Sorry about that, Faithful Readers – Pat’s computer crashed just as we were putting the finishing touches on the ABC Issue of the BU, and by the time Pat and her techie husband Steve had circumnavigated the Blue Screen of Death, the Canadian National/ABC Regional shows were in full swing and cyberspace was full of results and brags from those events.

So here we go with Take Two J : Please join us in this 9^th annual ABC issue for win & placement photos from the ABC Futurity, Specialty, Top 20, Agility, Obedience, and Annual Awards, and commentary by Stephanie Abraham!

On the health front, check out the PowerPoint presentation that accompanied

Dr Joan Coates’ well-attended seminar on Degenerative Myelopathy. Not BTW, at the end of Dr Coates’ talk, Dr Kerstin Lindblad-Toh of the Canine Genome Project took the floor and, after a brief talk on Genome Project research, announced that she and Dr Coates were going to collaborate on writing a grant request for a genetic study of DM before they left the ABC! The PowerPoint presentation is fairly long, but it can be "paused" so that you have plenty of time to read and absorb each section. A must-view for the owners of boxers who are afflicted with DM.

There are also a couple of thought-provoking articles from Dr Bruce Cattanach and Dr Theresa Garton on what breeding boxers might be like if researchers DO find genetic markers for diseases and conditions like BCM, DM, lymphoma, and RD. Hint: being able to identify carriers could be a mixed blessing. Dr C. is also asking for "Holter help" from American breeders in fighting the problem of CM in the UK – read An Open Letter to American Boxer Breeders, and please help if you can.

For information on where to send DNA samples and the straight scoop on a recent controversy, read Research Samples Needed and Edgewise by Jennifer Walker of the ABC Health & Research Committee.

Last but not least, join Ann Stone and all of their many friends in A Tribute to Rachel & Tanker. (And look for Tanker in the new Meet the Boxer brochure!)