[Carol Burke]

Dog breeds start for a specific purpose ie you have sheep and need help, your dog (of no discernable breed) herds your sheep. Your neighbor's dog (of no discernable breed and the opposite sex) also is a very talanted herder. You breed them together, add in some other really talanted herding dogs and pretty soon you have a breed, then you keep records of who is bred to who and there you go.

Most breeds that we have today don't have the same purpose they were bred for but contests are set up to prove they can still do what they were bred for. I'm afraid if we don't join the fight, our rights to have dogs and breed dogs will be taken from us. There may be a few dogs kept in zoos but that will be it. I hope I'm wrong.