Dear Sir,
To fully understand our concerns, a brief overview of our breed’s history is necessary. The miniature schnauzer breed is founded on 3 sires born at the turn of the last century. The first 20 years of development were a period of intense inbreeding, during which time size and type were established.
The gene pool, already very narrow, suffered a severe bottlenecking in the 1940’s when a single American sire (Ch. Dorem Display) gained prominence. By the time of his death in 1959, his sons had replaced nearly all other sire lines; all miniature schnauzers alive today trace their ancestry tens of thousands of times over to this 1 dog. To complicate matters, approximately 75% of all female lines descend from a single imported bitch, Ch. Amsel VD Cyriaksburg. Thus the miniature schnauzer is one of the most homozygous of breeds at the genetic level.
In North America, the miniature schnauzer competes in the terrier group in which small, neatly carried ears and straight tails are a competitive norm. Never in the history of the miniature schnauzer has selection for length or shape of tail been practiced. The undocked tail often curls forward and down over the flank — a highly undesirable trait in the arena in which our breed competes. Nor has there been selection for any specific type of ear type or carriage. While a few dogs compete successfully with drop ears in North America each year, the vast majority are cropped. It is unknown how many of the current family lines in our breed possess the ability to consistently produce offspring with both correct breed type and structure, along with ears and tails of the desired shape and carriage. Early evidence coming out of Europe suggests such individuals are quite likely the minority.
The Miniature Schnauzer Club of Canada is concerned that any ban on these procedures will rapidly swing selection pressure towards the sires and family lines that produce the newly desired traits, while lines that do not die out. The phenomenon is underway in Europe, the UK, and elsewhere, as breeders are actively seeking out and promoting the minority of sires with straight tails. In short, the “unintended consequence” of forcing new and much narrower selection practices for both ear and tail conformation has the potential to reduce the genetic diversity of a gene pool in which full inbreeding coefficients already exceed 40%.
The increase in genetic disease frequency that can result from rapid swings in selection practices is well-documented. Indeed, it is one of the primary risks that breed clubs are cautioned about when new DNA tests become available. This risk is one that we do not wish our breed subjected to. Thus, for our breed, the debate over docking and cropping is not merely a question of whether or not cosmetic surgery is “necessary” from the standpoint of the individual animal; it holds serious and irreversible implications for our breed’s genetic diversity and disease rates.
The Miniature Schnauzer Club of Canada urges veterinarians and legislators alike to thoroughly investigate and consider all of the implications their decisions may have for the future of our breed and others before supporting such initiatives.
Respectfully,
Kay Deveyrac, President
on behalf of the Miniature Schnauzer Club of Canada Board of Directors
Footnotes
Endorsements:
Mary H. Whiteley, PhD, DOGenes Inc, Peterborough, Ontario
Lisa Sarvas, DVM, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA — Beauideal Miniature Schnauzers
Susanne B. Short, DVM, Oklahoma State University, Boren Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA — Premier Miniature Schnauzers
Paula L. Steele, DVM, Murray County Veterinary Services, Chatsworth, Georgia, USA — Postscript Miniature Schnauzers