Health, what you should Know
This page and information is here to give you the potential puppy buyer the information you may need in purchasing a puppy. in this page you will find information on MDR1 Gene ( canine multi drug Sensitivity test), Canine Cyclic Neutroenia ( Gray Collie Syndrome), HD (certification on hips ), CEA the new DNA test to prove you have a Non Carrier of CEA. We put this together for all so you can be better informed on collies and the latest studies please e-mail if you have any questions glasgow@hutontel.on.ca
We here at Glasgowhill Collies would like to address and dispel the rumors flying around about all the testing done at our kennel. Yes, we Show and win with our collies, but our foremost concern is breeding a healthy collie. And because of this the "collie world" is seeking to tear us down. The "collie world", for as long as I can remember, have professed that they have wanted to make the breed better. And as the years have progressed DNA markers have been found to help us eradicate some of these problems. But, if someone uses them to help eradicate these problems in their breeding program, they are talked about badly and rumors start flying about falsifying documents, buying off vets, etc. These rumors are killing our breed. I document every test I do, every problem I come up against and learn from them. Nowadays, it's not the dog itself that most people are buying, but the names in the pedigree. If you don't have top name kennels in the pedigree then your dogs are not worthy of breeding, according to some breeders. A Lot of breeders these days are playing the ostrich game. They will stick their heads in the sand and pretend these problems don't exist. People are saying that they want "honest" breeders to buy dogs from, but if you tell people about problems or test to eradicate them then you are ruining the "collie world". If you have problems and don't choose to let everyone know, then who is the "honest" breeder. I have never "knowingly" bred a dog with hip dysplasia, and those that have tested poorly have been eliminated from my breeding program and placed in pet homes. As we are finding out, hip dysplasia is poly genetic and even dogs with excellent hips can produce offspring with hip dysplasia. Breeding for normal eyes can be done in two generations, if carefully done. Those breeders who breed for just mild CEA are not "choosing" to eradicate this problem. But there are only a few kennels that are producing true normal eyed non carrier dogs and because of malicious rumors have been labeled "puppy mills" and people are afraid to buy or breed with these dogs. The consumer is getting smarter these days and are asking more informed questions. And if you aren't doing the testing that is available they move on until they find someone who does. If the "collie world" thinks that I am taking away their business then that's too bad. If they smartened up and did the testing available to them they would find their puppy buyers knocking their doors down. I WILL NOT apologize for trying to breed a healthier collie and doing the testing required for this. I WILL NOT apologize for taking informed puppy buyers away from other breeders who are not "interested" or won't do the testing puppy buyers are now requesting. I WILL NOT apologize for letting "the public" know when I come up against a problem. I WILL NOT apologize for trying to breed the healthiest collie I can. I WILL continue to do every test that is available to me and hope that other collie breeders will finally "get with the program" and turn this breed around. With regards to CEA...this is a disease not a condition. Several other breeds, such as Shetland Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds to name a few, have eradicated this disease from their breed without adverse effects. And for the record, eye shape and size have nothing to do with the disease, so lets dispel the myth of "big eyed normal eyed collies". Most of this information is for those people who visit my site wishing to purchase a collie. We all have the freedom to "choose" what we want to do in our breeding program. There is no "collie police" telling you what you can and cannot do, but all the bad mouthing and misinformation about our breed has to stop. Let's touch on MDR1's. There are people out there that could care less about the MDR1 status of their dogs. Well, good for them, but as far as I'm concerned I DO care about that in my dogs. So, for all of you out there that are spreading rumors and badmouthing my breeding practices, KEEP IT UP! All you are doing is sending more puppy buyers my way because they are smart enough to want healthy dogs and because I do the testing and stand behind my contract they feel better about a dog purchased here.
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