LH in the USA

[eslamberson]

Hi, I am Elena Smith Lamberson and a longtime LH fan.

Some of you may not know that the US is the only country in the world that does not recognize the Longhair Weimaraner! The Weimaraner Club of America lists the Longhair Weimaraner as a disqualifying fault. It was a mistake that was made in 1972. I am leading a move in the US to change the WCA standard to accept the longhair as a coat variety in our breed. If we succeed we will make our US standard comparable to the rest of the world.

From 1950-1972 the Blue color was mistakenly accepted in the US. It was made a disqualifying fault in 1972 and for unknown reasons the WCA lumped in the LH at the same time, making it a DQ as well.

Currently, the "Blue fanciers" are organizing in the US and are going to try to force the WCA to accept the blue color and retain the Longhair as a disqualifiation! I cannot let this happen! The Blue Weimaraner has NEVER been an acceptable color in any country in the world except for a 22 yr error in the US. No country in the world accepts the blue or black as a coat color for the Weimaraner.

In 1987, I donated a very talented 2 yr old male LH (Uberraschung von Silversmith) to the German Club because they told me about the HD problems they were having at the time. They had a very limited number of LH sires available for breeding and needed new blood. I also encouraged other WCA breeders to send their LH with undocked tails to the Germans to help their gene pool. This was a great success.

Thanks to Tom Wilson, who was President of the WCA at that time, I was made Chairman of the WCA's Longhair Study from 1988-early 1990s. Briefly, here is what happened. I presented as much information as I could to be published in the Weimaraner Magazine. The articles were published along with photos. I resigned from the Board in 1991 since I had been on for quite a while and asked that the next President continue this study and eventually present it to the membership for a vote. This never happened. The subsequent Boards apparently tabled the subject and it disappeared.

I gave it up as a lost cause. You can only beat your head against a stone wall for so long. It just wasn't the right time.

However, this can now be resolved by making a petition just like the blue people have done and send in to the WCA for the December 2008 Board meeting.


I am asking for your help. We need as many people as possible who are in favor of LH to become WCA members ASAP. Only WCA member can vote on these issues. No matter what country you belong, if you are a WCA member you can vote on membership matters. If you know of any LH supporters who are not WCA members, please sign the WCA membership form from a magazine cover, copy it in PDF and send to them so they can
apply for membership. If you need a membership form, contact me and I will send you one.

I have a Longhair Discussion Group in the US.

If you would like to join our group, please go to:

groups.yahoo.com/group/lhweimclubamerica

This helps me know who supports this cause and gives us a way to exchange information, updates, etc.


Thank you for your help.

Elena

Elena Smith Lamberson
Silversmith Weimaraners
www.silversmithfarm.com
Johns Island, SC
[e-mail] or [e-mail]

[marjolein]

Welcome here Elena. Thanks for posting!

[weimaranermama]

Hello Elena, welcome here. I hope you will have success. The longhair weimaraner is accepted from 1935 in the German weimaraner club and the genes are woven through the whole race. It is stupic the people don't accept them as a variety. They have to!!!!
These pics are from my oldest boy NL+INT.CH. Baron Baccus vom Gstettenhof,Lux.CH,Eur.CH.
Bnd.sgr. VJP,HZP,VGP,AH He is 11,5 years old now and still going strong and healthy.

[Sylvia]

Hi Elena,

Welcom here!

[tasha]

already a member and will be happy to place my vote I just hope that this time the club have all the options possible and phrase it properly.

Does seem silly that the longhair is not recognised. If anyone else wants membership I have signed a form and have it online so it can be emailed out.

[cummel]

Hello Elena,

welcome here and many success with your voting. I hope you will succeed! I prefer shorthair, but I would sign if I was a member! If the country of origin (Germany) accept LH, everybody should in my opinion. In fact it was Austria who first accepted LH.

WCA breeders to send their LH with undocked tails to the Germans

You don't dock your LH, don't you???

Many regards, Dorit & Cummel

[chesarasara]

Hi, Welcome to the forum!! I have enjoyed the company of Weis since 1975 with the last twenty with LH's. Great to see the push for LH recognition in the WCA! I was a member years ago but no longer. My dogs Ch Bromhund Cajun deceased, Ch Bromhund No Nonsense & Bromhund Temptress are my current companions & can be viewed on the Bromhund Kennel Web site! Keep up the good work!!!!

[Cheryl]

Hi Elena from Cheryl & Boris (Bacchus' grandson) living in Alaska. I also have 3 SH weims, 2 of which are hypothyroid. I'm taking veterinarian assistant classes each winter.

[Ann]

I wish you a lot of success Elena !
I also adore the LH (Guapa is my second one)

Furthermore, I agree with Dorit's opinion. The breed standard of the country of origin should be the one and only standard for all countries.

[chiendog]

Hello and welcome to this board.

I am a fan of the LH weim and have had the pleasure of hunting over some great ones. And while I support the idea of a breed's standard being set by its country of origin, I am more or less indifferent to the WCA's stand on the variety.
Before I expand on that however, I would like to clear up a point or two from the original post:

the US is the only country in the world that does not recognize the Longhair Weimaraner!

Not true. It is not a question of "recognition", it is one of disqualification for the SHOW RING. And this applies only to the WCA and AKC. Other organizations in the US have no issue with the LH weim. They may run in NAVHDA tests, JGV tests, American Field trials etc. They are NOT barred from competing in AKC trials/tests either.

The Weimaraner Club of America lists the Longhair Weimaraner as a disqualifying fault.

True, but only applicable to the show ring. See above re: trials/tests

I am asking for your help. We need as many people as possible who are in favor of LH to become WCA members ASAP.

I applaud your enthusiasm for the cause and wish you luck. However, I let my WCA membership lapse a long time ago. I see no benefit whatsoever of belonging to the club and frankly, as a hunter, I see very little benefit to the breed coming from a club that is so dominated by the show ring.

If you really, truly want to help the LH weim in America, why not join with the very few people out there that put the hunting abilities of the variety above the politics of the show ring? You will have a much more profound effect on the breed as a whole if you focus on breeding excellent gundogs and proving their worth in systems such as NAVHDA, the JGV and field trials. Beating your head against the brick wall of the WCA show ring is a lose/lose proposition. If the WCA resists, all you end up with is a sore head. If the WCA gives in, we will all end up with useless longhaired show dogs.

[tasha]

ouch....