And then Rune left us for ever and life became so much sadder, cheerless. On the night after the funeral as I was in bed crying Ville got up, licked away
the tears and then went to sleep again. So considerate and kind, without making a show of it. Mornings when I don't want to get up the dogs nag at me
"Mom it's time to get up, come outdoors with us!" till I give in. They surround me and show in every possible way that I am important to them.
Without them I had not been able to endeavour everyday life. I really can't afford to live with them. What can I do? There has been suggestions that I
could reduce the number of dogs. But I cannot take a stand against any one of them. Each and everyone has his/her own personality with deep roots in
my heart. If one dog should go away it must be because that dog could get a better life that way. Rune used to say that it was enough with two (or three)
dogs but when I asked him which one we were to sell he said no to each name put to him - so five it was anyway. And that is the way it will remain as
long as the dogs are comfortable in the pack and both they and I shall live.
Nr 5
Long time, no thoughts.
SKV has had the main show in Simmatorp and it was marvelous to experience that many Vallhunds and their owners in the same place!
And to meet people IRL who you have been in contact with via mail or on the phone. It makes a difference. It makes you happy and
warm-hearted.
Some disappointments though: there were lotteries, but we never noticed any draw. The draw might have been during the break – when
we went to the toilet to avoid missing any dogs in the show-ring, or are the winners going to be presented on SKV´s home page?
A lottery without a draw does not feel very funny and I don’t feel like buying any tickets next time.
Something about the show in itself. When a judge has to judge a number of breeds on one day I can understand if he mixes things up,
even if it is not acceptable, but when a judge has one single breed to judge he ought to know what is written in the Standard. To
comment the TAIL on each and every dog makes me wonder if he really IS that stupid, or if he had one too many drinks the night before
or if he was not feeling very well.
All in all I don’t for a moment regret that we went to Simmatorp. We will be at more SKV-shows when we have the opportunity.
Some time ago I was told I was an idiot to read blogs, as they per se are bullshit. How do you know that without having read a great
number of them? How can you generalize like that? Of course there are differences in quality in cyberspace just as there is between
books, films and many other things. But you can take an active part in making a blog interesting or awful. I can, with the permission of
the owner, initiate or participate in interesting discussions. Even if I dislike a person I might not dislike everything that person stands for.
Why not take a chance on some exchanging of ideas? I might learn something and/or get wiser as a result…
Brandy (Rätt o Slätts Noella Näckros) is not with us anymore. She was only 6 years old. After a great number of examinations and tests
they found out that the reason for her ailing was severe rheumatism! As there is no cure and the pain relief didn’t work so she was put
to sleep. It is a tragedy, but life isn’t fair and there are always exceptions – someone who is affected by illness exceptionally early.
ONE dog has been affected. Please, please, please, please SKV don’t start any large-scale screening for rheumatism!
Nr 4
The Star-litter three days old.
Lyra has been eating and growing since se was born but Bellatrix has lost weight. She didn't want the tit and was beginning to feel
chilly. My first action was to buy milk substitute and a small nursing bottle. When she didn't suck that either I started to feed her by
pipette. But as she didn't feel as warm and cozy as a pup should we went to the vet.
Trixie has a cleft palate - from a mm bihind the jaw all tha way back. The vet said: put to death. But as Trixie eats nicely what I give
her by pipette the cleft shpuldn't be that deep. She gets warming by living inside my sweater and thus I don't forget to feed her often.
I can feel her against my skin all the time. She is worth fighting for! I am responsible for her being in this world so I have a responsibility
to give her what small chance there is.
Why did this happen? I racked my brains over on the way home. Until it clicked. At the show in Växjö the dogs had caught nose mites
and I started the treatment as soon as possible. But Tuva got her second pill on the day of the first mating and so her last pill a week
later. I can't be certain but I do believe ther is a connection...
Now all I can do is nurse, carry and keep her close and hope I will be able to save her. As long as she is eating there is hope. If she
continues to loose weight I don't have any choice. I don't want to think about it but I have to, for her sake. I want her to live, but I want
a good life for her!
Nr 3
My thoughts after reading the notes from the breeder's conference.
Exterior description is more accurate than results from shows. And it is independent of how many dogs that are present.
It is written that we must "take care of all the typicalattributes of the breed and not change or refine it, neither the exterior nor the
mentality". How do we know if we change the breed if we haven't something to compare with? Meaning frequent descriptions!
HD is a minmal problem to our breed and has been brougth out of proportion. Research has shown that Vallhunds rarely get problems
even from serious HD. All breeds are not built identically, each is suited for its purpose. Othewise there would be no breeds - alla would
look the same. Still the same standard is used for all breeds when it comes to checking hips!! And when on earth is the dog using its hips
lying on its back with both legs drawn straight backwards? Why not X-ray the dog standing? It can't be difficult with modern technology.
From SKV's Breeding strategy for Vallhunds: ”Lessen the number of changes in the retina.” ”Lessen the number of dogs with sound-
delicacy/gun-shyness.” ”Preserving the aptitude for cattle tending in the breed.” ”Preserving the hereditary disposition for bobtail."
It is all very well - every piece alone. But before you can discuss "changes in the retina (or btw HD) you must know what is "normal" for
the breed. Sound-delicacy (which can give trouble in New Years Eve) can be a very good quality in a farmdog that skould react to anything
out of the ordinary at the farm.
Further on from the Breedin strategy: "Lessen the degree of inbreeding and preserve the genetic variation wihtin the breed." "To keep
the breed healthy we must strive to attain a genetic breadth with a large spreading of genes within the entire population."
This is where the mathematics doesn't correspond. We are to breed only dogs who has certificates that they have no HD, nothing wrong
with their eyes, have aptitude for cattle tending and show merits. Most dog owners don't want/can't have puppies from their dogs. And
there will be even less owners if you have to pay for expensive investigations including long and expensive travels in oredr to breed from
your dog. That leaves us with an extremely small number of dogs for breeding - "With preserving of the genetic variation". How on earth
will we manage that if we limit the choice to a handful?
You ought to think a bit further than "it is status to show a lot of certificates for the dogs". And this line will probably mean more expensive
dogs which benefits the mixed breeds. What we breed away we can never get back.
With "our relativelysmall gene pool" we must think twice not only about castration but about all limitations in the bases for breeding!
"Due to the turbulence in the SKV we have not been able to present a strategy."
Not strange. If you exclude a lot of dogs because of capricious whims of fashion and still have "a genetic breadth with a large spreading
of genes" you can't present a breeding strategy.
If you demand only perfect dogs for breeding the only hope for preserving the Swedish Vallhund will be unauthorized breeding.
That can't very well be the goal of SKV.
Nr 2
Being a breeder I have noticed the issue of X-raying dogs that are used for breeding. At first I fully supported the idea of X-raying the
hips of the dogs but then I started to wonder why. And, not least, why one should not X-ray our dogs as a matter of routine.
As X-raying the hips has "come into fashion" and gives the breeder high standing I hope that breeders will start to discuss what you
gain and what you risk: in general, but mainly for each specific breed. As a breeder of Swedish Vallhund I am concerned about that breed
and the view of our Club.
This is my point of view – I do hope more breeders start to think the matter over.
”HD is found in slight extent in this breed. Affected individuals rarely show clinical symptoms."
”SKV (the Swedish breed club) abides by the recommendation by SKK/AK:s to not focus too myuch om HD.”
(Quotations from the board of SKV)
There is a reason why they don't X-ray the lower part of the torso of fertile women. X-ray does always include radiation - not more than
can be accepted when there is an urgent need for it, but still much enough to avoid when it is no urgent need.
And yet a lot of people urge us to expose all the dogs used for breeding to that radiation. Is that really a sensible policy? I have had my
bitch Tuva X-rayed. (Even twice as I was told that she would not be able to give birth...) But that was before I started to think about what
really was involved.
Shouldn't we instead urge the breeders only to X-ray if they suspect severe HD in earlier generations? If it is hereditary it ought to be
seen in earlier generations. If it (another hypothesis) isn't hereditary but an environmental influence, food for instance, it is sheer idiocy
to X-ray ovaries/testicles without a good cause.
Why look for deviations that on the whole make no difference to the dog? Why not concentrate on making sure that only dogs consistent
with the breed specifications. And maybe we should focus less on shows and more on breeding agreeable and sound dogs?
The Professor Barbro
Beck Friis, has written: "The importence of the dog or the cat as support and solace is well prooved in scientific
examinations. Many pets have given their demented master – or mistress – closeness and safety."
Isn't that a much more urgent task for our dogs than being beautiful in a show ring?? Can there be a more urgent task for our dogs than
giving life quality to their owners?
Nr 1
A long time ago when I was learning to become a teacher for children with learning disabilities I was asked the question "Why do we
have children". In the old days children were useful - they carried in wood and water and helped their family in many ways until they
left home to build their own families. Today they just seem to be in the waymost of the time - they don't have any other "function"
than to be loved. They are not needed.
The same question pops up again when I watch some dog owners. They travel around the country (and abroad) going to dog shows
but you never see them pat or caress their dogs. Sometimes I wonder if they even like their dogs. Are their dogs even allowed to develop
a personality?
To me my dogs are first and foremost a beloved company, someones to cuddle when life is tough and to be happy together with
when life is smiling. In second and third place comes nothing (except that loving company!) and in forth comes the the breeding of
puppies for me to enjoy and be happy about (sadly to part from in time).
Only in fifth place comes "competing" (which might be dog shows or actual competing like agility, races, obedience etc). The quotation
marks indicate that the actual act of "competing" is quite uninteresting for me. What I look for is the joy of meeting other vallhunds
and their owners and to see the teamwork in the show-ring, on the agility-course or whatever "competition" there might be.
What are you made of if you take "competitions" so seriously that there is no room for happiness and love? Why do you have a dog
in that case? Last but not least how is your dog feeling (what signals does this give your dog)? Dogs are just like humans social beings
who apart from needing food, water, sleep and exercise also need to interact with other dogs as well as with "their" humans, their flock.
How will the dog satisfy its own needs if all you want from your dog is a performance at shows, competitions and in the shape of litters
to sell or to use as new "competition tools"?
Start 
Unsorted thoughts 
Why a kennel?