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In a message dated 5/1/99 12:03:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: << I guess I don't get why they breed from Pal's line - Howard doesn't *look* like "Lassie" so why only breed from him to get the next Lassie, why not find the new Lassie and start over? >> Thanks to Ace Collins, all of the Lassies will forever be known by names they started out with as a pup! "Howard" will not even look at you or respond to you if you call him by that name. The call names in the book are sort of like the names breeders give pups before the new owners come along. When a potential candidate is bred, even though he might have all the markings, you need to wait a few months to see what the disposition is, how he responds to training and other factors will be to make a final decision. When that decision is made, the pup takes on the name of Lassie from that point on till the rest of his life. On the line, the breeding has always been father to son for 8 generations, likewise on the trainer! :-) It's part of the Lassie legacy that has become traditional. Today's Lassie has been bred bigger because of requirements in the business. Lassie plays primarily against child actors and the larger the dog, the longer the human child actor can play a part. The blaze, full white collar and white feet are geneticly required by the trademark. The blaze is not an exact science. Just about all the pups are born with a blaze but it fades out within the first couple weeks or months. It's just not possible to "clone" a dog's blaze (unless you actually clone!- YUK).