Post by Brooke on Feb 18, 2004 21:14:48 GMT -5
Posted on Sun, Feb. 15, 2004
The fight for bulkier German shepherds
BREED WARDEN OPPOSES SHOW DOG PHYSIQUE
By Jeffrey Fleishman
LOS ANGELES TIMES
BERLIN - Helmut Raiser wants the German shepherd to be plebeian and muscular, not a lithe, curvy creature preening and prancing for blue ribbons at dog shows.
This aesthetic desire sparked a dog war when Raiser -- the breed warden for the national German Shepherd Association -- criticized some kennels for turning out generations of shepherds that looked less like worker dogs than weak-backed wimps with no calluses on their paws and no grit to their personalities.
This new shepherd, he said, "is a dog in the front and a frog in the back, walking around with a retracted backside as if a brick-stone is hanging from its testicles. ... The worst is the emptiness in the heads of these dogs and the boring and stupid expressions on their faces."
The ensuing growls have yet to quiet.
"Raiser's acting like a dictator," said Clemens Lux, manager of the German Shepherd Association based in Augsburg.
In a sense, this dust-up of ego, politics and science reflects the stoicism and spirit with which many Germans define national identity. The dog -- used by police, rescue teams and the blind -- epitomizes a strict work ethic and shows how perseverance leads to excellence.
The debate has turned into a symbolic struggle of sorts between the working and well-heeled classes. Wealthier shepherd owners, according to Raiser, have flocked to the show-dog market. The result, he said, is a delicate, more urbane shepherd with slanting back and bad hips that mocks the ideals of Max von Stephanitz, who first organized breeders in the late 1890s.
The most recent storm around the shepherd has veered in and out of court since December 2002, when Raiser was elected breed warden, a post that influences canine guidelines across Germany. Raiser's detractors -- whom he calls "that old show dog mafia" -- have twice attempted to unseat him. A court ruling on Raiser's fate is expected in May.
Raiser wants to purify the bloodlines and restore the pedigree in the 20,000 shepherd pups born each year in Germany.
"The danger is the health of the dog," he said. "Today's dogs are old by the time they're 4 or 5 years old. They have problems with their spines, skin and fitness. Ask a policeman. They'll tell you these new shepherds can't walk more than four hours. Blind people won't use them because they're unstable."
The fight for bulkier German shepherds
BREED WARDEN OPPOSES SHOW DOG PHYSIQUE
By Jeffrey Fleishman
LOS ANGELES TIMES
BERLIN - Helmut Raiser wants the German shepherd to be plebeian and muscular, not a lithe, curvy creature preening and prancing for blue ribbons at dog shows.
This aesthetic desire sparked a dog war when Raiser -- the breed warden for the national German Shepherd Association -- criticized some kennels for turning out generations of shepherds that looked less like worker dogs than weak-backed wimps with no calluses on their paws and no grit to their personalities.
This new shepherd, he said, "is a dog in the front and a frog in the back, walking around with a retracted backside as if a brick-stone is hanging from its testicles. ... The worst is the emptiness in the heads of these dogs and the boring and stupid expressions on their faces."
The ensuing growls have yet to quiet.
"Raiser's acting like a dictator," said Clemens Lux, manager of the German Shepherd Association based in Augsburg.
In a sense, this dust-up of ego, politics and science reflects the stoicism and spirit with which many Germans define national identity. The dog -- used by police, rescue teams and the blind -- epitomizes a strict work ethic and shows how perseverance leads to excellence.
The debate has turned into a symbolic struggle of sorts between the working and well-heeled classes. Wealthier shepherd owners, according to Raiser, have flocked to the show-dog market. The result, he said, is a delicate, more urbane shepherd with slanting back and bad hips that mocks the ideals of Max von Stephanitz, who first organized breeders in the late 1890s.
The most recent storm around the shepherd has veered in and out of court since December 2002, when Raiser was elected breed warden, a post that influences canine guidelines across Germany. Raiser's detractors -- whom he calls "that old show dog mafia" -- have twice attempted to unseat him. A court ruling on Raiser's fate is expected in May.
Raiser wants to purify the bloodlines and restore the pedigree in the 20,000 shepherd pups born each year in Germany.
"The danger is the health of the dog," he said. "Today's dogs are old by the time they're 4 or 5 years old. They have problems with their spines, skin and fitness. Ask a policeman. They'll tell you these new shepherds can't walk more than four hours. Blind people won't use them because they're unstable."