FEATURE ARTICLE: THE MESSAGE OF BAYOU OF FOXSTAND (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - The history of Siberian Husky breed promotion and development in the 1930s has multiple resonances in today's Seppala scene! The founding of a very political showdog-oriented breed club in 1938 changed the entire face of the breed. The dominant Northern Light bloodline that began the registered breed virtually disappeared from the scene -- except for one valiant little sleddog bitch, BAYOU OF FOXSTAND. Read her fascinating story and learn the truth about the early days of the Siberian Husky breed.
PUREBRED DOG BREEDS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY -- ACHIEVING GENETIC HEALTH FOR OUR DOGS (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - Jeffrey's 1996 brief to the Canadian Kennel Club on coping with the genetic crisis in purebred dogs. Ignored by the Club's power elite, this brief has been reproduced endlessly in breed newsletters and on the Web. It has led many responsible dog breeders to question traditional methods of inbreeding and cosmetic selection and given great support to the "diversity breeding" movement.
RANDOM GENETIC DRIFT -- THE BREEDER'S HIDDEN ENEMY (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - Do you really understand what is meant by "genetic drift"? Few breeders do, actually. Yet it is absolutely the most pervasive and inevitable force for the loss of genetic diversity, affecting all dog breeders no matter what methods they may use. If you don't understand drift, you don't understand dog breeding -- because you don't know what you're up against. This article isn't a quick, easy read. It requires a bit of time and study. But when you have worked your way through the demonstration it offers, you'll truly understand genetic drift.
EXPLOITATIVE BREEDING VS. DEVELOPMENTAL BREEDING (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - The inner circle of the ISSSC held an online discussion on Seppala breeding, and concluded "we are doomed." This article explores the differences between the exploitative breeding methods commanded by competition-driven dogsled racing organisations and kennels, and the developmental methods needed to ensure long-term genetic survival for legacy sleddog breeds like the Seppala Siberian Sleddog.
ISA'S DILEMMA (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - Does I. S. A. need members more than the members need I. S. A.? Shouldn't we encourage "dual registration" of SSSDs as Siberian Huskies so that dog drivers in the British Isles and Europe can attend "closed races" with their Seppalas? Are all the dogs that have been bred and sold by ISSSC racers going to be eligible for I. S. A. SSSD status? Who moved the goal posts? What about Siberia imports? What about Markovo-Seppalas? This article explores all the knotty questions and explains I. S. A. policy decisions.
RECREATIONAL MUSHING (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - Just what is the place of the recreational musher in dogsled sport? Where does he fit in? Are recreational mushers "ruining the breed"? What about the concept of "sleddog excellence"? What about just racing for the fun of it? A good discussion of recreational dog driving.
SLEDDOG RESPONSIBILITY (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - An in-depth look at the ethical side of breeding, racing, training and owning sleddogs in a truly responsible way.
SUSTAINABLE DOGSLED SPORTS (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - As Mother Earth runs into heavy weather with global warming, air and water pollution, and diminishing non-renewable resources, how can sleddog fanciers practise their sport in a truly sustainable and ecologically responsible way? A look at internal-combustion engines, overbreeding, culling, hypernutrition, hyper veterinary care, the ethics of big teams, and similar dogsled sport issues.
HISTORIC BREED SURVIVAL (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - How can historic legacy sleddogs breeds like Chinooks and Seppalas best survive in the postmodern era? Purpose-breeding versus show breeding, recreational mushing, the future of dogsled transport. Is racing the answer to historic breed survival, or is it really a labour of love in the end?
THE AKC TAKEOVER OF RARE BREEDS (by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D., and Laurie Spalding) - The President of the Coton de Tulear Club of America tears the lid off an unsavoury and devious AKC strategy to control rare breeds and fit them all into a single mould. AKC Foundation Stock Service makes Chinooks and other rare breeds "an offer they can't refuse."
CONSIDERATIONS ON POPULATION GENETICS IN DOG BREEDING (by Dr. Hellmuth Wachtel) - The renowned Austrian cynologist Hellmuth Wachtel looks at Siberian Huskies and Seppalas in the light of population genetics, closed stud books, elite breeding, overused sires, and genetic bottlenecks. (A vintage 1995 "Seppala Network" original article.)
THE GENETIC TIDE: WILL IT LEAVE US HIGH AND DRY? (by J. Jeffrey Bragg) - The first shot fired in Canada for genetic diversity and open stud books. Dog Writers Assn. of America award-winning article published in Dogs in Canada's February 1996 issue. It briefly explores closed stud books, genetic defects, and the crisis in purebred dog breeding.
HONOR AMONG BEASTS (Time™ Magazine article by Michael D. Lemonick) - "Think altruism, empathy and a sense of fair play are traits only humans possess? Think again." This article reports fascinating studies in canid behaviour done by ethologist Marc Bekoff at the University of Colorado.
