History of the Club Split: The ISSR Response:
November 1997
Dear
Shiloh Breeders, Owners, and Fanciers
Several months ago I provided the (new) club with ISSR information that was to be published in their Newsletter so that everyone could be notified properly. Since the changes were effective as of 9/1/97, but their Newsletter was running late, I extended them by 30 days. Obviously, as you can see on the bottom of pg.33, they chose not to print what I had submitted, although they did acknowledge the fact that it was received. I will not take the time to retype all of the new ISSR improvements and changes, they will be available on our web site. As a Shiloh owner it is your responsibility to comply with all ISSR Regulations. I would like to encourage you to take some time to print off the revised ISSR Rules & Regulations. In the past the club and registry worked together in a team effort, unfortunately that does not seem possible in the future, so please be informed that you need to be visiting our web site (http://www.shilohshepherd.com) often as it will be the only official source for breed/registry information. I have important facts that I need to share with you in this letter in order to alleviate some of the misconceptions now stirring among the Shiloh family. Please read this letter very carefully, as it is your official notification of the new ISSR rate changes, etc. 1.) Although not all, most breeders were notified that after 09/01/97, the ISSR rate for ‘blue papers” and “upgrades” would remain at $25.00. With the growth of the club, it has become too difficult to monitor between “members/non-members”. The TCCP has always charged the non-member fee, therefore the flat rate of $25.00 will apply to all. Unfortunately, the ISSR is unable to continue providing the services you have received these past 5 years without a slight increase. As of 09/01/97, the fees for litter applications are: $20.00 application fee, and $4.00 per puppy. 2.) Any upgrades submitted for Gold/Ora papers without an official Penn Hip, or OFA prelim certificate, accompanying the x-rays, as well as completed Dominant/Recessive chart and all other ISSR requirements will be returned and a special $10.00 handling fee must be added upon resubmitting. (unfortunately, any x-rays submitted for Gold /ORA papers without either a Penn Hip or OFA certification will be returned. A $25.00 shipping and handling fee will have to be applied. Only Red/White and Black /White upgrades may still submit x-rays for breed warden evaluation.) 3.) Enclosed is the new (revised 9/97) Win Sheet. Please make copies and discard all previous versions. Always remember to complete the Win Sheet in its entirety so that your Breeder may be credited towards the prestigious Breeder of the Year award. *Any “win sheet” that is not on an official ISSR (with logo) form, will be returned to sender.
*
The
(‘new) club has requested that you send copies of your win sheet to
them for documentation in the newsletter.
This
is not a requirement of the ISSR. Please feel free to do as you wish.
Please
note: NO “Breed Club” has ANY AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER regarding any
ISSR functions. Everything concerning your dog’s registrations,
breeding privileges, breed standard, show wins, etc. is strictly under
the authority of the ISSR Inc. Complete updated ISSR rules and
regulations may be obtained directly through the Registry web site or by
mailing $3.00 to the ISSR for a hard copy of same. No official ISSR
information will be published in any other format. In
order to help you get a clearer understanding of the expected functions
that belong to the "Registry" or “Club
“,
I
am listing a partial outline on page 4. Many people have a problem differentiating between the applicable functions of the two entities. The best analogy I can arrive at is that of the AKC’s relationship with the various Breed Clubs.
Example:
If you purchase a Collie, you may want to join a local “Collie Club”
in order to meet other Collie owners and their dogs. You may find that
you really enjoy this group of Collie owners, or you may find that
it is not for you. Nevertheless,
your decision can in no way infringe on your right to own, breed or show
your AKC-registered Collie! You know how I feel in regard to the AKC’s laxity in controlling the quality of dogs they register, allowing anyone to receive full breeding rights on any dog they own, regardless of genetic faults, etc. That is why the ISSR’s breeding requirements are molded closer to the standards of the SV. Although I personally do not approve of the AKC’s lax breeding control, many of their other rules are well thought out and disciplined. If you investigate what their functions and responsibilities are to pure breed dogs, you may be able to better understand the true purpose of the ISSR. The Shiloh Shepherd™ “Breed” is based on the LMX program. To prevent deterioration of quality you must adhere to it diligently. In order to help you better understand how crucial this (LMX) program is to our breed, I would like to outline a few facts.
Time
permitting I plan to publish a large fully detailed article regarding
CHD, that will cover the complete history of my LMX system as well as
many other statistics that need to be better understood. It has been my experience these past 7 years that most people decide upon a Shiloh due to the strict guidelines we adhere to. Shiloh Shepherd™ Kennels established the quality of these dogs through the vigilant use of the LMX program. It took nearly 3 decades to stabilize the gene pool that now enables you to boast about the great hips we have. Unfortunately during the past 7 years, much data has not been collected for various reasons. Many breeders (including myself) have not fulfilled LMX's on litters they have produced. As of 01/01/98, the TCCP will go through the database
and any pink papered dog that is over 36 months of age will be listed as
expired! You can still get your dog upgraded by paying the penalty fee
prior to 12/31/97. I am personally offering the following option as a means to collect this much-needed data:
ZION
CUSTOMERS: If you purchased your dog from Zion Kennels and upgrade
him/her before 01/01/98, I will personally pay your penalty fees! I would suggest that anyone else with expired papers contact their breeder also. Breeders, I realize that there are times when no matter what you do people will not adhere to their agreement and upgrade their dogs. Nevertheless the ISSR has no choice but to tighten and enforce the established requirements if we want to maintain the high percentage of good hips that had made this breed so popular in the past. This brings me to the purpose of the above information. As most all of you have read, the “new” club has written a proposal in a separate insert to your newsletter. At this time I must inform you that their proposal has been rejected, as it would soon be the destruction of the Shiloh Shepherd™. They have proposed, that if a litter is not LMX’d, that the breeder be suspended from breeding for 1 year, and that anyone who purchased a puppy from that litter, and fulfilled their upgrade would be allowed to breed. I would like to explain why this proposal would never work, and could quickly destroy the breed. 1.) Many breeders have only 1 litter per year, so this suspension would not effect them in the least, nor give them incentive to pursue their customers for upgrades. Those who have several litters, can always “sell” their dogs to friends or family members, and so forth and so on... this in no way will stop that “dog” from being bred, puppies being sold, and no LMX data collected. 2.)Allowing a dog to be bred just because their owner fulfilled their upgrade, is a complete contradiction to the LMX program. Its littermates could possibly have a high rate of CHD, thus perpetuating the faulty genes. If that is our future goal, then we may as well just register our dogs with AKC! At least we would have a lot more shows to attend. Did you not purchase your Shiloh because of the rigid Registry controls? 3.)They suggest that a club committee decide some breedings of non-LMX litters. This is the SOLE responsibility of the Breed Warden who has extensive knowledge concerning all generations behind individual dogs within the Shiloh Shepherd™ gene pool. By allowing a “committee” of people who have only had a handful of litters among them all, make decisions that will effect the future hip quality of the entire breed, is ludicrous. The ISSR is still researching a solution to the problem addressed in the insert of your newsletter. At this time, the Registry has suggested a reduction from 80% to 70% for an LMX litter. The Sire, and/or Dam, must fulfill this requirement for a litter to be registered. Puppies born out of any litter where neither Sire nor Dam have completed the LMX requirements, will only be eligible for restricted ORA, or Black and white papers. Also discussed in the insert was the suggestion that only Penn Hip be accepted as a form of hip certification. Though this was discussed, it is not the ruling. The ISSR will accept either OFA or Penn Hip certification on GOLD/ORA upgrades. It was also discussed that the Registry accept Penn Hip certification as early as 6 months for final upgrade. After much investigation, it has been determined that though a 6 month old dog may have an acceptable D/I rating, it is improbable that any remodeling or other signs of degenerative joint disease can be detected at that early age. Thus the existing ISSR requirements will remain the same. All dogs must be x-rayed via Penn Hip, OFA or both, not prior to 12 months nor past 14 months. A written request for a 90-day justifiable extension may be presented to the ISSR. The discussions regarding the LMX program as well as Penn Hip versus OFA etc., held during the VIB meeting at Homecoming were just that, discussions! No final determinations were made at that time. Since then, I have determined that the ruling suggested above will enable us to continue our strong efforts toward the improvement of hip quality within our breed. In order to establish and facilitate better communication lines between the Registry and the Club, I have appointed Mr. William Pellicane as the new ISSR liaison to the Club, and he has gracefully accepted the position. In a similar format, as the one developed by the AKC, it will be his responsibility to work with the Club appointed representative. I am sure most of you know/have heard of “Brooklyn Billy” a.k.a. BACANE or Shilohs4me on AOL. For those of you who haven’t met Billy, please stop in on the AOL Wed. night chat, he is always there. Billy has been involved with our breed for nearly 5 years. He has served as the NE Director at Large, as well as forming the “Long Island Chapter”, faithfully attending Homecoming each year, as well as attending many shows just to help other members handle their dogs, fill out win sheets, etc. He has always been firmly loyal to our breed despite any and all adversities. He has presented our breed on a local TV show, set up “Shiloh Information Booths” at various pet stores, as well as hosting a Shiloh booth at the Long Island Pet Expo for (soon to be) 4 years! Billy has consistently dedicated himself to the promotion and perseverance of our breed. I have complete confidence in his dedication to this breed, first and foremost. He has no interest in politics or monetary gain, he has told me on several occasions that his main goal is:
“If
I want to purchase a Shiloh 20 years from now, I want to be sure they
still exist the way they are today” In order to maintain accurate records and total harmony between the respective liaisons, I have asked Patti Schaefer to act as the conciliator as well as to log all final presentations via the AOL private room chats. This way both the Club and the Registry will have a clear hard copy transcript of all sessions that have transpired between their respective representatives. Due to the uncertainty of whether or not any important ISSR notifications submitted to the new club would be published, I have chosen a different venue for future communication. I have stepped in to the technology of the 90’s, and there by have chosen to utilize the ISSR’s web site and mass e-mail capabilities as a means to keep you apprised of all pertinent Breed/Registry information. Please forward your e-mail address to: MaShiloh@aol.com or send the Registry a SASE if you prefer to receive hard copies. As soon as I complete this notice, I am typing a letter of resignation to the new club, asking to have my name removed from their mailing list. Thank you for your support. Tina M Barber
PS: I have received many calls regarding the new club membership dues. When the ISSDC took over the SSDCA members, they agreed to honor all paid memberships (with the possible exception of lifetime, that they suggested prorating). Therefore if your dues are paid in full, till 1/1/98, you will receive a notice from them requesting renewal dues to be paid, otherwise you will not need to send funds until your SSDCA membership expires. However, they are requesting that you complete their application form, if you want to have your membership officially transferred.
|
|||
