Best of Breed!

Wyndlair Avalanche

This dog was born tragically and completely blind and deaf. Some question whether he has eyes at all. This dog was knowingly registered by the American Kennel Club, the AKC, as are his progeny, one of which won Best of Breed at the 2012 Westminister Dog Show.

Avalanche is the product of an on-purpose merle to merle breeding, which is known full well to produce deaf and blind pups, among other maladies. There is no question about that. Avalanche's disastrous circumstance was not only 100% avoidable, but was created with astoundingly selfish malice and aforethought. He has never been shown because of his condition, but was selectively bred for the purpose of consistently passing on his color.

What? Wait a minute. Humans intentionally bred 2 merle dogs knowing it would create a deaf and blind dog solely for the purpose of color? Cheese and rice...where is Charlize Theron when you need her?

The motto of this dog's breeders as shown on their website is "Redefining Excellence." If you look up "excellence" in the dictionary, I'm quite sure they have met their goal.

Interestingly, rough collies are shown in the "Herding Group." How can you herd what you cannot see or hear? Apparently color trumps hearing, sight and any scrap of ability. Why don't we dispense with the pretense, and simply call it what it is; the heartbreaking genetic freak group.

Avalanche's breeders have this to say about puppies they sell: "Ears Taped: Nothing is more beautiful than a Collie with correctly-shaped, set, and tipped ears. We begin taping all of our puppies’ ears by 7 weeks of age to aid nature in creating that beautiful expression! Nothing separates a beautiful Collie from all the rest like beautiful ears."

Avalanche had his ears taped at 7 weeks of age to obtain correctly-shaped, set and tipped ears, even though he would never see the inside of a show ring, or anything at all. That means his breeders folded over the tips of his ears, and taped them down to damage the cartiledge, so they would no longer do what comes naturally; stand up straight.

This dog's ears were of greater importance to his breeders than his ability to see, or hear.

Does that seem cruel to you too? Welcome to the outrageously disgraceful world of the AKC. Ethics?? Don't need 'em as long as your ears are correct.

Avalanche is purported to be an "only" puppy, a singleton, born without littermates. This represents 1 of 2 possibilities to me; Merle to merle breedings are known to create fertility problems in the form of low birth rates and dead fetal puppies. Possibly his "onlyness" is the result. Or, his breeders killed his littermates at birth so they would only have to manage 1 deaf and blind dog. Given their unconscionable, and purely selfish lack of ethics, I like that one better.

Want more proof of AKC abomination? Wyndlair Avalanche has become the #1 sire of rough collies, and the #1 producer of champions. Talk about rewarding cruelty...So, while in other principled, and morally decent registries merle to merle breeding is disallowed, at the AKC, it's Best of Breed!

Please don't support the AKC with your dollars. Please do NOT buy AKC registered puppies. Please do NOT attend, or watch their events. If you want to do what's good and just for dogs, hit them in their pocketbooks like I do, and let's put them out of business.

Please read a complete account of this breeding travesty on Border Wars for more information including responses from the breeders in their own words. Very revealing.