Three St. Bernard breeders were on their way home from a specialty show. As dog breeders often do, they spent much of the drive arguing about which was most important -- type or soundness.
They took a shortcut through a mountain pass, got lost & became low on gas. They then skidded off the road and found themselves trapped in a ditch.
A snowstorm moved in and next thing they knew, they were stranded in the van with just a little water, no food and no gasoline to provide heat. Night was closing in and the breeders feared they would freeze to
death before the road was plowed and anyone found them.
The breeder who advocated that type was most important said, "let's send my St. Bernard for help -- he is a true St. Bernard type." Bounding out of the van, the big-bodied, magnificently coated and headed dog Began leaping through the drifts. He made it a quarter of a mile and Then collapsed, in too much pain to go on from his dysplastic hips.
Watching through the window the second breeder exclaimed, "AHA! See, soundness is most important -- my dog is OFA excellent. He'll bring us some help!" Letting her dog out of his crate, his strong powerful
leaps through the snow were magnificent to see. Unfortunately he only made it half a mile before freezing to death because his coat was incorrect.
The third breeder watched this smugly, for she knew her dog had both type and soundness. She released her dog, the BOB winner from the specialty. On his sturdy limbs and with his perfect coat, her dog was a lovely sight to behold as he powered through the snow tirelessly.
Mile after mile until he finally spotted a forest ranger, and promptly attacked and ate him, for breeder number three had forgotten about breeding for temperament.
Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:23 pm
