Dear Joan,
BRAVO!! Well said.
Roxy

----------
> From: Joan Neidhardt <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Lassie Health
> Date: Saturday, May 01, 1999 8:36 AM
>
> In a message dated 5/1/99 12:03:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> <<  Do they know if the Lassie line has CEA? Are any of the Lassie's
>  ever OFA'd? >>
> <<do the Weatherwaxes ever consider just going out and searching the
> country for a likely looking Collie of good quality and star presence
> instead of breeding the old Lassie line?>>
>
> None of the Lassies (or siblings that I know of) has had CEA.    While
they
> are checked by their veternarian, I don't think any has ever been
officially
> OFA'd.
> On the second question, the Weatherwaxes DO search the country for
collies
> that meet a certain criteria to breed with.   The qualities they look for
are
> health, eyes, bone structure, disposition, coloring and more.   This dog
has
> to be strong, agile, good with children and old people, have trademark
> markings, intelligent, possess stamina and more.  This isn't a dog you
take
> in a ring for a 5-10 minute "show".   Lassie is required to be "Lassie"
7days
> a week, 24 hours a day.  There is no down time for Lassie.   Pedigrees
are
> checked for possible health problems.   There is a lot of concern for
eyes.
> Some of the bitches that have been bred are champion show collies,
especially
> in more recent years.   While breeding for Lassie 9, a number of show
> champions with strong health lines were bred, none produced the
trademarks
> required in any of the pups.   Ironicly, it was a bitch owned by his
daughter
> (no relation to the Lassie lineage) that has produced Lassie 9.    So
while
> he has searched the country, this time around the answer was in his own
> family!
>
>  I think the "quality and show presence" you speak of is more of a
personal
> preference for a certain look in a collie, versus whether or not the dog
is
> actually a quality dog.   From traveling with Lassie I can personally
tell
> you that "Howard" has his fans mesmerized and the same words are always
> repeated-  He is SO beautiful!    For myself personally, before I met him
I
> thought he was a nice looking dog, but the first time I saw him running
> towards me in person, I was captured by the "magic".   There is something
> about him, and his lineage, that is just not there in other collies.    I
> once went out on Lassie's boat with him.   Bob was up on the flying deck,
> Lassie was below with us.   Kids on the shore line called his name.  He
> climbed up on a seat, ears alert and barked back at them as if he was
saying
> "hello"!   I've never seen him at any time of the day or night, not
> fulfilling the "character" of Lassie.   He's always regal, always has
> presence, never seems to have a "bad day" where he's cranky or whatever,
> always responsive, always eager and willing to do whatever is asked.
>
> I have the full gambit at home.  I have a sable that has show quality
> breeding.   I have a blue rescue that came from a kennel known for health
> problems.   And I have a sable pup that is Lassie's son.    I love them
all
> equally but there is something in the face, in the eyes, of the little
guy
> that is just not there with my other two.
>
> I think the thing that is forgotten is that Lassie's breeding is done for
> different reasons than meeting the AKC standard, reasons that are
required in
> the business of TV and movies, trademarks, as well as live appearances.
> While Lassie has been an excellent ambassador of the collie breed, his
reason
> for being what he is has nothing to do with  "improving the collie
breed", it
> is to please an audience of TV and movie fans, many of which think of
Lassie
> as everyman's dog, not as a collie.    It's to present a fictional
character
> that has specific requirements, sort of like a Lassie standard, versus an
AKC
> standard.
>
> Don't get me wrong.  This doesn't mean that Bob is not interested in
> improving some fault of Lassie's in future breedings.   Be it coloring
(he'd
> like to get more mahoghany back in Lassie), or some other health or
> appearance issue that comes up in a line, Bob will look for specific
> qualities in the next Lassie's mom to try to breed out whatever it is
that is
> not pleasing.   Actually, we should all be so lucky with our collies.
With
> the exception of one Lassie that died very unexpectedly of cancer at a
young
> age many years ago, all of the Lassie's have lived to be 15-18 years old!
>
> But Lassie could never be Lassie is he wasn't a collie.  Bob has often
said
> that so much of what makes Lassie so endearing, so well loved, so
> believeable, are common traits of the collie.