at about day 21.

How do you "qualify for life" at Crufts? I've never been (I live in the U.S.), but hope to one day. My dog won the Breed at the AKC/Eukanuba invitational show, so he is qualified for this year and next, but but his ears are cropped, so he can't go anyway. :-( -- Pamela [url]www.ChriMasoBostons.com[/url]