The Breeding Cob and Its Dogs Have

The Breeding Cob and Its Dogs Have

Cob started just as any ordinary breeder in the Philippines.

Learning the hard way teaches one the most valuable of all lessons in life. In my early teens, being the dog lover that I am, I had different breeds literally scattered all over our house . Not knowing any better, just the thought of having puppies was a thrill in itself, more so mixing breeds together. Not that the dogs were not given the proper care, shelter and medical attention, there wasn't just enough literature, guidelines and information. I even had my nanny groom my dogs instead of me. And through the years of ignorance, I have come across people, of much the same interest and of the same intensity, sometimes more or sometimes less. I've met dog people who have shared the same ignorance that I suffered from. Up to this day, I have to admit that I go "DUH" once in awhile. There are a lot of dog people too, who in no way were ignorant but simply took advantage of people like me. Well, what can I do? There was a sign up above my head that says, "Hey, I'm Stupid." Well, not all the time though. There seems to be variations, of course because the sign sometimes says, "I'm Gullible" or "I'm Naive" or "I'm Trusting" or "I Did Not Do My Homework" or "I'm Compulsive ... I'm Too Eager ... or simply, YEAH! DOG-LOVER"!

There were those who, of course, have a good heart and mean well that even if the sign says go ahead, they offer you their hand and guide you through.

While first impressions last, they do change through the course of time. I bought my very first purebred dog some thirty-something years ago. I saw the ad in the classified section of the national newspaper under the pets column. I begged my Aunt to ride a cab with me to go to Little Baguio, San Juan and we looked for a street called M.A. Reyes. I was 9 years old. Was I mighty impressed seeing lots and lots of Toy Poodles running around. Bambi came home with me for a mere 500 pesos. Whether Bambi came with a blue litter ticket or not, I really have no idea up to this day. What was important was that I finally had a dog that I cried for 2 weeks straight until my Dad finally gave in. And Bambi meant a whole lot to me. I was brought up as a spoiled, rotten, un-socialized, domineering and selfish only child that no kids want to play with. With Bambi, I finally had a friend. That's what mattered. After having lost Bambi, I went back to the breeder and bought a pair named Bambam and Bamba, so much so for ingenuity and creativity. Thinking back now, the breeder who now is an All-Breeds-Judge never really tried to explain to me how to take care of Bambi in the manner that you actually read in the books nowadays. I didn't really care whether if the Toy Poodles I bought were just for pet and I never even knew then that littermates are generally not bred together which of course what I had in mind when I bought the pair.

The second breed of dog that I attached myself to and can't seem to live without up to present-day is the Pekingese. About 5 minutes away was Damar Village and again from the newspapers' Pet section, I got Tabu that came with a blue piece of paper. This time I remembered but I didn't really know what to do with it. All I was told is that the dog is pure and has papers. It was indeed a blue colored paper. So of course, at 12 years old, who cares? Nobody told me that I had to bring it to PCCI to have it registered.

In between Poodles and Pekingese among other breeds from Cartimar pet shops or puppies along the roads, my dogs reached to about 2 dozens in our backyard. When I had puppies, I either gave them away to friends, relatives and sometimes sold them. Being a child, the money added to my allowance and in times when my doting father would not give me money to buy stuff for my dogs, I would use money that came from selling the mixed breeds to dote on my dogs. In today's world, I would be termed as a "Backyard Breeder" then. And because of my ignorance, I wouldn't have taken offense. Of course, the pet shops that I bought the dogs from did open their doors for me that when I have puppies, they can sell them for me. In and out of their stores, one does get these opportunities.

It wasn't until I bought my first Shih-Tzu that I was enlightened. I was in high school and as usual, for a lack of something better to do, I eagerly await week-end editions of the newspapers. I came across the word "Shih-Tzu" and out of curiosity, I called the number. After an hour or so, there I was at J. Luis knocking on the Breeder's front door. She let me in together with my ever-faithful Aunt, the same Aunt that accompanied me 7 years ago. We were served snacks and in between biting the cookies, I was answering questions and asking questions about the "Shih-Tzu". After all has been said, the Breeder got a tan import and further explained, pointed the features and as to how to properly brush or clean the eyes. It was my first encounter with such kind of a breeder. Then she showed me the puppies. And then I knew I was going to work at my Dad because from a 500-buck Toy Poodle to a 650 pesos Pekingese, times have changed and the Shih Tzu's tag was at 2500. The breeder explained that these puppies out of the imported stock that she had were of "show quality" and that I can start joining dog shows. My eyes glittered! She also gave me pamphlets and reading materials. From then on, I was forever at BioResearch and stopped hanging around Cartimar.

I started showing at sweet sixteen with Shah at hand in the ring. I really didn't know what I was doing. Everybody seemed to be having a good time. My Shih Tzu puppy won Best Baby Puppy and I was so happy when I was handed a Certificate of Award. Show after show, Shah won the Best Baby Puppy Award. At 6 months old, we were sent out of the ring because he only had one ball. The Breeder of course felt bad for me and offered to sell me a female out of another litter at the same price I bought "Shah" for instead of her usual 3 thou for a female pup.

I got caught by the bug.

With Sunday newspaper at hand, I would go from one address to another looking at different breeds, sometimes ending with a new breed to add to my collection and sometimes empty handed. I had most of the toy breeds replacing the ones I had in my backyard and stopped mixing breeds together. This time, I knew how to select which ones to keep for me to show and the ones I did not like, I either sold to BioReseach or advertised in the newspaper. I was pretty much impressed by the Shih Tzu Breeder that opened the world of dog shows, so I followed what she did to me the first time.

In the ring, I made friends with dog people who are not just dog-lovers but show enthusiasts as well. Being with these people gave me a whole new different perspective. The older ones guided the younger ones and those were the days when showing was fun! It was more like a get-together and a Sunday picnic. There weren't professional handlers. If there were any professional trainers at the time, they were only training dogs for tricks or obedience trials. Dog shows were just a day's event and is usually held back to back with an Obedience Trial. This is where the professional trainers come in but of course, there were owners too competing along side the professional trainers.

After about 5 years of being active in the show ring circuit, one becomes familiar. Everybody just seems to know everybody and whatever they are doing or whatever they are not doing. And one fine lesson is that it is always lonely at the top. Dog people bitch, some bark and others bite. At age 21, it dawned on me that it wasn't all fun especially when your mentors start turning their backs on you when your dog or breeding start beating theirs. Or when you yourself start importing your stock. So I stopped showing altogether and just focused my attention to the family business. From time to time, people would knock on my door requiring stud services from my top-wining males. And we know dogs don't live long, of course out of the ring circuit, the fame of your BIS winner does not really stay on forever. There will always be another BIS winner.

Quietly, I lived my life with my dogs beside me and enjoyed walks in the park, car rides and eating the same food on my hand. Living a more independent life, I was outdoorsy and toy dogs just don't cut it when you're out on the beachfronts. From breed to breed, I enjoyed different moments of leisure with different dogs of different breeds. They were dogs I enjoyed more than the toys I have shown in the past.

From the toy group I slowly shifted to the working breeds. In the mid-80's, the little knowledge I learned from the show circuit, I applied. I had a pair of Boxers that I bred. Good lines, CACIB Titles and a Philippine-Bred Champ from top breeders. The white ones, I gave a way. But breeding and not showing is just the same as backyard breeding, I suppose. It was highly competitive in the Boxer Ring Circuit and just as with the German Shepherd Breed. Dominated mostly by Chinese Businessmen, imports come and go. Outside the ring, I watched admiringly. With little I have stacked in my pocket from working for my mother on a monthly salary, I subscribed to various imported dog magazines. I started writing to Breeders of Belgian Tervuerens but much to my dismay, my pocket did not permit me to go ahead and import foundation stocks of the breed. I ended up settling for a German Shepherd import that was already here from Beauchamp and thought that if I breed and sell, I would later on save enough to import myself the breed that I wanted from the various articles that I have gathered which that best suited my taste. Out of the ring, the hardships in rearing German Shepherd puppies during the arrival of parvo-virus in the country, I bought a Rottweiler pup instead and made a lapdog out of her, abandoning the idea of breeding altogether.

Growing up with dogs kind of teaches you a lot of things not necessarily the right things but through experience, you learn. So from one Vet to another, you bring a sick dog. You don't lose hope, you just keep changing vets until you find one that saves your precious friend ... till the next time. Then you switch again and stay for awhile until the next one. You only stop when you realize after all the clinics that you have gone through which one and either you go back to that vet if ever you left or bring a dog to a vet who's good for this and go to this one who's good for that. I remember my first experiences with the dreaded parvo-virus. I just didn't understand. During the height when it struck the Philippines, I remember only one pup of mine ever survived but not without any repercussions tho'. In the end, you just hope when everything else and all the vets fail to save your pup. And you cry and cry ...

The Vets, not all of them but they also don't do much for the ignorant, I later on realize. As a matter of fact, it was a number of them who were very enterprising that actually introduced me to the "Stud Arena" sending bitches on heat my way. Of course, there's a difference of outlook between responsible breeders and enterprising veterinarians. The latter go well with backyard breeders and make quite a good partnership.

In 1993, my long-time companions were dying one after the other because of old age. Still paranoid of the parvo-virus, I thought it best to buy a dog without papers, a Chinese Shar-Pei named "Cobi". Ignorance hovering over my head, I believed what I had been told the fallacy that it is a rare breed and still not recognized by any dog registry. For more than a decade of silence, money in the pocket, I went back in the ring much the same way I stumbled into it the first time. I forgot that the good ol' days are gone and those were just the days of fun and sport. With pet stock at hand, my jaws dropped upon seeing lots of men wearing neck-ties in the ring. There were familiar faces but the passage of time require deeper thought and association in putting names and faces together. Electric cords, fans, folding tables and tents were all over the show grounds. No Parchment Certificate of Awards, just colored ribbons being handed out. Coolers, Umbrellas, Vari-kennels and trollies coming out of trucks and vans. Those wearing neck-ties kept handing out calling cards at the same time as they scrutinize your dog. I hang around Dog City and met a different breed of Dog People. The whole sport has changed to the max. While backyard breeding unregistered Chinese Shar-Pei, I decided to get back in the game. I was fortunate to have bought from would-be Top Breeders such as Dinky Santos and Ed Limoangco and started showing these breeds. Hanging around at the dog shows, I realized that I have been had by my Chinese Sharpei Breeders.

I left for the US in 1995 and brought back home registered Chinese Shar-Pei stock. My unregistered ones, I gave away to family and friends and started showing the breed that I have come to adore. Cob's first litter was born December 15,1995 and the rest is history.

We all have to start somewhere. If we find ourselves with a sign above our head that says, "Hey, I'm Stupid!", well we all get stupid once in awhile and from time to time. There are times during the course of our lifetime that we are ignorant of matters. First, we must accept and then decide the course of actions to take. We can not go on through life forever carrying the stupid sign and using it as an excuse. Life is all about learning especially from our past mistakes. And yes, let us not be too quick to judge for one may still be in the process of learning. The first step is to admit the mistakes and then move on. I have not completely lost respect for the people who have taken advantage of me in the past and those who still adamantly try for I know at one point, like them I was, in my own little way. But I have completely lost hope for people who use ignorance as an excuse and use it to their advantage especially when they already know and still do it. And the righteous ones ... OH! Yes! I am sure, once during their lifetime, they too had those moments. There's only a few lucky ones who never had to go through the process of learning the difficult way. And if one is not careful, they might just be bound that path. When I see the Breeders that have sold me dogs in the past, no matter what circumstances, and what the dogs they've sold me taught me is respect for all of humanity in different degrees. And that is why if I were to choose between my dogs and people ... I learned that man must respect life in all its form, not just humans!

God Bless You All!

And remember always to have fun with your dogs!

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