Please click and read this, it may save your life and the life of your pet.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/health_science/v-print/story/1333377.html

Veterinary science has a lot to offer human medicine.

From the article:

A weird thing started to happen when Breitschwerdt talked about Bartonella infections in dogs at veterinary meetings around the country. His colleagues, most of them working vets, said they had the same symptoms he described in the pets — arthritis, fatigue, neurological problems. One man’s symptoms worsened until he could no longer jog and his hands grew numb; he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

It seemed that they had been exposed to the bacteria, either from animal bites and scratches or from bug bites.

In 2005, the board at NCSU that oversees scientific studies approved Breitschwerdt’s request to test human blood. Of 50 people in the initial group he tested using his culture process and PCR, half were infected with Bartonella. Many had chronic conditions that stubbornly defied traditional treatments.

“[Infection is] an occupational risk for vets,” Breitschwerdt says.

But getting the medical community to consider Bartonella has been difficult — especially for veterinary researchers such as Breitschwerdt. It’s a frustration shared by other Bartonella hunters.

“There’s a lack of attention, and certainly a lack of funding,” says Dr. Bruno Chomel, a researcher at the University of California, Davis. He says even Lyme disease, another tick-borne illness that has met skepticism among doctors over its geographic range and treatment requirements, enjoys more acceptance.

The legend of Rin Tin Tin is that he save Warner Brothers from bankruptcy.
Here is a complete version of the story: http://www.rintintin.com/story.htm

Notice that Rin Tin Tin is a brand, protected by folks that want to preserve the name and bloodline, more breeders could learn from this example and start branding themselves- what does your kennel, dogs and name stand for?

From the article:

“This strict criteria was initiated by my grandmother to not only protect the integrity of the lineage, but the Rin Tin Tin name,” said Miss Hereford.

“If you are at the helm of something as important as the Rin Tin Tin legacy, then you are charged with a responsibility to ensure that it remains the same as it was intended by its founders. To change Rin Tin Tin in any way would be a disservice not only to my grandmother, but to Lee Duncan as well. I have dedicated my life to the maintenance of this lineage and am proud to say, the dog you see today representing Rin Tin Tin is the same dog Duncan put before the public in the 1950s,” she added.

If you breed at all you are responsible for protecting the breed. Keep learning and improving it is your best tool to improve and “do no harm”.