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by BoxerKate

An old time breeder acquaintance of mine told me that, in her opinion, anyone who relies upon an Internet mailing list for information is a fool. Recently at a dog show, a younger but still experienced breeder echoed that complaint. My response to them both is that they’re not thinking straight.

Recently I was reading John Connollys tribute to his wife in an issue of Boxer Review. Therein, he describes Carole’s fledgling pursuit of boxer knowledge, pointing out that she asked questions relentlessly of every breeder she could find. The results are well known -- six Sires and Dams of Merit bear the Huffand name. Clearly, she learned a great deal. My Internet detractors’ contention is that the way Carole did it is the RIGHT way; discussing the issues at shows and calling on the telephone when advice is needed was good enough for Mrs. C. and is, in fact, the better route to take.

I dispute that concept.

By the good graces of interest-specific mailing lists on the Internet, all of us entering the 21st century may be beneficiaries of perhaps a hundred times more information than that to which Carole Connolly or any other experienced breeder might have had access only a decade ago. Of course, we may be equally misled. But simply talking to someone face to face doesn’t assure the accuracy of the information obtained. Making a phone call doesn’t guarantee that what one hears is more likely to be correct than what one reads on a mailing list. So why the veneration of past practice coupled with suspicion of the new? I think that’s just human nature at work -- fallible human nature, which demands years of practice before something’s considered perfect. Until it’s tried, it isn’t true.

I find my acquaintances’ bias against the Internet as a place of learning quite odd. In some way, it appears to threaten them. These are people with strong opinions on most of the issues they read on mailing lists, yet they remain silent. In the terminology of the ‘Net, they "lurk." I feel strongly that they ought to be regular contributors to this novel process themselves, just as they'd be if anyone rang them up asking for help and advice. The distinction they see isn’t clear to me.

If it’s that there are charlatans abroad in cyberspace, I feel certain that old time breeders have been known once or twice to deliver inaccurate information, less than helpful suggestions, even predominately false stories via telephone and at ringside. One has only to consider the lore surrounding the white boxer issue to find proof of that.

Quite contrary to the Internet's detractors’ views, I'm confident that mailing lists offer a wealth of knowledge never before available to so very many in such quick order. That some of it may be suspect is a given. But it was ever thus with opinion and advice. Telephone or computer monitor, it’s the same risk. That some of what we read may not pan out seems little reason to discard an entire medium as a result.

So. what's the genesis of their complaint?

Frankly, I suspect that these old timers’ distaste for Internet exchange lies partly in the fact that it removes from the old school the control they’ve so long enjoyed. No longer is an insider’s edge so easy to retain. When exposed to the light of day, it's not unusual for fairy tales to fade, and, when notes can be compared on a wide scale, for the way things really are to be unearthed. The Internet provides a visible and immediate platform for exactly that communication, and it proves invaluable over and over again.

As Marjorie Ross, a Canadian breeder who has owner-handled boxers to both Canadian and American championships, wrote recently on the Showboxer List:

"I get the feeling that the novices on the list acknowledge and appreciate that the breeders posting on a subject do so from experience and concern as, I believe, do the novices who have shared their posts. There is much to be learned from this list and I for one don’t have to look too hard to find it. On that note, I thank the many of you that take time to share your knowledge and experiences. You're teachers furthering the education of many you may never meet..."

In personal correspondence, she elaborated:

"Also, on the subject of newcomers, I’d hazard a guess that many will make their way to ABC or other shows with ear to ear smiles and eager anticipation of meeting an actual, bona fide, known and respected Boxer breeder or two, all due to exchanges shared on a list. Within this scenario, the novice no longer feels like an isolated outsider but rather a welcome addition to the world of Boxers. This is a momentous occasion for the newcomer, one that many times proves to influence and shape their future activities within the breed with very positive effects. Lists are simply another of life’s choices and what you get from your decision regarding them is often reflective of how you approach them, what you put into them and what you do with what comes back to you."

To me, this is an adult, reasoned response to the offerings the Internet presents at our feet. And as a conduit for information, it’s no different than any other, with the sole exception of its alacrity. You need help? Post to a mailing list and you'll get in within seconds. More often than not, that information will come from someone who’s been there, done that. And you’ll likely get it from a number of sources, so your perspective on the issue will be broader than it would have been had you simply asked your mentor for the answer. Fact is, there’s a chance your mentor’s information would have been incorrect. The possibility of inaccuracy exists to a lesser degree when ten people weigh in.

Let me offer a personal example in defense of the Internet mailing list community's value: When my first litter was born, my mentor in boxers (and the woman after whom I’d named my foundation bitch, so greatly did I count on her presence in my life) had been dead for nearly a year. I could no longer call upon her for help and advice. But I did have a co-owned, multiple Best of Breed winning bitch whose fate rested in the whelping box. So breed her I did, without an experienced and trusted hand nearby. And a few days into the puppies’ short life, I noticed odd discharge from two of her nipples. I called the vet. Having listened to my detailed description of her symptoms, he said something like, "Don't worry; if it's not better in a couple of days, give me another call."

I am now fully aware that most veterinarians have barely a clue about matters reproductive. If it doesn't involve a c-section, you can pretty much count most of them out when it comes to experience in that realm. I felt that intuitively. So I wrote to the Boxer Mailing List. Two longtime breeders leapt to my aid, enjoining me to ignore the veterinarian’s casual discarding of my concern, and demand antibiotics, as Hedy’s condition most certainly indicated the condition known as mastitis -- a condition which, if not treated immediately, can lead to devastating results. I listened to my two faceless Internet friends and did as they told me to. They were right, and my vet was dead wrong. And, had I heeded him and not gone in search of quick Internet aid, my litter could have been just as dead. Thanks to the Internet, the babies thrived and all was well.

Certainly there are disagreements, bones of contention and even occasional outright hostility on the various mailing lists with which we’re all able to associate ourselves. But that only mirrors the real world, where people talk behind one another’s backs, exaggerate reality and even relay false information for sport. There’s no reason to blame the Internet. Cyberspace didn’t invent these human tendencies, nor do I believe it enhances them. In fact, I think it tends to keep people honest. And the breeding of purebred dogs is an endeavor in which we could use a lot more of that commodity.

As is the case with almost all novel concepts, new doesn’t mean less good. If not now, the time for total acceptance will come -- whether it be the celebration of white boxer puppies, heart testing before breeding, natural ears in the show ring or the vital presence in our lives of the Internet.

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