White Puppies
I have received a few phone calls inquiring about white puppies, as well as having read a considerable amount of material on this subject. The following is my opinion on the subject of white puppies.
So, why are white puppies a topic for discussion? They are beautiful and many people prefer them, so what is the controversy? Does the average pet owner care if their Boxer can not be shown in confirmation?
As every Boxer lover knows, owning and loving a Boxer is a fantastic experience, but can also be a scary one. Boxers have more health issues and a shorter life expectancy than most other breeds; therefore, all reputable breeders fight to produce the healthiest Boxers possible. Although confirmation and temperment are an important part of a breeding program, neither does you any good if your Boxer is not healthy.
This being said, white Boxers are just as much a Boxer as their colored counterparts; however, white Boxer are predisposed to deafness, blindness and skin sensitivity. Boxer breeders know this, as well as, most buyers.
What I want to discuss is the intentional breeding that produces white Boxers who could possibly have these health issues.
Do white puppies just appear spontaneously and at random from just any breeding? The answer is "No"
I recently read these statistics on breeding:
Classic bred to flashy=0% white puppies
Flashy bred to flashy=25% white puppies
classic bred to white=50% white puppies
flashy bred to white=75% white puppies
white bred to white=100% white puppies
So, if breeders can avoid producing white puppies that have the possibility of being deaf or blind, why don't they? I don't think there is an easy answer to this question, so i'm just going to give my opinion.
Super Dog- It's worth the risk to create "Super dog". The tempation to breed "Super dog" is strong. When you have two titled parents who are exceptional examples of a Boxer, it is only natural to want off spring, that hopefully will be even better than their parents. In America, most titled Boxers are flashy, because that is what we revere here. In other countries you will see many more champion Boxers that are not flashy in color. Though these breeding programs do produce gorgeous, show quality dogs, they are still only 75% successful, because the other 25% are white puppies. Most of these breeding programs limit the white puppies registration (which is the only responsible thing to do) and place them in loving homes. This is a good thing; however, the health of the Boxer's they produced, still took second place to beauty and I do not believe health belongs in second place. This is a very acceptable practice in America, though I don't think it should be.
Now, for the real villians in this scenario. the breeders that practice this and dispose of the white puppies. If this is not a sign of a totally failed and unreputable breeding program, I don't know what would be! These people deliberately produced these puppies and to hide their practices they kill 25% of their puppies! About half of these puppies are perfectly healthy and could lead normal full lives (with the exception of sunburn) .The public never sees them and the breeders never tell them. They just disappear. Anytime I look onto a website with puppies, where the parents are both flashy, and yet, they have no white puppies for sale, I just have to ask the question, Where are they?
White Boxers are popular- Drugs are popular, alcohol is popular, cigerrette smoking is popular, that doesn't mean we become drug dealers or sell alcohol and cigerettes to children. Trends come and go and an uneducated puppy buyer will follow them, without a thought to the consequences. Some people think they are rare or some sellers claim they are rare. As a society we like owning rare things. The white puppies we have brought into this world deserve wonderful homes; however, producing more white puppies for demand is a crime. Once again, beauty means nothing if your Boxer is not healthy! True Boxer lovers do not see color. They only see a loved one that they want to have with them for as long as possible and for their loved one to lead a full and happy life during that time.
Should I buy a white Boxer? Yes. White Boxers need loving homes too; however, be prepared. If you live in Alaska, sunburn might not be a big problem, if not, don't expect to able to stay in the hot sun for long periods with your Boxer. Check for deafness or blindness before purchasing your Boxer and be prepared to accomodate for his special needs. Many deaf Boxers can lead relatively normal lives with special training. Making a special needs Boxer a part of your family, can be very rewarding for both of you. Not all white Boxers are deaf or blind, some are perfectly healthy.
Summary: White Boxers have all the characteristics of colored Boxers and should be cherished the same. Many white Boxers are perfectly healthy; however, deliberately producing white puppies for whatever reason, knowing some are not, is not an "acceptable loss" to me. Boxers are ranked 87th for Hip Dysplasia, yet we test all of our breeding stock to avoid even a small percentage of cases. So why do we find deafness and blindness more acceptable. It's just as crtippling and more preventable? Every breeding program should strive for 110 percent success and settling for less is not good enough.
Amy's letter:
I've now had more of a chance to look over your website, and I have to say I am VERY impressed! I like the fact that you purposely purchased "classic" colored puppies so there would be no chance of having white puppies. I personally feel that since that super flashy white is so desirable in the show ring, that a lot of show breeders are just making the white Boxer predicament worse. Just a tiny bit of research will show you that a flashy x flashy breeding has a very good chance of producing white puppies. And as I understand it, the classically colored Boxer doesn't even carry the flashy gene.
Thank you Amy! Sue
