THE MINIATURE BULL TERRIER TELL-AGRAM

ISSUE #4

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER (because Inquiring minds want to know...)

Inquiring minds want to know more than show results! The letters coming in to the MBTT focus on health issues ten to one. Lately, however, comments about our National Club have dominated conversations from coast to coast. This is mostly due to the fact that an election is in progress, but also because the membership is more aware of what's at stake for our breed & especially aware of the need for club participation in that stake.

With the first 3 issues of the MBTT, the mini-owning public learned that certain highly hereditary defects such as aortic stenosis and lens luxation were not by any means either rare or insignificant in our mini population. Thus, when the mini-owning public who were also members of the larger of the only two Minibull clubs in North America received their latest National Club newsletter, their disappointment was extreme.

The Little Bull covered no health-related topics and only one advertisement mentioned health testing. Two whole pages were dedicated to the dinner table at a recent show, but not even a partial page was devoted to President Platitudes. The minutes that came with the newsletter show that at least two health topics came up for discussion - one on interbreeding, "to try to do something about the genetic diseases that are so much concern right now"; and one on an open registry & ethics statement. Both subjects were tabled for another meeting...because obviously of more importance was the Stud Dog and Brood Bitch Trophy proposal - thank God "there was some concern, with the current health problems, that it could promote increased use of dogs with not yet revealed health conditions."

However, it was decided that a committee will be formed to look into the trophies, but the associated issue of health problems wasn't even tabled for future discussion...such being our Club priorities for August 1997...

After the Little Bull arrived in our mailboxes, our National Club treasurer sent out a letter to the membership stating:"The majority of the present board of the MBTCA believes that the health of the breed is the most important issue facing Miniature Bull Terriers today. We have been working hard to address the concerns of members over heart and vision problems in particular."

This begs the question: who, then, are the minority of the present board who DON'T believe the minibull has health problems??? Was it just a coincidence that the club decides to host its heart/eye clinic and health seminar (on different weekends of the National & Silverwood - where one has to be affluent enough or close enough to partake of the whole ten day spread )- only after the MBTT gets issues #1 & #2 on the street? It also begs the question: why is our club treasurer handling the health issue - where is our genetics chairperson in our time of need?

Well, lots of people do believe in coincidence, and the important thing is that there WILL be a heart and eye clinic! The first step in getting control of our problems is testing - the second step is making those results public knowledge. That the public is very much in favour of this second step is something the membership must make very clear to the National Club board of directors or that step will not be made at all. Call your board members, write to the Little Bull, or write to the MBTT to voice your concerns.

The Miniature Bull Terrier Club of Southern California also sent out their newsletter during the same period that saw the MBTT #3, The Little Bull, Kevin Welch's club letter, and Dennis Harris' open letter to the membership - what riches! (If any of our readers didn't get one or another of these : join the MBTCSC for their newsletter; the MBTCA for the Little Bull; and write to the MBTT c/o Box#4, Site#2, RR#1, Priddis,Alberta,Canada, T0L 1W0 and mention you'd like the next issue due plus inserts. If you wish to catch up while you still can, order all previous issues as well, for $10/postage & paper. )

Dennis Harris , of the MBTCSC, brought up some questions about mini testing: for instance, how good is it/what vets should be doing it? While the gold standard would be Specialists for hearts & eyes, there are very good practitioners out there who are not "board-certified" but are still well-qualified in their field for our testing purposes. Some of our board-certified veterinarians do not yet take us seriously about our breed problems - the last year has shown several documented cases where this has been to our detriment and heartbreak.

Dennis also brings up some National Club election irregularities which he claims have been ongoing. His open letter to the membership states, "I wish to express some concerns which I have for the past performances as well as the future of the club and the Mini Bull Terrier as a breed...some may look on this as a personal vendetta...but, the information I share with you is accurate..." Dennis then goes on to state his considerable credits within the world of dogs in general & the minibull in particular, both as an exhibitor and a breeder.

By the time Dennis gets to "a 4th, 5th and very serious violation occurred in the counting of the votes in the immediate past election...", I was, personally, seriously wondering what our National Club was intended for.

As journalist G.K.Chesterton once pointed out, "rulers sometimes become so arrogant they no longer realize when they are insulting their subjects."

Dennis concludes his litany of club infractions with the words, "I believe this type of action whether through ignorance, indifference, or intent breaks the confidence and trust of the members who voted one into office."

Back to genetics - in this instance, actually, a genetics committee. Our National Club supposedly has one. However, the MBTT feels the genetic committee, and the membership's vested interest, is best served by a three-way shared chair rather than by a single chairperson. It is probably the most important committee the club has, yet it has been relegated to oblivion for years.

The genetics committee should have at least one veterinarian, one breeder, and preferably one pet owner as well; and they should represent us from coast to coast to prevent "regionalization" of interest. The chair should be able to handle internet searches on a veterinary level (hence the need for a vet), and the committee should have reports for the membership within every issue of the club newsletter. (In a perfect world, right?)

The world of the Miniature Bull Terrier is actually a very small one - we can't make it perfect , but we can have considerable impact on it. For those mini-owners who shared the sad cybernews about the Japanese-bred and owned mini which recently died of kidney failure at only 3+ years of age, there should be an equal amount of curiosity to balance our sorrow: who was this mini in the greater scheme of things? Does she have parents and siblings at risk? Is any one taking on the responsibility to find out what can be done for those related minis? The MBTT asks: "Breeders! Do you know where your minis are?"

The MBTT hopes that Izumi, the owner of "Tori", shares with other mini owners/breeders, her dog's pedigree and story...And we hope our United Kingdom breeders share their news with us, whose dogs in only a generation or two all have English bloodlines behind them.

GOOD NEWS/ BAD NEWS /GOOD NEWS!

In the 2nd issue of the MBTT, a puppy was mentioned which had been dopplered at 3 months of age with a normal result. Then, when the puppy was getting his 4-month booster, his new vet heard a murmur, and advised another echo."Cosmo" was 6 months old when he duly presented himself for his retest, and was found to have, still, perfectly normal heart functions. This is what vets refer to as a functional murmur - and it's one reason why all murmurs should be thoroughly investigated. This particular puppy was a neutered pet, for other reasons, but suppose he'd been a show potential mini who was neutered on the basis of an auscultated murmur alone? We suffer enough losses in the mini world with kidney failure, heart defects, deafness, infertility, and lens luxation; preventing loss by way of being extra careful is worth the time and money spent.

The MBTT thanks Mr. & Mrs. H. Lamb for their donation, and especially for being the first readers to send in their MBTT questionnaire. To our question "Have we disappointed you (yet)?" Mr. Lamb replied with an emphatic "NO!" and goes on to say that he and his wife want to learn everything they can about breed problems.

FOUND IN THE NEWS: THE NEWS & OBSERVER/SEPT/97

Most new doctors can't use stethoscope, study finds/Denise Grady

"If any one tool could be declared the symbol of the medical profession, it would surely be the stethoscope; but the ability to use that tool may be a dying art..."
JAMA is publishing the results of a study that found residents from 31 training programs in internal or family medicine made the correct diagnosis only 20% of the time regarding the identification of common heart abnormalities... the researchers called this score "disturbingly low".
The article states that medical educators feel that "doctors are less skilled than they used to be at traditional tasks such as examining patients and making diagnoses based on physical findings."
In another study it was found that doctors who had graduated before 1970 were better at identifying heart murmurs than those graduating after that time. "A doctor who knows what to listen for can find out a great deal with a stethoscope, especially about heart valve disorders."

Now, consider our veterinarians who must use their listening skills on animals which wiggle, woof, wag tails, and try to eat stethoscopes! No wonder so many murmurs are missed ...

The MBTT would like to thank Valerie Allenden, of Erenden Kennels in England, for her letter & offer of support for the MBTT cause. Mrs. Allenden also updated our UK LL List by seven new names. She states: "We have been trying to get people to listen over here for a long time and at last quite a few are cooperating...we are trying to get blood samples from affected dogs and their siblings so that eventually ...we can get this dreadful problem sorted out once and for all time..."

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In The Land of the Blind, the Hearing Dog is King...

Not just because I spent the morning of October 4th/97 with the Head of the Neurology Department of Washington State University doing BAER hearing tests, is this issue promoting yet another test Minibulls should be subjected to. Minibull breeders/owners should be aware that deafness is a defect our dogs are predisposed to by their pedigree & past history.

Deafness is hereditary, and can cause partial to complete social alienation in the affected individual. This in turn can cause training and behavioral difficulties, spookiness, aggression, and life-threatening circumstances to the lost, abandoned, or unprotected pet. For the affected dog whose owners do not know the cause of the behaviour problems, life may become a terribly unwelcome place of non-communication, misunderstanding, abuse, repeated placements and, finally...who knows?

The BAER hearing test is the earliest, cheapest, most definitive and least invasive test we can do to eliminate one major genetic question-mark about our dog and that dog's place in either our breeding program or his new home.

It can be done at most major cities; at probably all vet schools/universities; at more and more dog shows every year; and the truly dedicated breeder makes no excuses about time/distance/expense/and responsibility for getting his litters tested - in their entirety - for himself, his dogs and his clients.

Definitions: Bilaterally normal hearing: hearing is present in both ears. Bilaterally deaf: hearing is not present in either ear ("stone deaf"). Unilaterally deaf: hearing is present in one ear only.

The unilaterally deaf dog is the same statistical risk in the breeding program as is the totally deaf dog. In fact, since the totally deaf dog is recognizable as such, even without testing, he is most likely (we hope) eliminated from the breeding program immediately; but the unilaterally deaf dog may be repeatedly used (with or without knowledge of his defect) and be producing that defect in the same ratio as would a deaf dog.

EXAMPLES OF BAER "SIGNATURES"

THIS DOG IS BILATERALLY NORMAL. TESTED AT WASHINGTON STATE VET SCHOOL.

THIS 13 YEAR OLD BITCH ALSO TESTED BILATERALLY NORMAL.
THE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR GRAPHS REFLECTS THE EQUIPMENT USED, NOT THE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR HEARING ABILITIES.

THIS DOG IS UNILATERALLY DEAF. NOTICE THE "FLATTENING" OF THE PEAKS OF HIS PRINTOUT.

THIS DOG IS ALSO NORMAL - HIS GRAPH IS DONE IN RED INK AND BLACK INK ON THE ORIGINAL.

GENERALLY THE TESTED DOG IS GIVEN A CERTIFICATE TO SHOW IT IS BILATERALLY NORMAL. HERE'S A WELL DONE CERTIFICATE. OTHERS CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS THE TESTER'S SIGNATURE SCRAWLED ON THE PRINTOUT. THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THE PRINTOUT LEAVES NO DOUBT AS TO THE VALIDITY OF THE RESULTS, AND THAT THE ANIMAL IS PROPERLY IDENTIFIED, PREFERABLY BY TATTOO AND REGISTRATION NUMBER.

"I agree with the official policy of the Dalmatian Club of America that bilaterally deaf puppies should be put down by breeders instead of being placed. For every story of someone who has successfully raised and owned a deaf dog, there are two or more of people who tried and only got heartbreak and incredible problems as a result. I feel that all responsible breeders in those breeds with a significant deafness incident are morally obligated to have their puppies BAER tested before placing them, should put down those that are bilaterally deaf, and should sell only on a spay/neuter contract those puppies that are unilaterally deaf. From data collected on hearing tests of 4,500 Dalmatians, if only one parent is unilaterally deaf, the probability nearly DOUBLES that any offspring will be unilaterally or bilaterally deaf. .." - George M. Strain, PhD., Professor of Neuroscience, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.

DEAFNESS IS A MULTI-GENE DISORDER

Deafness is considered hereditary, of an undetermined but suspected polygenic recessive pattern. Unilaterally and bilaterally deaf dogs are considered the same genetic risk. What this means in our breeding programs is that even when we eliminate defective parents, we can still have some percentage of affected progeny. This is true of both white and coloured dogs. Certainly that percentage will be smaller, but we cannot discount the genetic influence of a deaf grandparent or great grandparent.

The greater the number of affected progeny in any given litter, the higher the risk of using the "normal" sibling, and especially using it for inbreeding and/or linebreeding. It is also an obvious indication that the grandparents should be tested.

Though the recommended age for BAER testing starts at "5 weeks" - we have found that the external ear in these very young dogs is not always "open" enough to allow the insertion of the foam-covered plugs. Also, these puppies are being exposed at an age when they are still uninnoculated and outgrowing their prenatal immunity to contagious disease. Unless there is no option, the testing is best done after at least the first vaccination.

While uncommon, if there is a deaf parent or even grandparent, or several deaf great-grandparents - coloured bull terriers from coloured to coloured breedings can themselves be deaf.

It has not yet been proven that "solids" are always free of the deafness gene. Solids, though, are always valuable in any predominately white breeding program to provide more of the desired dark pigment.

When bilaterally and unilaterally deaf Bull Terriers are finally removed from the breeding program, and there is still a higher than expected deafness rate, then the next step is to remove those dogs which consistently produce deaf progeny.

The Deaf Dog Page: http://www.kwic.net.%7Ecairo/deaf.html

LIST OF BAER TESTING FACILITIES

The following is a list of known BAER test centers. Most veterinary schools have the facilities. If you have any additions or corrections to the list please send them to Dr. Scarletter Gotwals, P.O. Box 69, Limekiln PA 19535 or Email to
Sgotwals@aol.com.

52 The Medical Post, April 8,1997

Jo Turley's Sick Deaf-Dog Jokes ( it's okay, they can't hear you laughing...)

Proof that breeders are just like their dogs: when asked to contribute names to the BAER List, they turned a deaf ear to the proposal...

Q/ What do deaf bullies and mules have in common?
A/ Some ass behind them...

Q/ What did the bully puppy learn his first day at kindergarten?
A/ "Sticks & stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me..."

Q/ On what platform did the bully run for senator?
A/ "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..."

Q/ What did the bully's girlfriend whisper in his ear?
A/ As far as he heard, sweet nothings...

A recent dog show offered Bully exhibitors free BAER testing.
The response? - They wouldn't hear of it...

Bull Terriers' favourite parlour game - charades...

Did you hear about the blonde who took her bully to multiple hearing clinics in hopes he'd pass his test? - read all about it in Goldilocks and the Three Baers.

On a Serious Note, the Following Web Addresses Provide Information on Deafness:

http://bcf.usc.edu/~thaase/DOT/strinto.html

http://bcf.usc.edu/~thaase/DOT/strain1.html

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERSHIP BY PRISCILLA DAVID

Having just finished reading, for the 5^th time, cover to cover, the MBTT #3, I felt it might be time for me to take pen in hand. I am the owner of "Richard", the first stud dog to hit the MBTT LL LIST as having sired a confirmed case of lens luxation. This case was Jo Turley’s Chi. Hobbit Hill’s Black Magic. Since the first issue of the MBTT, Richard shows up on the list with 4 cases who now suffer of will suffer, lens luxation.
As Jo said to me one time, after I was over the initial devastation, "it is just another first for the breeders & dogs from the west coast," and I replied, "this is a first that we could have done without…"
I would like to address my thoughts when I heard about Black Magic and the tragic aftermath. To say that I was devastated would probably be the understatement of the decade. I have no children, or family, so the closest I can come to expressing my feeling would be to go back several years to the death of my mother.
My mom truly loved dogs, and in fact bought me my first show dog, a miniature schnauzer. I know that she would have enjoyed any small successes that I have had with the minis as much as I have. The last time the National was held at Montgomery I took some extra time off and west to W. Virginia to visit my family’s gravesites, and while there told them about my dogs and introduced Binkie to my mom. Morbid, huh?
So when this happened - to Black Magic- I wanted, alternatively, to put Richard down, kill myself, kill someone else, punch anyone out, etcetera…
After a couple of days, during which I spent not a small amount of time hugging Richard and crying and GRIEVING, and during which I was on the phone for innumerable hours with Patti Holt - my friend, and Richard’s breeder - I somewhat came to grips with the situation.
The questions I must have asked Patti a hundred times was, "why did it have to be Richard?" and, "please tell me everything will be all right." At that time I don’t honestly know whether I wanted reassurance about Richard, or about the breed as a whole, or both. At this time I can say that my concerns are a thousand times more for the BREED than for any individual dog, whether it might be one of mine or not.
Another question I asked of Patti was about the collected semen we had of Richard’s - did we want to destroy it? The answer was an emphatic " NO!" After much discussion Patti and I came up with one very interesting scenario: what if all the dogs in this breed are, at the very least, carriers of lens luxation? Knowing that all our dogs come from common ancestors, what if this was true? Where would we go from here?
What I want to say at this time may not be liked, but it is the way I feel. Several years ago one of our west coast breeders, Brenda Smith, had a dog luxate. When she told people, she was bashed from one end of the country to the other! Does one really wonder why no one is forthcoming with their problems with their dogs? I can say with certainty that the "bashing" caused Brenda no small amount of emotional and economical duress. I can only admire her perseverance in continuing with this breed.
Is this how our club and membership reward honesty, though? I don’t know what went on in the mind of the breeder of those Richard offspring owned by Jo Turley, Peggy Morgang, and Susan Taylor, nor do I even want to guess. I don’t walk in her shoes, nor am I living her life. I do not know why information about the luxating dam/granddam was withheld, and at this time I could not care less. Suffice it to say that information was withheld, and let’s go on from there.
This was not the first time information hasn’t been disclosed, and it will not be the last. Look at how many breeders are either not testing, or not reporting their test results, or say they have tested (and everything is okay, of course) when in actuality no testing has been done. And, of course, we have those breeders who are still using dogs which have produced problems before…I think it is incumbent upon prospective buyers to research and familiarize themselves with the defects inherent to the breed, and of breeders to make those buyers aware of the breed’s problems. This, my friends, is called ETHICS.
I don’t think there is anyone in this breed who is not aware of the defects we have and did not know about them before they bought their dogs. What most people have to realize is that their dogs are just now getting to the age where these defects can and will show up. Luck has been with us until now.
I think that if our club members & other mini owners would take the time to research their dogs’ pedigrees, they would find that most minis in this country are related, having come from English imports. Why are the English breeders having such a difficult time with LL? We all have shared bloodlines, carrying the good and BAD genes. The saving grace in this country is that some of us are now being open & reporting the problem dogs. In the future I am certain this will stand our dogs in good stead.
I think that I have found out a few truths about myself through my emotional state over the last few months, truths both good and bad. When Brenda Smith’s dogs were affected I thanked God it wasn’t one of my dogs. Did I call her and offer any support? No. For that failing I would like to offer Brenda my sincerest apologies. What people in this breed need to remember is: WHAT AFFECTS ONE OF US AFFECTS ALL OF US!
We have lived for years with our collective heads in the sand, assuming that by not acknowledging the problems, the problems would go away. Well, guess what? the problems have not gone away and now are a lot more widespread than you could ever imagine…
Jo Turley has taken it upon herself to start an alternative newsletter, the Miniature Bull Terrier Tell-a-gram. In it she publishes names of dogs that through testing, or time, have been found to have one or more of the medical problems common to our breed. The owners of these dogs have given Jo permission for this "outing", along with what supporting documents are necessary. I have heard of complaints to the effect that this sort of thing should only be done by "someone totally without bias". My question to the membership is , "WHY?" Is Jo not telling the truth as reported? Are breeders not reporting the truth when they talk about their dogs’ defects? Or is it just that Jo and the MBTT should be replaced to shut them up?
Jo has my wholehearted support for the tedious and time-consuming job she has undertaken to help OUR breed. Now, if this is BIASED, then I can only say that we need more devoted and biased people like her. Without people like Jo, and those who have been supporting her through past issues, our breed would not prosper and thrive, but instead eventually die out.
So, to those breeders who are not testing, and are trusting to luck, GOOD LUCK! To those who have tested but not reported to Jo’s MBTT, WHY NOT?
In a perfect world none of this would be necessary - but guess what? NO PERFECT WORLD!
I would like to see every dog in our breed tested. Not just the stud dogs and the brood bitches, but also progeny testing, & even the pets. Every generation needs to be tested. The more we know, the easier it will be to conquer the medical problems we have. If you’ve had a problem in the past, please report it. Now is the time. Those of us who have been affected know that we are not alone, and that there will be others to come. There is no shame in telling people you have a problem - we all have problems. To those still in denial of this basic fact, or who think defects have been bred out of their line, I can only say, again, GOOD LUCK. Denial only works for alcoholics!
To those members who are genuinely interested in our breed, my heart goes out to you, and my best wishes…we have trying times ahead of us but if we all stick together & do what is best for our breed, we will survive and so will our beloved minis.

You can fool all of the people some of the time

and some of the people all of the time

but you can’t fool MOTHER NATURE at any time.

CORRECTION: in MBTT issue #3 a mini was mentioned as having subluxated at under 2 years of age; sired by Nitro, out of Black Magic - in fact, the dam was not Black Magic, but a litter sister.

Quotes From the Past:

Club president, Donly Chorn, ALB/April/90…"we need to do our part, too, and check our breeding stock to make sure they don’t have glaucoma, incipient LL or other eye defects before breeding. I think we can assume until disproven that any serious eye problem in minis is part of an LL syndrome even if this is not technically the diagnosis.

THE MBTT LENS LUXATION LIST FOR NORTH AMERICA

UPDATED FOR SEPTEMBER 1997 * 23 DECLARED ( OF 36 KNOWN ) AFFECTED *

REMEMBRANCE DAY / LEST WE FORGET

D.O.B.	NAME (PLL)	UNITED KINGDOM		PARENTS (CARRIERS)

THE MBTT HAS PUT THE NAMES OF "CARRIER" MBTs WHO WENT ON TO BE "AFFECTED" MBTs IN BOLD TYPE. ALSO, THOSE AFFECTED DOGS WITH MULTIPLE AFFECTED SIBLINGS HAVE THEIR NAMES IN ITALICS....REMEMBER - WHEN PLL STRIKES, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT OTHER LITTERMATES WILL HAVE THE SAME DEFECT. THIS IS TRUE OF BOTH DOMINANT & RECESSIVE INHERITANCE PATTERNS.
IF ANY OF OUR OVERSEAS READERS HAVE NAMES THEY WOULD LIKE US TO ADD TO OUR LIST, PLEASE USE THE FORM PROVIDED IN THIS ISSUE.

UPDATE/UPDATE/UPDATE/UPDATE OCT/97/LL LIST/UK

THE UK LENS LUXATION LIST HAS HAD 7 ADDITIONS COURTESY OF VALERIE ALLENDEN WHO BROUGHT US THE UPDATE JUST PRIOR TO THE NATIONAL’97. OUR CONDOLENCES AND GRATITUDE TO THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE LISTS IN BOTH COUNTRIES.

It is disconcerting to hear, when it seems that every week brings more news about someone’s great foundation dog luxating, that "we are overreacting to this problem." It is especially disconcerting, and very dismaying to hear this opinion from newcomers to the breed - even those who are not yet "breeders" - because it shows a total disregard for what has been happening to the breed for 20 plus years with no control. It is the lack of and too little reacting that has reputable miniature bull terrier breeders today facing the next decade with such abysmal apprehension and misgiving.

The incidence of lens luxation in our breed is such that a recent comment was heard to the effect that we had an "epidemic" - well, folks, line up now for your vaccination to help combat this dreaded, spreading disease. What? You didn’t realize there was a shot for this? Yes! a special serum made up of common sense, pedigree assessments, culling, testing, honesty, ethics, outspokenness, control, genetic research, cooperation…So, step right up- NOT YOUR DOG, but YOU!!!

…and remember - we never promised it wouldn’t hurt…

THE FIRST ACKNOWLEDGED N.A. MINIBULL HEARING LIST
BAER BILATERALLY NORMAL

name of dog					parents

WHY, WITH ALL OUR OTHER PRESSING HEALTH ISSUES, SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT DEAFNESS IN OUR MBTs? - BECAUSE ONCE UPON A TIME, NO ONE WORRIED ABOUT THOSE HEALTH PROBLEMS, EITHER...AND WHERE HAS THAT ATTITUDE GOTTEN US TODAY???

BAER NORMAL MINIBULLS....CONTINUED

This list will be continued; meanwhile, here are the minibulls who have been declared with abnormal hearing :

Both of these minis are white, and both are unilaterally deaf (one ear normal, one not). However, the second one has two coloured parents. Don't rely on colour breeding to eliminate this inherited defect - we can , at this time, only control it through testing and culling.

BAER testing by random kennel selection tells you something solely about that individual dog; only parent/progeny testing will give you the depth of information that can help you make better decisions for your entire breeding program. The percentage of affected animals per litter in entire litter testings can tell you if a repeat breeding is worth the risk - but testing only the show prospect gives a false representation of what is happening behind the scenes. This will later come to haunt you.

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AM/CDN. CH. BULWARK MINIKIN MAGIC MARKER

and co-owner Alanna Leach, of Lloydminster, Alberta, went south for their US debut at the MBTCA 1997 NATIONAL SPECIALTY and associated shows at Hatboro & Devon-Montgomery.
Entered in 3 point-shows and 2 Sweeps, they garnered:
Best of Winners, Friday, under judge Mr.Keith Bates; for 5 points;
Best of Winners, Saturday, at the supported entry show under breeder judge Mrs. Maureen Hughes, for 5 points; and Best in Sweeps under breeder judge Mr. Paul Combs. Then Sunday, Best in Sweeps, again, under breeder judge Mr. Jim Gaignat; and best of all, Best of Winners at the National Specialty itself, under breeder judge Hon. David Merriam, for the 5 point major that finished his USA championship in 3 shows!

Well done, Alanna & Roo!

Magic Marker is heart & eye tested normal to date - but, sorry,

at only 17 months old, we consider him too young to 'date'...

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CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

3 cheers!!! for breeder judge Quita Youatt, from England, who stood up at the MBTCA National Specialty general meeting and declared that the goings-on were out of order; would not be tolerated at a UK club meeting; and that the club had better put things right...

3 cheers!!! for breeder judge Christine Burton, for putting a Canine Good Citizen title on her new mini, Bulwark Minikin Mystique.

3 cheers!!! for all those mini owners/breeders who attended the heart/eye clinics (and especially both) at the National Specialty.

3 cheers!!! for all those whose heart/eye (or both) results were unexpectedly good or bad and let us know so we could re-evaluate our pedigrees & breeding plans.

Issue#5 of the Miniature Bull Terrier Tell-a-gram will continue the BAER listings. Here are some tips for recognizing signs of deafness in the kennel or home:

* watch for the dog that sleeps through anything, then startles inappropriately.

* watch for the dog that hears sounds, but runs in the opposite direction to find the source.

*watch for the dog that appears insecure outside, or by traffic noise, and barks excessively, seemingly for nothing.

* watch for the puppy that runs the wrong way when the rest of the litter acts as a herd.

* place the litter in a room with two windows - make a noise from one, & mark those pups which could not locate the source right away. Try again from the other window - if the "marked" puppy is still confused, it warrants a BAER test. Repeated tests may show some learned response, so if in doubt, try a new venue.

* there is often a "look" of straining alertness to the unilaterally deaf Bull terrier's earset, with very upright ears that seldom lay

back or move; while the bilaterally deaf dog's ears do not make the small back & forth movements we associate with a "listening" to, and locating of, background noises.

The MBTT is on the Net at:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/heartland/prairie/4111

or

write: c/o Box#4, Site#2, RR#1 Priddis, Alberta,
Canada, T0L 1W0

The MBTT also thanks Trudy Pizer, Carol Wagner, and Rachelle Neiburger for supporting the publication of Issue #4; Carol writes: "I applaud you and all those helping you compile and circulate this information...silence is no longer acceptable."

In lieu of a Funny Foto for our OCTOBER/NOVEMBER MBTT we offer:

time

for

people

who

looked

stupid

already

to up

the

ante