olly's story, as told by her owner

Bringing a new dog into the home is a big commitment. Everywhere you look, you see articles on selecting a breeder. The days of buying a puppy from the local pet shop or the newspaper are disappearing for the educated buyer. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. Finding the right breeder was the first step. I would like to share with you my experience with Holly.

Everything I had read about evaluating a breeder said to buy a pup from a breeder who has OFA numbers on both parents, and who belongs to the National Breed Club. I found a breeder that not only belonged to the national breed club, she has been Breeder of the Year for several years, does a lot of winning in the show ring. She also holds office in the National Club, as well as holds office in a Regional Curly Club. Her advertisements and business card clearly say that all breeding stock are OFA and CERF. I did my homework, I though I was doing all the right things. She sounded educated about the breed. She said all the right things, answered all of my questions, she even held off from selling me a puppy from her first litter my deposit was for - as she didn't have a "show quality" dog for me. She stated her dogs were OFA/CEFF certified. I called a reference in a neighboring state that had two dogs from her and were happy.

Things sounded too good to be true. I made the arrangements to purchase a show quality female who was out of Addidas Christmas Party (Party) and Addidas Antietam (Annie).

My family had anticipated the arrival of Holly for weeks. I had read somewhere that if you send down an article of clothing, bedding or a towel to put with the litter and mother, it will pick up their scent and make the transition and first few nights easier on the new pup. The breeder and I had talked extensively about temperament. Having young children I knew the temperament was extremely important. We were expecting a very friendly, show quality, well adjusted pet to arrive from this well respected breeders, Marci and Jim Iler owners of Addidas Kennel in MD, who seemed a pillar of the Curly World.

Unfortunately I had not done my homework as well as I thought. I drove in driveway of the breeder's fathers house where we had prearranged to meet. There was the breeders van stacked with crates and dogs that she had shown at Dogshows on the drive up, and in the yard there a portable fence area with a very shy, scared puppy, not the enthusiastic temperament tested scoring 3-4, family dog I expected.

I felt the puppy in the pen totally contradicted the puppy personality test Marci had told me about. The puppy was outside, alone and acting scared, not happy and enthusiastic with her little tail wagging as I expected. My three year old daughter was with me so I acted like I did not notice these things. I had built up driving down to Cape Cod to pick up our puppy that we had been waiting 4 months for.

What I brought home was a very submissive, shy, bowlegged Curly Coated Retriever, which my family promptly fell in love with. When I read over the temperament test the breeder had given me I knew in my gut it was filled out to fit what I requested not the actual puppy I drove home with. I tried not to think about the fact that when I looked at the birth date on the male health certificate that the breeder took my puppy "Holly" out of MD at less than 7 full weeks old, which is against state law. I tried to believe it was a mistake that she forgot the towel I had spent $12 on overnighting that was for Holly's crate to comfort her during the long drive- but anyone can make a mistake, right? She must care about the puppy, she seemed so into the breed on the phone. Marci Iler also gave me a male health certificate instead of female certificate which I didn't realize until after I was home with puppy. (another mistake she told me). Holly had bald areas on her elbows where the hair had rubbed off, I would assume from being in a kennel or on a hard surface. The breeder said it was from the bark mulch area of the play area she was in in MD. I tried not to visualize a puppy mill, I had done my research...I couldn't be taken like this, it was everything I wanted to avoid. Puppymill came to mind again as I signed the contract and noticed it listed other breeds of dog. Marci stated she didn't really breed great danes and the labs she didn't actively breed.

Holly was loving and sweet but she couldn't look anyone in the eye, and had an "accident" every time someone new came into to the house. I thought once we gradually get her socialized she will be the great puppy I was promised. She was always bowlegged, and I notice a little limp when she ran (although I tried not to see it) but we loved her, and I had her spade, obviously I realized I had a pet quality dog, not a show quality dog but didn't care about the extra $200 I spent for show quality. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, it makes your mistakes clearer and clear. Every time I would think back to the day I picked up Holly I knew in my gut the mistake I had made, as more became wrong with my dog it became harder to rationalize a reason or excuse for so many things. It took 6 months for me to get the AKC papers from the breeder and when I did the papers were registered in the breeders name, not mine. (I have never bothered to change it since by that time she was spayed, and we could not show her)

A sister to Holly visited, I watched Holly's sister run across the room, I knew then that I had some leg issues, but didn't actually address them for a while, I hoped she was just having growing pains I had read online about another dog that showed Pano and HOD symptoms but turned out okay. After all, I still had Marci's business card with those magic words, "All breeding stock OFA and CERF." It does not state OFA certified for what. There is an implied understanding in the fancy that OFA means hips, I was led to believe we were talking about hips during every conversation. She is a member of the National Breed club. I thought a membership to a National Club was some golden seal of approval. I found out later the club has no strong Code of Ethics to police what a breeder does.

A friend of mine who had a lab about the same age said I had to wake up and admit Holly had problems and they weren't going away. Holly was diagnosed and had surgery for severe Hip Dysplasia as well as OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans) lesions before she had even turned one and half years old.

Marci always returned my phone call even though it was long distance when I was waiting to get a puppy, but did not return my call when I left a message that my dog had HD. At first I thought it was just a case of she didn't get my message and a Holly was a "breeding statistic"... but then I starting adding up all of the "little things" and it became obvious that I had been given too many stories to be a coincident. As a buyer, I thought I had done the research and educated myself to avoid this type of tragedy.

When researching info on CCR's, HD, OCDS, CERFS, etc I could not find an OFA number for hips on Holly's mother, Addidas Antietam. My puppy was not from a bitch who had OFA passing hips, Annie had an OFA elbow number. I later leaned that some breeders will give you an OFA elbow number, and not explain that the hips on the dogs they are breeding did not pass. I found only one CERF #. CERF is something that is suppose to be done annually. When Marci became aware of the Hip Dysplasia with my dog through another littermates owner in MD she stated she was sorry to hear it and would not breed Annie again. There have been AT LEAST THREE MORE LITTERS with not only Annie as the bitch but Party as the sire! (Holly is one of several with HD out of the second litter of this pairing) I was fortunate to be able to spend $2500 dollars to keep my dog alive, many families cannot afford to. I love Holly and would not give her back for anything. I keep thinking of what would have happened to her if she was purchased by someone who could not afford the operation to ease her pain.

I understand dogs are living creatures. No breeder can 100% guarantee that a dog will not develop a problem. You can breed OFA excellent dogs and still get a dog with HD. The OFA breeder guidelines and statistics have shown the instance of OFA in a breed goes down drastically if you only breed from OFA passing animals. From every conversation with the breeder prior to purchasing Holly, I was led to believe both the parents had passing hips.

Many well meaning breeders, who do all the health and genetic testing available produce dogs with HD. Those breeders are trying to get problems like this out of the breed by testing. Those responsible breeders would take this into account, and not continue to breed the same animals, producing the same problems. It breaks my heart to think another litter may be on the ground out of Annie and Party ready to go to people who also though they did their homework looking for a puppy.

At some point along the way I realized I had not done the research into the breeder I thought. I had only skimmed the surfaces because I heard what I wanted to hear YES I HAVE A LITTER EXPECTED, and it meant I didn't have to deal with some of the breeders that seemed a little to protective about their litters....I was an intelligent person (or so I thought) who found all the questions the breeders asked a bit much for a CCR puppy that was of course going to have a fun loving family. Now I know why those owners spend all that time asking the prospective puppy buyer questions. They have poured heart and soul into each and every breeding. If there is heartbreak, they will be right beside you, sharing your pain. Those breeders that told me to be wary if someone says they always have pups, I didn't listen to them. I waited 4 months for Holly. Some breeders told me you may have to wait a year or more for the right pup. I even talked to breeders who said so many negative things about the breed, I wondered if they wanted to sell pups at all. Its more than about the money for them. Its about the Curlies. Hind site is a wonderful thing!!!! I just wanted to share my experience with you. If it helps even one person, its worth it.

The Dysplastic Joint

Hip Dysplasia is a terrible genetic disease because of the various degrees of arthritis (also called degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis) it can eventually produce, leading to pain and debilitation.

Unfortunately once osteoarthritis is present on a radiograph, these changes are irreversible and usually continue to progress over time. If a dysplastic dog has secondary arthritis and pain, most owners elect to first treat their dog with medical management.

In younger dogs usually less than 10 months old with only subluxation caused by dysplasia, a triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO) can be performed to re-establish joint stability and encourage normal joint development and minimize abnormal biomechanical forc es on the joint before osteoarthritis occurs. This procedure is not indicated if osteoarthitis is already present. Recovery time is about 6 weeks and a good success rate has been reported with return of normal hip function.

For older dogs (over 10 months) over 35 pounds that already have established osteoarthritis and can no longer be medically managed, a total hip replacement is the treatment of choice for re-establishing normal, pain-free limb function and joint mechanics. A high degree of success has been reported with this surgery and like the TPO, post-op recovery is about 4-6 weeks. The main disadvantage to this surgery is the high cost.

Holly Parents Grandparents
Addidas (Holly) CH Addidas Christmas Party
SM84897801 CH Toakaha Maruiwi SF-238205
CH Addidas SW Nobody's Fool SE-613851
CH Addidas Antietam CH Frolich Tybee CoCo
CH Addidas Streisand SG-017811

OFA results. Confusion and clarification.

A curly can get different kinds of OFA certification. The OFA, established in 1966, is a not-for-profit organization originally created to
assist breeders in addressing hip dysplasia. In recent years OFA has added databases to assist breeders in assessing elbow and patella
deformities, craniomandibular osteopathy, autoimmune thyroiditis and congenital heart disease.

Veterinarians and responsible breeders of purebred dogs are well aware that hip dysplasia and other inherited diseases can be controlled
by careful, selective breeding programs. They know that breeding normal dogs to normal bitches will produce fewer affected offspring
than breeding normal to affected or affected to affected. They also know the value of the sire and dam family history for normal status
as well as sibling information in choosing which normal animals are to be used in a breeding program.

You should always ask a Curly breeder about the OFA reports of the sire and dam of the litter you are looking at. But sometimes this is
not enough. Some breeders will breed a dog with failing hips, and give you an OFA certificate for the dogs elbows. Now, any health
testing is good, but you should be educated on how to read an OFA number, how to search the OFA databases, and how to look at an
OFA certificate.

A bit about the certificates themselves.
The OFA Hip Certificate is Blue, Cardiac one is Pinkish red, and the Elbow one is a mint green. But unless you have seen them all, you
wouldn't know. The Elbow one on the bottom says Dysplasia Control Registry. Nothing about Elbows prominently displayed on it
anywhere. The Cardiac certificate will have Congenital Cardiac Registry on the bottom. Once you photocopy them, they are all Black
and white, and look very much the same. You have to pay attention to the actual OFA number the dog is assigned

The elbow number will have EL in it. CR-EL#-T
the Cardiac one will have CA in it. CR-CA#/#-T
and the Hip one will look like this:
CR-##F##-T (F is for fair)
CR##G##-T (G is for good)
CR##E##-T (E is for excellent)

How Hips are Graded

The phenotypic evaluation of hips done by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals falls into seven different categories. Those categories
are Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate, Severe. Below is an in depth at each of these classifications and what they mean.
Once each of the radiologists classifies the hip into one of the 7 phenotypes above, the final hip grade is decided by a consensus of the 3
independent outside evaluations. Examples would be:

1.Two radiologist reported excellent, one good--the final grade would be excellent
2.One radiologist reported excellent, one good, one fair--the final grade would be good
3.One radiologist reported fair, two radiologists reported mild--the final grade would be mild

The hip grades of excellent, good and fair are within normal limits and are given OFA numbers. This information is accepted by AKC on
dogs with permanent identification (tattoo, microchip) and is in the public domain. Radiographs of borderline, mild, moderate and
severely dysplastic hip grades are reviewed by the OFA radiologist and a radiographic report is generated documenting the abnormal
radiographic findings. Unless the owner has chosen the open database, dysplastic hip grades are closed to public information.

A dog is a living creature. As with any living creature, there is no 100% guarantee that there will be no problems. As breeders we make choices. Some good, some bad. Some are choices other breeders would not make. As a potential puppy buyer, it is up to you to do your homework. You can ask talk to as many breeders as possible. Some will have good things to say, some only bad things to say. Some will do nothing but bad mouth everyone to try to get you to get a puppy from them. If a breeder says they have no problems in their lines...run! There has yet to be the perfect puppy born. There are no perfect dogs, and unfortunately, no perfect breeders. Check out the OFA site at OFA site. Here you can check on hip, cardiac, eye and GSDII results.
Be aware that AKC/CKC/UKC registration does not mean quality. It only means that your dog is a pure-bred. Remember, Pet Quality puppies should be considered as just that! Even litters from very well bred parents usually contain only a few show or breeding quality puppies. The rest of the litter, sold as pets can well supply the pet-buying public without any lessening of the breed standards, providing that the buyers realize that, while pure-bred, these individuals are not breeding stock. You might not be able to tell the difference between a show or breeding quality and a pet quality dog, but there are differences. Your pet will still be a delightful companion, but it might have some minor fault not desirable in a breeding animal. Spayed and neutered dogs make better family companions and their chances for some cancers are lessened. In fact most reputable breeders will insist that pets be sold on a spay/neuter contract or on a limited registration.

Backyard Breeder
Reputable Breeder

1. Motive for breeding: "fun", "good for kids", "to make money". Does not screen buyers and seldom refuses to sell, even if buyer is unsuitable. 1. Dedication to producing quality dogs is serious avocation. Has so much invested in dogs that he struggles to break even, not make a profit. Will sell pups only to approved buyers.

2. Breeds the family pet to any convenient pet of the same breed just to have purebred pups. Has no understanding or concern with genetics, pedigree bloodlines, or breed improvement. 2. Can explain how planned breedings are used to emphasize or minimize specific qualities through linebreeding, outcrossing, or more rarely, inbreeding.

3. Though the pets (sire/dam of pups) may be well loved, they were not tested for hip dysplasia or for other genetic problems such as cardiac problems, eye problems... 3. Does not breed dogs younger than age 2. Has breeding stock x-rayed to check for hip dysplasia. Cardiac exam by a cardiologist submitted to the OFA. CERF eye exams. May be testing for GSDII and Thyroid problems. Can produce certification to prove claims.

4. Offers no health guarantee beyond proof of shots, if that. Unqualified to give help if problems develop. 4. Written contractural commitment to replace a dog with genetic faults or to help owner deal with problem.

5. Seller has little knowledge of breed history, the national breed club or of the AKC breed standard. May claim this does not matter for "just pets". 5. Loves the breed and can talk at length about its background, uses, and ideal type. May show, do obedience, hunting agility with their dogs.

6. Pups raised in makeshift accommodations, sometimes unsanitary, indicating lack of long-term investment in breeding and lack of true care for the puppies well-being. 6. Has an investment in dog equipment and the puppies environment is sanitary and loving. Will invite you in to see how the mom and pups are kept. Provide pictures of the litter as it is growing.

7. Even when selling "just pets", may produce AKC papers or "championship pedigrees" as proof of quality. Yet seller does not increase his own knowledge through participation in national, regional, or local breed clubs. Is not involved in showing their dogs to "prove" quality. 7. Belongs to national, regional, and/or local dog clubs, indicating a love for the sport of purebred dogs. Shows their dogs as an objective test of how his stock measures up.

8. May be unwilling to show a buyer the entire litter or to introduce the dam of the litter. Cannot or will not compare/critique pups or pup’s ancestors. 8. Shows litter and dam in a sanitary environment. Helps buyer evaluate and choose a pup. Explains criteria for "show prospects" versus "pet picks".

9. Prices are at the low end of local range, since must move pups quickly. Advertises in the local newspaper classifieds. 9. Prices will be at the high end of local range. Price will not reflect all that is invested in the pups. A reputable breeder never profits from the sale of puppies. Does not advertise in the newspaper. Has an established waiting list for the pups.

10. No concern for the future of individual pups or the breed as a whole. Does not use AKC’s limited registration option or ask for spay/neuter contract to guard against the breeding of sub-standard pups. If you cannot keep pup, tells you to take it to a dog pound or to sell it. 10. After purchase, will help you with grooming or training problems. Will take back a pup you cannot keep rather than see it disposed of inappropriately. Sells pets with spay/neuter agreement and on AKC limited registration.

Curly-Coated Retriever Information