[MR] Dogs at events

[Andrea Roher]

As a fairly new member of the SCA and a dog owner, I hope I'm not
stepping on any toes, but I did feel that I wanted to contribute to
this discussion.

My mother has been breeding and showing dogs for about nine years (we
also self-vaccinate our dogs), so I'm aware of the dog world in a way
that not many are.  As such, I am aware that there is an ongoing
discussion among veterinarians about dog vaccinations.  A growing
number of veterinarians believes that continuing yearly (or any)
vaccination of dogs after they reach adulthood is unneccessary and may
be contributing to certain problems we see in our older dogs.  It is
wondered why with people the vaccinations we receive in childhood are
effective for the rest of our lives while the same is not true for
dogs.

That being said, a responsible dog owner who is aware of this may make
the decision for the health of their pet NOT to vaccinate yearly,
without being negligent to the rest of the animal population.

Rabies is a different issue, primarily because of it's seriousness and
the illegality of not vaccinating for rabies.  However, a recent law
change in Virginia is likely to lead to an increase in the number of
dogs owned by responsible owners that are NOT vaccinated for rabies.
That law links rabies vaccination with licensing.  It is viewed as a
way to get more income for the state from currently unlicensed dogs,
however those owners who own more than the "allowed" number of dogs
for their community will likely be forced to choose between getting
rid of dogs OR getting their rabies vaccination.  I would be
astonished if they all got rid of those "extra" dogs.  These will
likely include owners who are very responsible about their dogs' care
and have been vaccinating for rabies regularly.  (I know of one
breeder, at least, who is stuck in that position.)

I also agree that to whatever extent the SCA decides to start
"policing" dogs' health they incur a certain level of liability,
therefore it might be wise to let things remain as there are in this
regard.

Just some points to ponder from another angle.

-- 
Andrea L. Roher
Searching for my place in "Life, the Universe, and Everything" one day
at a time.
... maybe I've finally found it in NH! (www.FreeStateProject.org)
Visit my blog at evenstar75.blogspot.com.