Q. We are considering purchasing a non-papered weimaraner from a lady down the street. The breeder owns mom and dad dogs and this is the second time mom has been bred. My real concern is that I have a very young family. How are weimaraners around children? Also - we have a small yard, but live near national forest and the dog will receive lots of exercise. Is this a problem?

A. Weimaraners are good around children. Do not leave young children unsupervised with a young Weim. The dog should not be teased and the puppy is always teething on something and might choose the kid for a teething ring. Their little teeth are sharp. Exercise: just make certain if you start a good exercise program with dog you keep it up, they come to rely on it. Lots of exercise gives the Weim a more managable demeaner. Last: I want to comment about buying a non-papered dog, but I find myself too exasperated this morning to say much. It is not the best idea I have heard this morning. I am just going to say buying a dog from a backyard breeder encourages the practice and does not insure you are getting a dog of good temperament.

Comment from person above: Dear Aunt Weimie,
Thank you for your prompt response to my questions. I wanted you to know that we adopted a five-year-old female Weimaraner. She was perfect for us. The Friends for Pets Foundation offered us terrific support, including a free visit to their vet, a health guarantee, and boarding service, if we ever need to be away. We took her home the day we met her, and I'm happy to say that my wife and I are very much in love with our new family member. Thanks again for your support. You really helped us make an informed decision.

Q. I was surfing the web to learn more about Weimaraners. I happened to come across a page where a woman profiled her champion line of Weims. I was deeply disturbed. She bred one dog with his half-sister. If that wasn't enough, the offspring of this cross was then mated with his mother! And yet her dogs have earned numerous accolades in the US and Canada and even awards from WCA. I admit to being ignorant when it comes to breeding dogs, but I do know basic biology.

Inbreeding increases the chances of congenital mental and physical defects. Genetic diversity ensures that recessive genes do not surface. Furthermore, if such genes surface, natural selection would tend to weed it out. In the wild, the social structure of animals works against inbreeding. Male animals usual leave their packs and join others, ensuring that the gene pool of the next generation is fresh. Incest is a felony in most if not all states in the union! I'm sorry for ranting but the thought my own Weimaraner being a product of inbreeding sickens and angers me. Is this normal dog breeding practice? How can this be condoned by organizations like AKC and your own? Sure you might breed a beautiful dog from incest, but how many others were still-born because they were so grossly deformed because of inbreeding? This is not only unethical but cruel.

Please put my mind at ease by telling me that this is not standard practice in the purebreed dog world. Thank you for your time.

A. There are inbreedings that take place, dog to half-sister, dog back to the mother, father-daughter, etc. in the Weimaraner world. It is not a general practice, and in some circles it is severely frowned upon.

You are right about the genetic part of the equation. Eventually these individuals pay one way or another for their inbreeding. Unfortunately, Weims have a very narrow gene pool (only between 600 to 900 animals to start with), so over the years we have all had to deal with the previous 'keepers of the flame' doing some sort of inbreeding . When it is done in the manner you describe, the animals produced look like exceptional dogs, but in the long run, these dogs were either sterile or had genetic or reproductive anomilies.

Many of us are concerned about the narrowing of the gene pool for such a beautiful dog and try to do the best we can to breed healthy animals with sound breed habits. Most of us do line- breeding. This is unavoidable. In a sense all Weims are cousins and some are closer than others. I know this does not ease your mind any at all. I wish I could show you the pictoral histories I have about the Weim and you would see the difficulties in finding fresh genes. Many of us are turning to geneticists for help or in our case, reproduction specialists to help make decisions on the best route to take with our breed programs. Of course, there will always be those who just breed dogs and want the ultimate show dog--regardless of the consequences. But, there are many of us who care a great deal about what is going on. However, it is not possible to regulate the breed practices you are mentioning. It just has to work out that when the litters fail and dogs die for those doing inbreeding...maybe they will get the message or get out of the business. It IS terribly expensive to campaign a dog or a bitch then discover it is sterile or sick.