the dog on the mountain in Switzerland:becoming rare breed

[Lisa D Allen]

How can we possibly expect to improve health in the breed if over 2000 per year are bred in the USA alone, and these are ONLY the Berner pups registered with the AKC!
And, a problem which is going to become more and more frequent:
Let me preface such by saying that I would crawl from one end of the Earth to the other for my dogs, if need be
Moses' has been "sick" for one year six months; it began as immune mediated polyarthritis, became degenerative joint disease, and now we are fighting to save his life from the ravages of osteosarcoma. This means that I have slept with one ear wide awake for the last eighteen months and my mind is on Moses 24/7 and my emotional turmoil has been beyond measure.
Moses' medical care has cost, SO FAR, between ten and fifteen thousand dollars; I post this because I believe we tend to "sugarcoat" too much the problems in the breed, which, in my mind, have become dire.
I would spend any amount to ascertain my family's wellness and my dogs are very much members of the family. Too, Moses' joy in life is inspirational; he is NO HOW, NO WAY ready to cross the "Bridge."
With a population of Berners, regardless of source, exploding, perhaps an understatement, and with, in the USA, no rules to prevent anybody and his brother from breeding 'em, folks, there is going to be a flood of Berners needlessly euthanized or abandoned because people will not or cannot spend the money to ascertain the dog' wellness. I feel so strongly that this has or will become the breed's reality that I shall even say that those pondering this weighty problem would do well to mark my words!
I hope that, at least, buyers deeply concerned about the cost of pups are being informed, currently, that the purchase price is a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of treating an unwell Berner and the emotional price is even higher, to watch one who is loved so much and has such spirit be hindered by illness.
Lisa Allen






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