We hear more and more every day that a killer virus is heading our way. It is said that it is the Bird Flu. I can remember my Mother telling me, "If it's and ands were pots and pans, what would we do for tinkers"? People were stronger back then and they had lived through the Great depression, the Spanish Flu and a World War or two. We are suffering from a pandemic that is going unnoticed by most. It is the passing of that generation of common sense and sense of responsibility. When they are gone we will have no more the comforting touch of history. Theirs are the voices that let us know everything was going to be alright. They were from what was commonly known as, "Tough Stock".

When we ask ourselves where the good strong, capable dogs have gone, the answer is simple. Good, stable, healthy dogs need to be bred by "Tough Stock". They are not bred by those who spend their time with other tasks. They cannot be imported from Europe. They are not found in the sport world or at the sides of overweight ladies with more bullshit than brains. No, I am not a chauvinist. I am a realist. If reality offends you, too bad.

Working dogs must be worked. To work the dogs, the handler is also worked. His attitude changes while in the rain and mud. The heat of the day and the dark of the night cannot be replaced by the turning on and off of a computer screen. I have for many years spoke about what I have found to be the truth about the dogs and the dog world. I will continue to do so.

The breeding of dogs should never be a hobby. Some say that it is. It is not. No man in short pants and rubber boots can do serious training in protection, nor can he walk far let alone track. We do not have to fear the coming of some mysterious disease. We are already fatally infected with complacency, which unchecked will in itself prove fatal.

We have, for lack of a better term, become "Pussies". We have accepted the salesmanship of poor breeders and dog jockeys. We have let men who sit down to urinate run our kennel clubs and set the standards for our Working Dogs. Fat beer bellied Germans in spandex know nothing about the German Shepherds Dogs. They live by the light of a generation long past. Yes, we are infected. The next time you wonder why hip dysplasia and elbow problems are so prevalent in our dogs, just think of all those involved with the dogs. From Pet Stupid to the Vets and all in between, the cancer is eating at the carcass of a generation.

I have never run with the pack. In fact I would not walk with most of them. We are, I believe, in the last days of the Working Dog. We are in the last days of the Working Man. It is just that the dogs should join them as they pass. If this letter offends you in any way, it was meant too.
©Mike McConnery/Baden K-9, 05/19/06

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