HALF A Loaf?

                                                         Is HALF A Loaf Truly Better Than None?
   Years ago the woman who had so much to do with the development of our breed stated that one should be wary of assuming that a champion dog bred to a champion bitch will produce a litter of champions.
   Mrs. Charlesworth believed that too many breeders fell into that trap.
   Nowadays, there seems to be a similar situation in the Golden Retriever community. Folks want a pup sired by this or that Dog of the Month, of the Year, of the Millennium. But if the buyer fails to consider the quality of the bitch in a pairing, he or she is actually buying "half a loaf" or rather "half a Golden." Unless BOTH parents are outstanding in all ways which determine a Golden representative of the breed, there is no guarantee that any pups sired by the male will ever meet or surpass his quality. It could take generations of breeding to accomplish that-- if ever.
   So do your homework. Spend your money wisely-- even if it means spending more than you had expected. It is not the number of dogs sired by a particular stud dog but rather the quality of that which he produces. And remember, as well, that a dog will not necessarily produce just as his littermates do-- this is rarely the case.
   It is true that both Shardanell Castaspell and Shardanell Talk O' The Town.have both sired some remarkable dogs. So too have the siblings Erinderry Gaelic Minstrel and Erinderry Gaelic Gold. Not to mention the brothers from Ronjalee-- Rag Trade and Ragamuffin at Motlaisa.
   But there are other examples which have not fared nearly as well-- though they shall be nameless.
   Nor can one assume that puppies from a repeat breeding will be of the same quality as those who came before. There is a good possibility of this being true but there is no absolute guarantee.