Local dog deemed not ‘worthy’ enough
MOJO, a winner at the recent Limerick Dog Show, was not considered ‘worthy’ enough by a county Antrim owner for breeding purposes. The owner of the Newfoundland dog was recently looking for a mate for her pet, but felt insulted when told that there were no dogs of that variety worthy of breeding in the Limerick region.
Mojo was purchased by his owner in Pallasgreen, and the Canadian Newfoundland breed was entered in numerous competitions, in which he often took first place.
The animal was ‘top dog’ in a large breed category at this year’s Limerick Show in Patrickswell, and it was there that the pet owner met a dog groomer who told her that her 10-month-old pup could be a contender for championship shows.
This prompted the owner, who also has a German Shepherd, to consider breeding the dog, and she and her husband began looking for a suitable mate.
They got in touch with a breeder in Antrim.
This breeder, who had previously entered dogs in Crufts, said a mate could not be provided as there were no Newfoundlands worthy of breeding from Limerick, and that it would be a waste of time to enter the dog in any competitions in other parts of the country where “the standard would be much higher”.
The Limerick Post contacted Limerick Animal Sanctuary to find out if there was any foundation in this woman’s claims, and spokesperson Anne Kelly told us: “This is a totally unfounded claim, and there is no way she could know this to be true.
“If the owner of the dog is still interested in breeding him, she should contact The Kennel Club to point her in the right direction, but this is a very weighty decision to make and shouldn’t be jumped into.
“It’s generally not the best scenario to stud family pets as they change their behaviour. Also, Newfoundlands are quite costly to buy and tend to have large litters of puppies, so this may not be the best economic climate for it”. Newfoundlands are costly to buy.
