Bad news, ugly news but the sun still shines !

Got a bit of catching up to do. With three baby dogs to bring on at the moment & running a busy family home by the evening I am very tired & the blog can wait but have got on the computer tonight before sleep engulfs me.
We have 8 hello's tonight including two Cavalier boys Scrumpy & Oliver. Thanks all for the photo's & updates
I also have a little bad news with being contacted by Alison to be told that Smudge's sister Maddie has been diagnosed with a Juvenile Cataract in one eye. It has been caught early & surgery for this condition has a very high success rate.
Mum Millie & Dad Charlie of Maddie both have been anually eye tested for cataracts showing no signs & sister Smudge has been eye tested showing no signs of cataract but Mum & Dad must be gene carriers & Smudge could be a carrier to. A gene test for this condition in Cavalier's is in the pipeline & soon as it is available on my dogs will be tested.
Millie is in pups now to Reggie our Miniature Poodle, so this should put the chance of her off spring having a cataract as   very low as these pups will be crossbreeds, so the chance of doubling up of the gene's  will be very unlikely. Pups from both litters will only go to strictly none breeding homes.
It is never easy when you know you have bred a dog with a problem which you have tryed to avoid but it happens to the best of us. If you watched on Monday night on BBC 4 "Pedigree Dogs Exposed 3 years on" it is like the man said doing the genetics on boxers, "mutations occur in breeds but its what you do about it when you find out."
If anyone caught the program on Monday night it might of been a bit of an eye opener but for me unfortunately reinforced all my fears about Show breeders. There are some very ugly people in the show world. The pug & all the flat faced breeds are simply  dogs that should of never been allowed to be bred to this extreme but the show world lead by the Kennel Club have openly in the past encouraged these mutants to be bred. The show world should hang their heads in shame. Human vainity in all its grotesque glory.

One thing I would like to say which the program did not is with Cavaliers that Syringomyelia is seen as not just a problem in Cavaliers but is seen as a small dog breed problem & that hopefully a gene test is in the pipeline.
I also being around Cavaliers feel the heart problem is still more of a problem in Cavaliers & figures quoted for syringomyelia in Cavaliers could be a little over zealous although I would not play down the fact that this is a problem within this breed.
In the programme Dalmation dilemma was interesting & I will give credit to The Kennel Club for allowing registration of this crossbreed dog because they have looked at the science & although the UK Dalmation Club where against it ruled on the side of sound scientific fact that will mean a healthier & happier Dalmation dog of the future. The American Kennel Club have yet to allow registration of these heathier crossbreed dogs who where crossbred over 14 generations ago in America. The problem is that with close breeding of these dogs a gene to control uric acid has been bred out of them. Dalmation's in the UK & USA are believed to be at almost zero level of dogs still with the gene to control uric acid.
I say on my "All About Cavapoo" page that "I believe crossbreeding will be the saviour of many of the purebreeds in the future, so watch this space" but it seems that my prophecy is already here. All we need now is the Kennel Club to gentle open its doors to controlled crossbreeding  & many purebreeds could have a bright, happy & above all healthier future.
We are seriously considering not breeding pure cavaliers any more but trying to breed a similier type of dog with more genetic diversity, so hopefully with less chance of genetic disorders. This though needs more breeding stock than I can keep, so I would need to find other visionary breeders to do this which is easier said than done.

Finally after all the  doggy politics some photo's of Millie our Mum in waiting. She is now 6 weeks pregnant. She looks really well with being a good size already. Wants loads of cuddles which she gets with lots of tummy massage.
Smudge & Reggie are very much in love at this moment. The sun is in the sky & love is in the air at Poundlane.