Impossibly Perfect: The Pressures to Become Better Humans
Will stem cell therapies someday be used to bioengineer “designer” babies? And what’s happening to teen girls who face a “triple bind” to be caring, competitive, and flawless? Hear two provocative viewpoints — one rooted in the ethics of reproductive technologies, the other in psychology — that explore culture’s immense pressures in shaping who we are and pushing us toward perfection. Our esteemed faculty presenters are Charis Thompson, associate professor of gender and women’s studies, and Stephen Hinshaw, professor and chair of the psychology department.
Dates/Locations:
Tuesday, October 27 — Sheraton Delfina, Santa Monica
Wednesday, October 28 — Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
Wednesday, November 4 — Le Meridien, San Francisco
Details:
Reception from 6-7 p.m.
Faculty perspectives and Q&A from 7-8:30 p.m.
$20 in advance, $25 at the door
888.UNIV.CAL (888.864.8225)

The AKC is a pet peeve (pardon the pun) of mine. I have a brother-in-law who had to put their Newfoundland down last month due to epilepsy. Turns out the breeder knew his lines had that problem, yet didn’t seem to care about it and repeated the breeding. The AKC was no help; they didn’t even return phone calls.

That sentence is missing the word “some” in front of the first words. Come on; you know better than that.

That said, you are 100 per cent correct about the registration process of the AKC being responsible for the destruction of the working dog breeds. Take any breed of dog, add money, and watch them go right down the toilet. Also, I believe that a feature film containing a “star” of any given breed will accelerate the process, as people crank up the mills to produce that breed.

Those who know me will tell you that I breed German Shepherd Dogs (GSD’s). You are correct in stating that the breed has been ruined in the U.S. The German SV (initials for Shaderhunde Verein, the German Shepherd society of Germany) has very strict standards for registering a GSD with them. To get the highly sought-after “pink papers,” a GSD must be bred from two pink-papered parents. The resulting dgos must then be breed surveyed (formally compared to the written standard and temperament tested), have a working title, (Schutzhund, herding, and a few others), must have completed a three leg, 12.5 mile run at 7-9 miles per hour, and be rated in a conformation show against his/her peers. This process, when followed honestly, produces dogs of superior temperament and quality. I have taken both a dog and a bitch from zero to the end of this process, and am working on a third. Therefore, I am an expert (he said, wiping tears of laughter from his face).

Unfortunately, even the Germans have succumbed to the corrosive influence of money in the process through something called the “midnight trial.” Herr Kennelmeister has Herr DogJudge over for a little sauerbaraten, cognac, fine cigars, then the dog is “trialed” out back of the house. And wonder of wonders, the dog passes with flying colors! The dog is then sold to an unsuspecting buyer for $10,000. who has the embarrassing experience of watching their “working dog ” run off the field in disinterest or even fear during a trial.

I find it sadly ironic that some of the best “German” Shepherds are now coming from Czechoslovakia.