Let me just state up front that I would like to see the backcross Dals registered with the AKC, so I will certainly be voting YES when the ballot arrives asking if we even want to discuss it.

To me, it's a pretty simple question. Should these backcross dogs be considered AKC Dalmatians? Please note that the question is not if their spotting is to your liking, if these Dals will "cure" urate stone formation,
or even if they are good representatives of the breed. As someone pointed out in a post last week about AKC, "They are just a registry for purebred dogs. It is our job as purebred dog breeders to ensure the dogs we are breeding are as free from health issues as we can." So using that criterion, a dog who is 10 - 13 generations away from a single Pointer makes it a Dalmatian in my book.

Do you know how many other breeds would be thrilled to have even an opportunity to address a health problem in their breed the way we can? For us to not at least pursue it seems foolish.

I would like to ask the people who are so vehemently against including the backcross Dals in AKC a question. Your argument is that you want to protect the Dalmatian, correct? How would you feel if in an effort to do that, DCA/AKC decided that a good way to protect and preserve the Dalmatian would
be to mandate that all unis and blue-eyed Dals be registered with Limited Registrations so that no offspring of those dogs could be registered -- or if they restricted the number of litters that any one stud dog could
produce? NO ONE would want those kinds of restrictions placed on us! Breeders are given the opportunity to make the choices they think are best for their breeding programs. Shouldn't the people who want to incorporate the backcross dogs into their own breeding programs be given that same opportunity under the DCA/AKC umbrella? The backcross dogs should be allowed to stand -- or fall -- on their own merits at AKC shows.

And I have one more question for the people who are against this. It's a question I keep trying to answer in my own mind, but can't. I have to believe that fear is behind your passion. What is it you are really afraid
of?

Lois Wilthew
Dapple Dalmatians