Perhaps the time has come to revise the color section of our breed standard. Maybe it should read –
“All colors and patterns allowed”
What this would accomplish in my opinion is an allowance for breeders to place the focus on more important parts of the breed standard and stop all of the prejudice, bickering and hypocrisy we now have over blue or tan pointed Staffords.
After all, judges from all countries are placing marked Staffords highly at all levels of showing and nobody says one word – yet a blue is either ignored due to color, bad mouthed on color alone or stories are often told with gaping mouths about how the blue ones are affected with all sorts of health issues. Also when a good blue one does win something – in our case – attention and focus is on the color and not virtue.
“I cant believe I am awarding a blue” “She is really nice for a blue” “She is the best blue I have seen” “My first blue” – Even with all the winning this blue has done – and of course we are absolutely grateful for everything and really hope it was due to her VIRTUES and not her color – she doesnt quite make it to the top winnings…..never a BOB or BOS at a Specialty, not ranked, not placed in groups, not really taken seriously as that may be just a bit too much to handle for some. The focus is on color and not much else. I dont care how vehemently people will deny this – try living on my side of the glass and then tell me how you view it. I promise you will see things differently.
By removing all color focus those who are breeding supposed ‘rare’ colors and are asking astronomical prices for them will be immediately thwarted from doing so. All colors being allowed, all patterns being allowed means color is now reduced to a non issue and all the other ten paragraphs of our breed standard can be worked on.
By allowing all colors and patterns we are on equal footing. A paint job doesn’t affect original or current function.
Nobody ever says a negative word about breeders who only breed for red or those only breeding for black brindle. Comments are often made when photos are posted of litters where there are reds, brindles, whites, pieds, all in one litter – “What a lovely array of color she has given you” yet if a photo appears with a black and tan pup or a blue then all the whispering begins. Finger pointing, blame, tracing back – where did this come from?
Yet when we see ultra short muzzles, buggy eyes, wrinkled heads, rolling, cycling or flip flop movement, funky toplines, straight angles, weak rears, fly away ears, squirrel feet, gay tails, chippendale fronts – not one word. As long as its not a blue. For if it is a blue then all of those faults are mentioned and nary a word about any virtue is said. If its a marked one then all faults are forgiven and people become blind to the markings.
This is absurd. Its divisive. Its non productive – in fact its counter productive! I strongly feel the time has come to lift up all color and pattern references from the standard. We now have DNA testing available for those who wish to utilize it. Its time to grow up. Its time to be smarter.
Color and markings do not make the dog.