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1990 American Whippet Club Whippet Annual

Pages 51 through 75

Over Labor Day weekend “Walter” finished his LCM, the same day he became only the second Whippet to win MCA's prestigious MINNESOTA CUP. (The other Whippet MINNESOTA CUP winner was our “Willie” - Ch. Affinity's On The Road Again, CD, LCM II.) That same weekend Walter was the BOB winner two out of three days over tough full field competition.

In September and October, Walter picked up his final points to finish his Championship with 4 majors - owner handled all the way.

GREATER SAN DIEGO WHIPPET ASSOCIATION

  The Greater San Diego Whippet Association is definitely a club of “shakers and movers”.

1990 was a year of building and moving toward AKC sanction. For a fairly small club, 35 members, it has been extremely active.

In February they held their third all Whippet match in Del Mar, CA with Ellen Hammett and Carol Chittum judging a field of 40 dogs. It was a “patented” San Diego day and the match was a great fun for all concerned. Then, in August, they held an excellent All-Breed match that included 36 breeds and more than 400 entries. Every member of the club turned out early in the day to help make this match successful. In September they held their 2nd Annual Fun Day to introduce members to the fun and challenge of racing. They fielded 43 dogs that day including other breeds such as Greyhound and Borzois. The dogs and owners had a fantastic time and they found many potentially successful racing dogs.

Throughout the year the monthly meetings have been very popular because of their beneficial programs. Some of the programs included presentations by FOCAS (Friends of County Animal Shelters), a rescue and placement group in San Diego for purebred dogs unfortunate enough to land in the pound; The Canine Companions for Independent Living, a group that trains very special dogs to serve as the arms, legs and ears for handicapped individuals; and, ICG, a sperm collection agency who explained their techniques and services to breeders.

Also, in their spare time, the members finished eight new Whippet Champions including one Top 20.

This fun, active group of Whippet owners and enthusiasts is planning many exciting activities in 1991 including more matches, another Fun Day or two, and possibly another All-Breed match. The membership is growing and the club is bringing in members they hope will be as eager to promote the Whippet breed as the present members.

For more information about the Greater San Diego Whippet Association, please call (619) 477-4222 or (619) 427-2982.

(Whippoorwill Moonstone x Ch. Chelsea Saffron, ROM)

“Drake” is a Specialty BISweeps winner, 1990 AWC National Specialty BOS from the classes winner, as well as the Santa Barbara KC Hound Group winner. Drake is at his best where the breed entry is over 70.

Breeder / owners: Lee & Deann Christianson and Dianne Bowne (Oxford)

LEE AND DEANN CHRISTIANSON P.O. BOX 10886 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389 (805) 832-3903

(Select Ch. Chelsea Mesmorize x AmCanSBIS Oh. Allerei's Ain't Misbehavin, FCh.)

Our shared boy finished his championship at 11 months, which included a BISweeps and finishing with a BOS over 5 specials.

Breeders: Carolyn Bowers and Karen Lee
Owners: Lee and Deann Christianson and Joetta K. Melton

LEE AND DEANN CHRISTIANSON P.O. BOX 10886 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389 (805) 832-3903

(pictured with our spice litter in 1985)
Without his help and moral support, nothing at CHELSEA would be possible.

LEE AND DEANN CHRISTIANSON P.O. BOX 10886 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93389 (805) 832-3903

TRADER is a Multiple Best of Breed winner and a Group winner.

Lori Nelson WILDFIRE 31838 N. 52nd Street Cave Creek, AZ 85331 (602) 488-3801

KAZE and MAGIC are Co-owned by: Lori Nelson WILDFIRE

(Ch. Delacreme De La Renta x Ch. Saxon Shore Flash Dance)

Marvelous ‘MAXINE' finished her title in early 1990 with 4 majors and then defined herself as a special with 18 Best of Breeds and 11 Group placements. Maxine has been disappointed that her lure coursing plans have been derailed by this busy show career, but we hope to get her to the field soon. Displaying a brillant attitude for obedience, she will be polished for competition by summer. Additionally, plans are in the works for a ‘maternity leave' in 1991.

SUN RUN - J.P. and Sally deBeque Smith

(Ch. Plumcreek Chase Manhattan, CD x Ch. Rafina Rhianda of Kamara)

At an age where many whippets are retired, we think “CAZA” looks her best yet. In addition to numerous BOB wins in 1990, she also won a Group Ill at Buckhorn Valley and a Group I at Sangre de Cristo, defeating a breed entry of 49 en route. This versatile girl has two legs toward her CD, with an average score of 191, and is in training for Open. In addition, she still outruns everything on the place!

250 Weld Co. Rd. #3 - Erie, CO 80516 (303)666-9614

(Ch. Unicorn's Crescendo x. Ch. Hollyhof Fawna V Happy Hollow)

Pictured winning Best of Breed at the AWC Supported Entry
Portland KC under breeder judge Mrs. Nubby Errickson.

With limited showing in 1990, Splash has
18 Best of Breeds • 5 Group Placements
1 ALL BREEDS BEST IN SHOW .

always owner-handled by

Valle Vue Whippets
John & Toni Strasburger
E. 661 Passage View Road , Shelton , WA 98584 (206) 426-8888

Mr. T is pointed, with one major at this point in time - and finally we have another lure courser - beauty and brains.

Breeder Lorricbrook 5043 Mt. Nemo Crescent R.D. 2, Milton, Ontario Canada L9T 2X6

Owner Estelle Hall Lyon 3845 Rippleton Road Cazenovia , NY 13035 (315) 655-9345

Swedish Ch. RIPPLETON WHITNEY BAY

(Ch. Terra Bella Battimano x Am.Can.Ch. Topnotch First Impression)

whelped Nov. 5, 1988

“Elegant male, beautiful head and expression ... Nice topline. ... Beautiful movement.”
Boras, j: Nenne Runsten (Sweden)

“Excellent type. Beautiful head with wonderful expression. Correct neck, nice ears. Good shoulders and upper arm. .Very good angulatlon. Is a wonderful mover.”
Visby, j: Karl Nylen (Norway)

“Good breed type. Nicely balanced. Nice expression and good ears. Sound mover and stylish.”
Skokioster, J: Isabel! Stoffers-Speight (USA)

“Very nice type. Good head, neck, shoulder. Nice size for a dog. Moved really free around the ring. Top quality.”
Skokloster, j: Dennis Meakin (England)

“Excellent size and type. Classic head and expression. Elegant neck and topline. Good matured body.”
N. of Sweden, j: Tina Permo (Sweden)

“Good type, good expression... Good shoulder and front, stands over ground well, good rear angulatlon. Moves well sidegait. Good coming and going.”
j: Allan Pepper (Canada)

“Good head, dark eyes. Good neck and topline. Good angulation. Good chest. Very sound mover.”
Oland, j: Anita Gielisse (Holland)

“Elegant type. Very attractive male, without overstatement. Masculine, well-matured with very attractive topline. Nice balanced, free parallel moves back and forth...”
Enkoping, j: Magnus Hagstedt (Sweden)

(Ch. O'Bailee's Brittania x Ch. Rafina Rhianda of Kamara, ROM)

BETZ LEONE • 1045 McGREGOR WAY, PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA 94306

*Autumn Terra Bella I'm Redee— 7-6-90
+ Chelsea Jamica In Autumn—5-31-90
*Autumn Red October — 7-6-90
*Autumn Terra Bella Red Wine — 7-6-90

SIRE: CH. CHELSEA DRAKKAR OF OXFORD
DAM: *CH. WHIPPOORWILL FANFARE
+ CHELSEA TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

Promising puppies for the future!
Owner handled.

William & Virginia Huffman ~ 15853 Shiloh Road ~ White City , OR 97503 ~ (503) 826-9355

INHERITABLE EYE DISEASE IN WHIPPETS -

THE ANNUAL REPORT

Connie Brunkow, DVM

Another year has sped by, and it's time to assess the progress we've made in our breed.

For those who did not read last year's report, I discussed CERF, the Canine Eye Registry Foundation, and the records it keeps of inheritable eye diseases in purebred dogs. I encouraged all Whippet breeders to have their dog's eyes examined annually, and described the procedure which CERF follows in collecting and tabulating the statistics for the results of all eye exams. This year the AWC has become a member of CERF, and as such, is entitled to receive copies of the tabulations of the stats for our breed.

The statistics I have received are for 1989 (last year I reported on 1988) as CERF is behind on getting information into the computer. Hopefully, now that the AWC is a member, they will give our breed priority for the tabulation process. Unfortunately we didn't make much progress from 1988 to 1989.

In 1988, a total of 64 Whippets were examined by a board-certified ophthalmologist, 6 of which were found to be affected with eye problems (9.4%). Last year I reported 52 examined and 4 with problems the new figures represent the final report from CERF. These problems break down as follows: 1 bitch with localized retinal atrophy, 1 dog and 1 bitch with retinal scars, 4 bitches with cataracts, and 1 bitch with asteroid hyalosis (referred to in last year's report as “vitreous floaters”.)

In 1989, 47 Whippets were examined, 6 of which had problems (12.8%). These break down as follows:

1 dog with a retinal scar, 1 bitch with conus (refers to a protrusion of a surface - in this case of the optic disk - will not affect vision), 1 dog with retinitis (an inflammation of the retina), 1 dog with a cataract, 1 dog and 1 bitch with pigment on the lens, and 1 bitch with vitreous degeneration. The number of specific conditions doesn't equal the total of affected individuals because one dog may have more than one condition - le. the individual with cataract may also be the one with retinitis. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell from the current report which animal may have multiple problems.

In terms of statistical analysis, in 1988, 5 of the affected animals were bitches (83%), and in 1989, 3 were bitches (50%). However with so few animals examined, it is not possible to say whether there is any significance to this. In both years, a few more bitches than dogs were examined (1988 - 28 dogs and 36 bitches, 1989 - 20 dogs and 27 bitches) but the numbers are still too small for meaningful statistical comparison. CERF does provide breakdowns of the various conditions by age and coat color, but there aren't enough years of data and enough animals to be able to make meaningful analyses.

To summarize, in 1988, 9.4%, and in 1989, 12.8% of the Whippets examined were found to have eye problems. Of the various conditions diagnosed, the ones likely to be inheritable and to seriously affect the animals vision include the retinal atrophy and the cataracts. Since the most frequently diagnosed disease is cataracts, a discussion of the anatomy and physiology of the canine lens may be helpful.

The lens is a biconcave transparent body located just behind the iris (Figure 1). It has anterior (toward the front) and posterior (toward the rear) surfaces, and is covered by a capsule. The inner zone is called the nucleus

(Figure 2). Its function is to refract light rays on to the retina to produce a sharp visual image. It is held in place by fibers which are also involved in helping the lens to change shape, to allow for near and far vision, a process called accommodation. This is of relatively minor importance in dogs compared with man.

A cataract is defined as any opacity of the lens. There are several ways of classifying cataracts, including by location in the lens (ie. anterior capsular or perinuclear), age of onset (juvenile or senile), or cause of the cataract. Often these classifications are combined, and are useful in defining the anticipated progression of the cataract. For instance, a juvenile cataract, one that occurs before the animal is 6 years old, is likely to be inherited and tends to progress to blindness rather rapidly. Non-inheritable causes of cataracts include trauma, toxic substances, or metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus.

A cataract may develop secondarily to progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), another inheritable eye disease. Also, cataracts may themselves cause secondary glaucoma, leading to irreversible blindness. A dog with bilateral (in both eyes) cataracts is blind because enough light does not pass through, nor is it properly refracted through the lens. While it is true that the lens can be surgically extracted, thereby restoring vision, the surgery is not without risk and some dogs still lose sight due to secondary inflammation, hemorrhage in the eye, or retinal detachment.

One condition which owners sometimes confuse with cataracts is called nuclear sclerosis. Many of us have probably noticed that the lenses of our older Whippets look bluish or grayish. This is a normal aging change, caused by compression and a slight hardening of the central nucleus of the lens. It is not a cataract (though there are some ophthalmologists who believe it is a very early stage of cataract) and does not impair the dog's vision.

Once again, I want to encourage all Whippet breeders and owners to have their dog's eyes examined annually by a board-certified ophthalmologist. Let me emphasize that all information concerning the names and owners of the dogs is held confidential by CERF, and the only information released are statistical tabulations as shown in the sample report (Figure 3.) One of the traits which many of us value about our Whippets is that the breed as a whole is relatively free of various inheritable conditions. The time to prevent inheritable eye diseases is before they become spread throughout the gene pool, as has occurred in so many other breeds. But we cannot do this without identifying individuals with inheritable conditions and eliminating them from our breeding programs. We spend so much time studying pedigrees, show, and race wins, and striving to breed dogs which conform to the breed standard. Isn't it as equally important to breed Whippets which are healthy and free of inheritable disease?

A last minute addendum - the preliminary 1990 CERF numbers for Whippets are in. I am really pleased to report that 94 Whippets were examined in 1990 - twice the 1989 number. Of these, 25 were found to have some kind of eye problem (26.5%), but only 3 of those are probably inheritable (3.2%). These were all animals with cataracts. Of course these numbers may change slightly, but I'm so happy that we are making progress. I hope by having an eye clinic at the National Specialty that we will enable people to have their dogs checked who might otherwise be unable to do so.

Another piece of information I have is, beginning in 1991, CERF will be using a new computerized form. This will enable the examining ophthalmologist to standardize the descriptions of the various eye conditions found, as well as speeding up the entry and tabulation of the data. Also, the AKC number of the dog will now be required at the time of examination. There will still be absolute confidentiality, but having the number will allow CERF to track the progression of an eye problem in any given dog, as well as identifying which animals have more than one concurrent problem. You can see, I'm sure, how important it is to be able to track disease progression - it should help identify early stages of the diseases and enable CERF to make better recommendations to breeders as far as the inheritability of any given condition.

A third change is that any age dog will now be eligible to be registered with CERF. Formerly, a animal had to be a year old, except Afghans, which had to be two years old. This should be of greatest advantage to breeders of those breeds which have problems which show up very early in their puppies - ie. Collie-eye anomaly, but will benefit all of us, I think.

Statistics provided by C.E.R.F., Inc., at Veterinary Medical Data Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

References to eye diseases taken from:
Severin GA. Veterinary Ophthalmology Notes, 2nd Ed. Colorado State University: 1979; 221-242.

(Ch. Pinetops Chafferbox x Oh. Fallowfleld Carte Blanche. T.T.)

Beginning her show career at 6 years of age, Martha quickly earned 10 points and a major. Unfortunately, she contracted a severe case of Lyme disease, from the ravages of which she has never fully recovered. Therefore, with extreme regret, we have decided to retire her from competition.

She would have been the 15th champion necessary for her sire to be awarded his ROM. Sorry, John and C.B. - we tried.

We'll now concentrate on showing her Oh. Locars Dressed to Kill daughters, Fallowfield Diamond Life (pointed) and Anon Superstition.

(“Select” Ch. High Flyer Mach One x Ch. Mojaves Kahlua)

Florie has been an exciting experience for us in the classes, and started her specials career with a bang, going BOB and Group II at Cabrillo KC (Breed judge Dorothy MacDonald, Group judge Betty Claus). We look forward to more SPECIAL things from her in 1991.

FLASH!! Florie “SELECT” at SCWA 1/91 Specialty.
breeder-judge Pat Miller; entry 155

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