OUR MISSION

It is one of our reasons for existing. Like many living things, dogs come from genetic cross-breeding. Unfortunately, dogs are not perfect and may also transport biological genetic defects. If we mix regardless of disreputable genetics, we contribute to the perpetuation of animal health problems.

Thus the emergence of diseases such as hip dysplasia, detachment of the retina (eyes), the CNM, the EIC and thyroid disease are a daily battle. Fortunately, many conscientious breeders contribute to eradicating these diseases.

OFA (USA: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) is a world renowned organization, testing and providing certification in canine hips. It is an expensive test: X-rays, (regularly done under partial anesthesia) previously carried out by our vet are evaluated by 2 different teams of 3 veterinarians. To obtain a certificate of excellence, «EXCELLENT»‚6 veterinarians must agree. If one has a different diagnosis, the result will be «GOOD» and so on. The passing grade is «FAIR». In principle, a dog with “other result” should not be used for breeding.

This test should be done by a veterinarian specializing in ophthalmology. The dog receives eye drops that dilate the pupils allowing the examination of the retina, lens, etc. The ophthalmologist approves or not the quality of the eyes. To obtain a certificate, the result of the ophthalmologist must be sent to CERF. This test is less available due to the scarcity of canine ophthalmologists.

CNM (Centro nuclear myopathy) is an aggressive disease that attacks the muscular functions of a dog from birth. Puppies that are affected must be euthanized due to lack of motor skills. Unfortunately some breeders transport the disease without knowing it. A simple DNA sample taken by a veterinarian, from the mouth of the dog, is then sent to France. This lets us know if a dog is a carrier, CARRIER or not‚CLEAR of this disease. Recently, it seems that the test is available in the USA. Even though a carrier will never be affected by the disease, if two carriers should mate‚this will be an unfortunate and costly waste.

EIC (canine exercise induced collapse) is a less aggressive neurologic disease than CNM. A dog may be affected without his master’s knowledge. EIC is expressed only in situations of intense work. A simple DNA sample taken from the mouth of the dog by a veterinarian, shipped to USA, will determine if a dog is a carrier, CARRIER‚or not, CLEAR of this disease. Once more, a carrier will not be affected by this disease, but if two carriers should mate.

It is possible that following intense exercise a dog may have a non IEC related muscle collapse.

The PENN-HIP is a method of evaluating the quality of the hips, set up by a research chair at the University of Pennsylvania. The results of their research have shown that traditional methods, such as O.F.A. (and others), does not appear to have reduced the incidence of hip dysplasia in many large breed dogs (including Labrador). Although the O.F.A. is very credible, it comes from an analysis / reading of radiological images, subject to the interpretation of 3 veterinarians.

PENN-HIP researchers have established a new data:
THE LAXITY OF THE HIP.
Only veterinarians who have received specific training can accredit PENN-HIP hips. The data is acquired by 3 different radiographs, in different positions. The measurement is called DI (DISTRACTION-INDEX). In Labrador, the DI must be less than 0.3 for not having a DJD (Degenerative-Joint-Disease). Subsequently, the data is analyzed and grouped by race and your result is automatically indexed to a percentile chart. So you can compare yourself to the rest of the breed.
Your result, good or bad, will remain engraved forever in the register. Unlike some methods where the display of data, is not mandatory. Ironically, some dogs with very high certifications with other methods would not necessarily pass the LAXITY test.

An important advantage, it is possible to have the results from the age of 4 MONTHS. How many breeders waited until they were 2 years old, before having a certification confirmed for their breeder? How much energy, time and money could be spared, if we knew at 4 months, the potential destiny of our dog’s hips. At the limit, a breeder could have a whole litter tested and only breed those with exceptional hips. Our intentions are informative, the technique is not new, but is gaining a lot of popularity.

For more details on the method,
you can also visit this site

A high performance line is achieved when most of the subjects (generation) meet the pre-established criteria of the breeder. To achieve this, the breeder selects the best subjects and couples them with others meeting his standards. If he repeats this for several generations, he will eventually attain the highest standards possible for the lineage. It is a long process.

The titles a dog possesses denotes his standing. They reflect the actual ability of a dog. They are all brothers and sisters from the same genetic heritage and they are not all Olympic champions. Fortunately, we do not choose our spouse according to his Olympic performance!!

In the dog’s world we breed regularly according to performance. If you use the seed of a champion, the likelihood he produces an excellent candidate increases. That may be the beginning of a fine lineage…

In USA, the equivalent is the
AKC American Kennel Club.