 |  |
| |
Trip to Guisachan 2002
Some of the participants in front of the ruined Guisachan House. It wasn't us. Honest.
After an exhausting day of outdoor pursuits, the fewer details the better,
many of the human revelers partook of an excellent dinner at the nearby
Tomich Hotel.
This weekend is now an established event in the GRCS calendar. Roll on 2003!'
"Committee members Donna Williamson, Jim Richardson, Lesley
Wilson, Doreen
McGugan and Edna Fogg beside the plaque erected by the club to commemorate
Guisachan as the birth place of the Golden Retriever Breed."
February 2002 Newsletter
Rescue & Welfare
This report is starting on a happy note. Recently, we have received two
very generous donations towards rescue funds. In December, Mr Stephenson sent us
a very handsome cheque in memory of his Golden who died earlier in the year at
the wonderful age of 17. What a lovely way to remember a much loved Golden. In
January, Mr and Mrs Archie Ferguson are celebrating their Golden Wedding. Their
daughter is involved in the rescue of Golden Retrievers in Canada and already
this year she has rehomed five dogs. The Fergusons asked that instead of a
golden wedding gift, their daughter might care to give a donation instead to
GRCS Rescue. Again, an extremely thoughtful idea, for which we are most
grateful, and we wish Margaret and Archie a wonderful day and hope that the
enjoy their party with family and friends.
Last year, we were involved with 44 dogs, happily fewer than the past year or
two when the numbers have topped the 50 mark. The other big difference was that
20 of these were bitches. That is particularly unusual, and was mainly explained
by a 'rush' of bitches earlier in the year which seemed to be totally
coincidental and the latter part of 2001 fell back into the pattern of mainly
dogs with the occasional bitch needing rehoming. One form came in on the
Saturday before Christmas. The dog's pet name was Whisky. Under the heading
'reason for rehoming' the lady put "My husband has developed a serious
allergy to whisky". On the 22nd December, I could think of little worse!
That particular dog was rehomed by the lady herself a day or two later. I am
writing this in the third week in January, and so far this year two dogs have
been rehomed, one an emergency. We received a phone call around 9.30am asking us
to take the dog away by early afternoon. Fortunately we were able to get in
touch with someone in the vicinity who had already had a rescue from us and was
prepared to offer a home to this chap. In this case as in the majority of our
rehousings there was no problem with the dog who had found himself in the midst
of a major domestic crisis. As I think we have mentioned before in these notes
most of our rehousings result from personal problems and the ending of
relationships so that the people who work for breed rescue find as much demand
for their ability to cope with people for whom parting with a dog is simply the
final straw in an utterly distressing personal situation as for their expertise
with dogs. One of our team once wondered if the Treasurer would accept an
expenses claim in respect of the mountains of Kleenex she had dispensed in the
course of her work for GRCS rescue. When compared to other parts of UK and even
part of Canada, we are lucky. One statistic that doesn't change is the very
small number of these dogs bred by any of you. Obviously situations can and do
change, but there is no doubt that breeders who are particular in the first
instance are less likely to have these puppies becoming unwanted further along
their lives. And the other difference is that when members do have a dog in need
of rehoming, they tend to be distraught at the whole situation and only too
willing to cooperate in any way in the rehoming. This is very different from the
attitude of cash up front for the puppy, no questions asked, but no comeback if
anything is wrong, which is the ethos of the puppy farm fraternity. For those of
you who are regular helpers with our rescue, but haven't heard from us for some
time, don't think you are forgotten. It is incredible how often lightning does
seem to strike in the same bit of the world over and over again while in other
places, hardly at all. Once again, an enormous 'thank-you' to all of you who put
yourselves out regularly to check either dogs or potential owners and then again
to facilitate the hand-over to the new owner.
Edna & Eric Fogg
Show Secretary's Report
2001 will be remembered for the turmoil created in the show calendar by the
foot and mouth outbreak. GRCS 2001 Championship Show eventually took place six
months later than usual, in a period which was awash with shows. Whether it was
this glut of Championship Shows, or the fear of inclement weather, I don't know,
but the entry this year was well down on our usual figures. A great shame,
because the weather was excellent, and so, according to the exhibitors, was she
show itself. Top honours went south of the border - to Mrs J Burnett's
Rossbourne Quest, with RBIS going to Mrs P A Armstrong's Pacimini Simply the
Best, and Mrs A Woodcock taking Best Puppy with Stanroph Sail on Boy.
Congratulations to all three.
I wonder what the odds are against the three top award winners being our next
three judges? Mrs Burnett and Mrs Woodcock are our judges for the 2002
Championship show in April, and Mrs Armstrong is judging our June Open show.
Even the raffles went south, with Mrs Pat Trotter taking away a beautiful framed
selection of photos, taken and donated by Lynn Kipps, of the GRCS summer
get-together at Guisachan, and Mrs Lyn Anderson taking home first prize in our
main raffle. A scurry organised and run by Jim Richardson during the lunch break
was so popular I thought we would have to delay the re-start of judging. My
thanks to all committee and stewards for their efforts, and to the exhibitors,
for being there and making it such an enjoyable show. Hope to see you all in
April.
Jim Easton
Club Notes
A very Happy New Year to all our members and their families, both two and
four-legged! We certainly hope that this year will be free of the troubles which
beset the countryside last year, making it necessary to postpone and cancel so
many of our activities. With our Championship Show being held in October instead
of April, it seems astonishing that the next Championship Show Schedules are
going out once again with this newsletter. All members whose subscriptions were
fully paid in 2001 will receive this mailing, but please note that further
correspondence will only be sent to fully paid members in 2002. Subscriptions
are £10.00 Joint, £8.00 Single, and £15.00 for overseas members.
It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Dorothy Cowan. A member
of our Club for many, years, Dorothy was very active around the shows some years
ago. As well as her Goldens, she also took a fancy to Clumbers and had
particular success with this breed. A very likeable, fun-loving lady, who will
be sadly missed. Our deepest sympathy goes to Bob and her daughters.
Very recently, I was told of the death of another very long-time member, Mrs
Nora Price. When she moved permanently to Ullapool, it became too difficult for
her to attend many shows, but she was interested in our club always. Her first
Golden, Rory of Rudhacadail was the Golden in the Gold Flake advert back in the
early sixties and I remember how fondly she showed me one of the placards she
owned of this advertisement.
I can't let this moment pass without sending our condolences to Roy Taylor
whose wife died recently. I know she had been ill for a very long time and I
hope it is a small comfort to Roy to know that we are thinking of him.
The next Club event is a Photographic Dog Show - believe me that is far easier
than the real kind! Details are in this newsletter, but can I point out that
even if distance forbids your actually being present, do please send in your
entries so that those who are present will have a really varied selection of
photo's to look at. But if at all possible, please come along and make it a
night to remember. One other point worth reminding you of - these photographs
have to be yours, not professional ones. If however, you do have the wonderful,
large framed studio effort , or even the odd oil painting, do by all means bring
it along and we will have these on display for all to see, but not for
competition.
With very mixed feelings, I have decided that I have been editing this
newsletter for long enough and after somewhere in the region of over twenty
years, I realise that as I am no longer showing, really my only regular Golden
activity is rescue and that just doesn't keep me close enough in touch with what
is going on. Like it or not, I'll still write bits and pieces, so we won't lose
touch completely. I hope you have enjoyed these jottings. I have certainly
enjoyed putting them together, and I wish the new editor lots of success and fun
in the job.
Edna Fogg
Barnaby : 1994-2002
This newsletter was to all intents and purposes completed and within an
hour's work of taking to the printer when I had a phone-call from Margaret
Arthur of Hearing Dogs telling me that Barnaby was about to be put to sleep as
the vet had said that there was nothing further he could do to help him. It
appears that after all the troubles he has had, and overcome, his kidneys ceased
to function. I feel as if this dog belonged to all of us and all of us will be
so very upset. However, I realise that quite a number of you have joined our
club only in the last seven years, and so this is a story with which you are
unfamiliar.
When we were approaching our Golden Jubilee, we thought it would be fitting to
do something a little bigger than the usual club benefits or trophies, and we
decided to raise money for a cause. Eventually the cause chosen was Hearing Dogs
for Deaf People which by comparison to some other charities, was pretty well in
its infancy. We managed to raise enough money for two dogs, and they asked us if
we would like to provide two dogs. I assumed we would use part of the money to
purchase a pup from one of our members who happened to have a litter available
of a suitable age, but that is not how Hearing Dogs work. They wanted unwanted
dogs, so rescue became involved and two young Goldens were sent south to train.
Unfortunately one of the dogs did not pass in the end and had to be found a pet
home, so Barnaby was our only Golden. We also donated the money for a little
mongrel called Bilbo who was being trained at that time. Barnaby came to us at
about 7 months from a multi-storey in Glasgow. Lesley Wilson checked him out and
indeed kept him for a week or two until Hearing Dogs were able to collect him.
Two years later, he recognised her voice in a crowded hall and welcomed her as
an old friend. That was at the official presentation of him to his new owner at
our 50th show in 1996. He went to be the hearing of Marjorie Houseman in Forres
in the north of Scotland. And for most of his short seven years, he worked for
her, loved her, slept by her bed, went to work with her, and between them they
raised thousands of pounds for Hearing Dogs, and did wonderful work promoting
both that charity in particular and Golden Retrievers in general. I think
Marjorie gained more publicity for their cause than any other Hearing Dog owner.
Not a month would go by but there would be an item in a newspaper, either a
local one or a national. They appeared on television and even made quite a
feature in a film made about Goldens for Japanese television. He was given an
award as Winalot Dog of the Year. The stories of his exploits were endless. When
very young, it was discovered that his hips were poor and deteriorating. An
operation was the only answer. A hip replacement is no easy matter for a dog,
but Barnaby recovered and was soon back to work. His exercise had to be
seriously curtailed but he put up with it. We had just recovered from this news,
when it was learned that he had cataract in both eyes. Once again, an operation
was deemed necessary. It has to be remembered that in addition to the fact that
Marjorie adored this dog, all Hearing Dogs are trained at a cost of around
£3,000, so if they can be healed, it is worth the effort even when the cost to
the animal is considerable. Barnaby's sight was not greatly improved by his
operation, but he was a Hearing Dog, not a Guide Dog, so Marjorie said "I
will be his eyes and he will be my ears". His hearing work seemed to be
even more sharp. I saw him last September for the last time and he was the
happiest working dog you ever could find. If ever you are in need of a story to
justify keeping purchasers away from the dealer type of establishment -just tell
them what this wonderful little dog had to endure. On the plus side, he oozed
character and ever since he started his training, what a fulfilling, loved,
happy life this Golden had. We have all lost extra special dogs, but our grief
can be nothing compared to the suffering of Marjorie Houseman at this time.
Edna Fogg
My Pastime - Just an Ordinary Dog! by Linda M Leonard
There was a grand piano in the centre of the room. It stood majestically aloof from the chaotic scene taking place amongst its legs. Eight golden bundles of fluff rioted after the cloth used to mop up 'accidents'. I had come to choose our new puppy. My decision was made; the victor of the battle of the cloth won his trophy and my heart. Six months later, Rory, as I had decided to call him, was in my eyes a beautiful specimen of a Golden Retriever, so I decided to enter him in Perth Dog Show. Armed with competition number and dressed smartly in navy trousers and top, I marched proudly into the ring. Rory, however, had his own idea about how to behave in a dog show. Firstly, he decided that to give himself a head start he would invert himself and lie on his back, his four legs waving in the air like flag poles. To ensure his success he brushed as much of his golden hair onto my trousers as to cause me to have as much hair as most of the canine competitors. Not surprisingly, the judge looked askance at this performance and awarded first place to a dog who had at least decided to stand the right way up. Quite unperturbed, Rory gave himself a shake and with a wide grin on his dark golden face, left the ring well pleased with his own performance. Our neighbours lived in a quiet street, that is, until Rory took up residence next door. Being a retriever, and a great natural scientist, he found a hedgehog in the garden late one night. Not content with 'just looking' he gingerly opened his mouth and next moment was tearing round the garden with a petrified hedgehog. Despite throwing water, pots and brushes at him he was not to be separated from his acquisition. The noise was horrendous. It was weeks later when we discovered the neighbours thought there was a domestic feud going on next door. I'm still not sure if they believe my story. Rory liked bees. That is until one day he stood on one in the park. Then he decided he did not like bees and the whole park was ringing with the sound of a Golden Retriever telling the world he had changed his mind on the subject. It was following this incident that I discovered that Rory had a great liking for all first aid treatment given to him. He would lie back, eyes closed blissfully, as I bent double, bathing whatever part of his anatomy he had torn, bruised or cut. Rory enlivened every holiday. Probably the most memorable was having arrived at a holiday lodge on the west coast of Scotland and having just been warned by the owners not to let our dog near the sheep, Rory slipped out the back door, selected two of the likeliest specimens and shepherded them to the waters to check their swimming skills. I was mortified. Luckily, help was at hand as I could never have pulled two drenched and highly indignant ewes from the Atlantic. Hallowe'en provided Rory with an opportunity for fun. He went guising with my younger daughter, both dressed alike in school blue gym knickers (tucking in the bushy tail was a problem) tee shirt and sports hat set at a jaunty angle on his head. A good profit was made but my elder daughter was not quite so amused when she learned who had last been seen wearing her gym kit. I enjoy a picnic, so one lovely hot July day I packed myself a particularly tasty lunch plus some dog biscuits for Rory. arriving at a suitable spot by a small river, I laid out my picnic on the bank and settled down to enjoy the scenery. Seconds later my turkey sandwich and juicy apple were bobbing their way downstream. Rory in his activities had knocked them into the river. Needless to say, his dog biscuits were still neatly arranged on dry land! It took quite a while to see the funny side of that incident. Life was not always so frenetic. There were calm interludes. One of the most relaxing things I enjoyed doing was brushing his long, silky hair on a sunny day. The sun burnished the gold until it was almost dazzling and I felt my cares melting away. It'll be his birthday soon. He would have been twelve.
I miss him, my pastime, my Rory, my friend.
Do I Go Home Today?
My Family brought me home cradled in their arms They cuddled me and smiled at me and said I was full of charm. They played with me, laughed with me and showered me with toys. I sure do love my family, especially girls and boys. The children loved to feed me; they gave me special treats They even let me sleep with them, all snuggled in their sheets. I used to go for walks several times a day. They even fought to hold the lead, I'm very proud to say. They used to laugh and praise me, playing with that old shoe I didn't know the difference between the old one and the new. The kids and I would grab a rag and for ages we would tug. So I thought I did the right thing when I chewed the bathroom rug. They said that I was out of control and had to live outside. This I could not understand although I tried and tried. The walks stopped, one by one, they didn't have the time. I wish that I could change things, I wish I knew my crime. My life became so lonely in the garden on a chain. I barked and barked all day long, to keep from going insane. They brought me to the shelter, and embarrassed to say why they said I caused an allergy and then they said goodbye. If only I'd had classes, when I was just a pup I wouldn't have been hard to handle, when I was grown up "YOU' VE only one day left", someone said to me. Does this mean a second chance? Do I go home today?
DNA Testing
The following is part of a letter from Cathryn Mellersh, who works in the
Genetics section at the Animal Health Trust. (to whom we are grateful for
permission to print).
'Ye have projects underway here to study both MRD and Cataract in the
Golden Retriever, but both projects are in fairly early stages. The first stage
for any project such as these is to collect samples from dogs affected with each
disease and their close relatives. By close relatives we mean littermates (even
if they are unaffected), parents and, ideally, grandparents. The number of
samples we require depends on which samples are available, the more 'important'
samples that are missing, the more samples we will need overall. rough estimate
is between 10 and 15 affected dogs, the same number of unaffected littermates
plus parents and grandparents, making a total of approximately 50-60 samples in
all. We can collect the samples as they become available and store the DNA here
at the Trust until we have sufficient samples to begin research. Each sample
must be accompanied by a 5-generation pedigree and an opthalmologist's
certificate stating disease status, because our research depends entirely on us
knowing the pedigree relationships between all the dogs in the study and the
disease status of each. We need about 5 ml of blood (a teaspoon) from each dog
that is used in the development of the test - once a test has been developed, we
only need a cheek swab from each dog we test, and owners can do that themselves
at home, without a trip to the vet. Another point to make to those who are a bit
afraid of DNA testing, is that we don't distribute anything we find out about
dogs during the course of developing a test. When dog samples are sent to us, we
give them random numbers and we just refer to them by those numbers from then
on. Information we glean about who might be a carrier, for example, is not
handed out to anybody - we keep it confidential, unless of course the
owners/breeders want to know, in which case they've had their dogs tested for
free! But on that note, I must stress we don't want samples from every golden
retriever in the country, at this stage. We need affected dogs, and their close
relatives only, in the initial stages. There is a tendency with any
breed/disease for those whose lines are free of the disease to send in samples
by the hundred! We perform computer simulations along the way, so we know when
we have sufficient samples to be able to detect genetic markers that are on the
same chromosome as the diseased gene. Once we have sufficient samples, we begin
research - examining genetic markers along the length of the chromosome to find
ones whose inheritance mirrors that of the disease. Those markers are probably
on the same chromosome as the gene that's causing the disease and can then be
developed into a diagnostic test. For a variety of reasons, it is difficult for
us to be certain about time frames. Once we have sufficient samples to begin the
genotyping phase, we estimate it will take about a year before we have markers
linked to the disease and can begin to develop a linkage-based diagnostic test.
A linkage-based diagnostic test can give a fairly accurate estimate of the
disease status of the dog, but because it uses genetic markers that are close to
the disease gene, rather than testing the disease gene itself there is an
inherent level of inaccuracy to these tests, usually 1-4%. The development of a
gene-based test which is 100% accurate takes longer. Both the MRD and Cataract
projects are still at the sample gathering stage. We have some samples from
affected dogs, but require more for both diseases before we can progress to the
research stage. For other tests that we carry out here at the AHT, we charge
about £50 per dog, which just about covers our costs. As a charity, we aren't
in the business of making huge amounts of money - we really do have the animals'
interests at heart. It is actually in any breed's interests for us (ie the AHT)
to develop tests - there are several organisations in the US who have developed
tests and have gone on to patent those tests, so we can't use them without
paying huge licence fees. These American companies charge $150 per dog. In case
you can persuade people with 'useful' dogs to contribute a blood sample, I've
included an attachment that details what we need from each dog. I am more than
happy to talk to anyone who has worries about any of this, or to provide any
more information."
Cathryn Mellersh, PhD, Animal Health Trust
"Resplendent In Their Guisachan Tweed"
These are the words that started it all and are the ones that got me delving through the usual household pile of books, magazines and various bits of literature to try and find where originally I saw them. An article by Anne Weeks in a recent Newsletter provided the answer. It caught my attention when I read it and had been filed into the subconscious bit of my brain just waiting for someone or something to fire them back into the thinking part of my brain (no mean feat, I can assure you!) This is just what happened when I started wondering about getting another set of tweeds for the shooting and picking-up season. When I was mulling things over about what to get, where to go etc. sure enough, up they popped and started the whole ball rolling. The idea of working my dogs on shoot days dressed in clothes mirroring the original pattern of the Guisachan tweed intrigued me. I didn't know at that time where to act information on this pattern, if it was still available, and even if anyone could provide me with such information. This is where the wonders of modern technology came into their own in the form of the internet: something I had never used in anger before, but was to prove a valuable tool in the search for this particular holy grail. Over the following weeks I was able to use it and the good old fashioned telephone to start piecing together enough facts to ensure that my initial enthusiasm and optimism were being rewarded by tangible evidence that the original pattern for the Guisachan Tweed had in fact been well documented. The first real success was a discussion with the firm of P & J Haggert of Aberfeldy, who faxed a copy of the pattern contained in the book entitled "Scottish Estate Tweeds" by Johnston's of Elgin. Following discussions with Johnston's I was very kindly given a copy of this book which shows on page 140 the very distinctive pattern that was the estate tweed. (Note the use of the past tense) Text alongside the colour plate gave a brief history but more importantly, stated who the present owner was and where he stayed. Also on page 87, was a photograph of Ned Harrison looking at one of the old pattern books which was opened at the very page which contained an original sample of the Guisachan pattern. I was later lucky enough to see this and another, later sample, courtesy of Moira Gillespie of Johnston's, who was a key figure in the compilation of "Scottish Estate Tweeds" along with the late Mr Harrison. Another phone call, this time to Mr Donald Fraser who owns the Home Farm and House at Guisachan, yielded the information that he had himself, a small sample piece of tweed complete with name and price per yard, that he believed might have been the pattern. However, this was at odds with further information provided which came from another book compiled by Ned Harrison of Johnston's, which not only gave a colour plate but also gave a pattern description and weaving plan. This book had been compiled a long time before the book previously mentioned and is entitled "Our Scottish District Checks". Donald, his wife and two of his neighbours gave me further information and clues when I visited them towards the end of October at the Home Farm. I had the presence of mind to take the four dogs with me and although it was a dreadful day, I was able to photograph them outside the ruins of the old house. It seemed appropriate to have their photographs taken outside their ancestral home similar to the photographs shown in Donald Fraser's own book "Guisachan - a History". Contacts with Anne Weeks, Sir John ListerKaye, Johnston's and last, but by no means least, Valerie Foss, all provided snippets of valuable information. Sir John, as far as I know, bought the last available bolt of cloth from Campbells of Beauly in 1973 and described it as a "light brown, small houndstooth check - very hard wearing". Valerie not only provided me with another sample of cloth (not unlike the sample at Johnston's) but also a wealth of information regarding breed history much of which is contained in the four volumes of books compiled by her, each of which is entitled "The Golden Retriever Book of Champions, Show Champions, Field Trial Champions and Obedience Champions". Now, after all this research, the conclusion was that although the information and details for the cloth were available, it was no longer made by any of the mills. Having been given permission by Donald Fraser to go ahead and get it made if possible, I requested prices for the supply of a bolt of cloth from several of the woollen mills. The quotes are now in and a mill has been chosen to weave for the first time in many years, a length of cloth in the Guisachan pattern. Production should be complete by mid April and hopefully, a local tailor can have a new suit run up for me by the start of the next shooting season. A bolt of cloth as supplied by the mill is 60 metres long and I will require approximately 6 metres for my purposes. So what am I to do with the remaining 54 metres? If any member of the G.R.C.S. would care to have some then it will be made available to them at a little more than I paid for it inclusive of VAT. A reasonable percentage of the small profit accrued would be donated to the welfare and rescue part of the club. Some of the remainder will be used to help further develop this idea. If you want to tell all your contacts in the UK and beyond of this idea, it would be much appreciated (I can always order more to meet demand!) So there you have it. What started off as a simple phrase in a newsletter could end up as being a new set of tweeds for myself and a small additional source of income for club requirements. Contact with me can be made by phone on 07762 594080 (days), 01888 544498 (evenings) or by E-Mail at croftline(@hotmail.com
Alistair Smith ............ .
I love it. I love it. I love it! An article in our newsletter by Anne, leads Alistair to this, and who knows, in a year or two, all our members will be attired in the Guisachan tweed, let alone thinking about any benefits accrued which may go Rescue Funds. What imaginative members we have!
Edna
Competition Dog Terms
Pet dogs raid the garbage, - obedience dogs are very food motivated-, Pet dogs shed, show dogs blow coat. Pet dogs are in heat, show dogs come in season. Pet dogs run around the house, show dogs show great each and drive. Pet dogs stand, show dogs stack. Pet dogs get a bath, show dogs are groomed. Pet dogs beg for treats, show dogs animate for bait. Pet dogs jump the fence, obedience dogs demonstrate problem solving intelligence. Pet dogs bark at other dogs, agility dogs show excitement before competing. Pet dogs are hyper, show dogs are high drive. Pet dogs steal socks and laundry, show dogs show natural retrieving ability. Pet dogs find and chew up their owner's shoes, obedience dogs are practising scent articles.
A Stud Golden's Lament
My job is making puppies, and I get two tries at that. They pat me on the head and say 'Good Boy' and that is that.
It's half my job to give them teeth and toplines, fronts and other. Remember, it's only half my job.. they also have a mother.
It's not my job to carry pups and make 'em grow and nurse 'em And feed and clean and make 'em strong, that's for mother & a person.
It's not my job to wean and feed the calcium and food. And stack, gait and housebreak and make 'em a showing brood.
It's not my job to guarantee champs; the breeder picks the pair. To mate and whelp and feed and show and hope the champ is there.
It's not my job to be on hand when points are given out, The Breeder, Owner, Dam and Friends take credit with a shout!
It's not my job to deliver a winner; It's only genes I sell. But let the puppies turn out bad, and guess who catches hell!