Disgusted

I wasn't going to blog about this but it has been playing on my mind since last weekend. While Zack and I were at the rally trial there was a conformation dog show on at the same time. While walking around the grounds I saw a German Shepherd puppy (I would guess approx. 4 months old) whose back end was so awful. It's back was so sloped that the base of it's tail was almost on the ground and it's hind legs (if you can call them that) wobbled so badly that the puppy was wobbling around on his hocks not his feet. I have read about the problem in this breed and seen photos in magazines but never seen it with my own eyes. It was heartbreaking.

I asked my friend (as I am new to the dog show world) why they would bring a puppy in that state to a show and she told me that in the ring when the dog is trotting around for the judge it's wobble does not show. That made me sick.

German Shepherd dogs I thought were majestic, beautiful and athletic dogs - not any more. I bet this poor puppy couldn't even walk 2km. It's a sad sad thing when some breeds have been changed so much that their health suffers.

There I got it off my chest. I know this is a huge controversy and there are many many problems in lots of breeds not just German Shepherds (I know from personal experience with my Cavaliers) but it still breaks my heart when I see it and how it will affect that dog's life in the future.