Azawakh Coat Color Genetics
November 25, 2008
Or Why the Color Section of the FCI Standard is Indefensible
“Color: Fawn with flecking limited to the extremities. All shades are admitted from clear sand to dark red. The head may or may not have a black mask and the list is very inconsistent. The coat includes a white bib and a white brush at the tip of the tail. Each of the four limbs must have compulsorily a white ‘stocking’, at least in the shape of tracing on the foot. Black brindles are allowed.”
There are a number of known genetic loci (places) that control coat color in dogs. What we know about the genetics of coat coloration cannot be reconciled with the FCI color standard.
Sable Base Color
Azawakh have a base color of sable, also called red by many people. There are two main loci that control blackness or the lack thereof. The dominant black gene is at the K locus, which also controls brindling.
- K – dominant black
- k – recessive, allows the A locus to control base color
- k(br) – k(br) is the brindle gene. k(br) is recessive to K but dominant over k.
Black dogs are almost unknown in the Sahel. Selection works very well at removing dominant traits and we know there is a strong cultural bias against black animals because animist tradition teaches they are evil. Also the desert climate may exert strong selection pressure against K. The dominant black gene almost certainly does not exist in the Azawakh population.
Because K is not present, the base coat color of Azawakh is controlled by the Agouti locus. Agouti is largely about controlling the production and timing of black eumelanin pigment in the coat. When coat does not produce much eumalanin it allows us to see the inherent red, phaemlelanin, in the coat. There are five Agouti alleles.
- A(y) – sable red
- a(w) – agouti (grizzle)
- a(s) – black saddle or mantle
- a(t) – black with red extremities
- a – recessive black
In the Agouti series, the dominant allele is A(y) which is the basic red Azawakh. However, I believe that all 5 alleles exist in the general population. The a(t) and a alleles are rare because puppies that are black or mostly black would be culled, but because they are recessive it is difficult to remove them from the population entirely.
The “chinchilla” or C locus controls dilution of the red pigment, phaemlelanin. There are 4 alleles:
- C – dominant, normal red pigment
- c(ch) – chinchilla (yellow)
- c(e) – extreme chinchilla (lighter yellow)
- c(P) – Platinum (ivory)
The C locus is not very well understood. It is clear that the intensity of redness is controlled in recessive red dogs, like Azawakh, is controlled by the C locus. The C locus is thought to be a location of co-dominance, meaning that the recessive genes partially express when present. Different combinations of alleles from the C locus allow a range of redness from redk like an Irish Setter, to ivory, like a Samoyed. Clear sand is not specific, but it sounds like a very light yellow perhaps from a combination like c(e)c(P) or c(ch)c(P). If c(P) exists in order to create the “clear sand” color combination then c(P)c(P) is also possible, if rare. That dog would be pure white. How can one recessive combination of genes be allowed but another one is forbidden?
White Extremities
With the exception of whiteness due to red dilution at the C locus, white develops from the extremities. The locus that controls the “height” of whiteness is S, spotting. The dominant allele is S which is no white. Like the C locus, S is an example of incomplete or co-dominance.
- S – no white
- s(t) – Trim. Very small amounts of white on the tips of the toes and tail tip.
- s(i) – Irish pattern (like a border collie)
- s(p) – particolor pattern
- s(w) – extreme particolor (linked with deafness)
There is a huge problem with the standard in that it calls for an unstable color pattern. It requires either a heterozygous dog that carries one irish pattern gene or just random luck during development.
The most dominant allele is S, which is no white. However, dogs that are homozygous S (SS) can still often express a phenotype with a white bib and a trace of white on their toes and the tip of their tails. This white expression has no genetic basis! It is just a residual white pattern caused by pigment cells not spreading fully to the extremities during fetal development.
The classic white socks and bib pattern is probably requires heterozygosity in the form of s(t)s(i) or perhaps Ss(p) because if you have s(i)s(i) then you’ll have a classic Irish marked dog with a white collar which is now forbidden in France.
Think about this for a minute. Let’s say we have two dogs with just the right white socks and no collar marking. They are both Ss(i). First of all, it’s just luck that they don’t have a significant white spot on the neck but more importantly, their color pattern isn’t stable when crossed. 1/4 of the puppies will be s(i)s(i), one quarter will be SS and half will be Ss(i). Because of the residual white effect, some of the SS puppies may well be within the standard. Dogs that are s(i)s(i) may also fall within the norms and not have a white spot on the neck just by luck.
A standard that asks for white on the extremities but tries to avoid an Irish marked pattern is indefensible genetically. Also, eliminating the non-white SS dogs from the breeding population will tend to select for homozygous recessive Irish marked, s(i)s(i). That’s exactly the pattern we see playing out. The dogs in Europe are becoming more consistently Irish marked.
Ticking
The dominant ticking gene, T , is also clearly present.
- T – ticking
- t – no ticking.
The ticking gene is dominant over non-ticking. Ticking or roaning is small spots of the base color on white areas. Ticking usually expresses on legs, muzzle and chest. I have heard that in Europe some consider this “dirty markings” and select against it, but why? The oldest examples of Azawakh and many champion Azawakh had ticking in their white. Most Azawakh have small red “freckles” in their chests and socks.
Etc.
There are also dilution genes which can yield blue brindle and have some other effects, but since this is already too long I’ll save that for another post.
A Modest Rewrite
The color standard should be changed to match the reality of the genetics in the native population. I’d recommend something along these lines:
Color: The base coat colors are forms of sable ranging from ivory to red and may be grizzled. Brindle markings may be present. Mask may be present. Mantle or saddle may be present. White on the extremities, with or without ticking, may be present including Irish marked and particolor patterns. Black markings may occur in the dilute blue form.
Eliminating Faults: …
- Absence of any white marking at the extremity of one or more limbs.
Takuté Whelped 8 Puppies
November 24, 2008
Takuté Al-Ifriqiya (Kusaylah X Iman) has whelped 8 healthy puppies by Al Hara’s Vukuru. The litter contains 5 males and 3 females. Takuté is the full sister of Showq who was the grandam of my Tawzalt. Al Hara’s Vukuru is the full brother of Voodoo who sired the Kel Simoon M litter whelped by Borial this spring.
Takuté’s litter is mostly out of old European lines with the exception of the gransire which is Ajor Tin Akoff bred by Ayad ag Inachanan in Burkina Faso. Despite being from old lines, the breeding has a very low inbreeding coefficient.
If you are interested in puppies from this litter, contact Dr. Gabriele Meissan through her website, http://www.tombouktous-azawakhs.de. Gabi lives in Germany, but I believe she is willing to ship puppies just about anywhere in the world.
Escape Artist
November 22, 2008
You just have to root for this little guy. He’s smart and determined to be free.
Azawakh are not Odorless
November 21, 2008
I’ve read in a number of places that Azawakh do not have a “doggy odor”. This strikes me as marketing hype. The implication is that the dogs are odor-free and that’s not true.
They have a smell but it is very different from the Labrador retriever dog smell that a lot of people are familiar with. The labrador smell is primarily caused by natural oxidation of the heavy oils in their coat. Basically, those dogs smell rancid.
Back to Azawakh.
Their basic smell is a kind of musk, somewhat horse-like. I find it a reasonably pleasant and earthy smell. My wife and daughters definitely do not always agree. If the dogs start to have a strong offensive odor it is invariably because of something they encountered outdoors and I’m sometimes obliged to give the dogs a bath.
Depending on the personality of dog, bathing ranges from easy to a battle royal. I don’t recommend bathing Azawakh any more often than you need to to have peace in your house. They have sensitive skin that isn’t very oily (hence the absence of the Labrador smell) and the shampoo will tend to dry them out and make their skin itchy and flaky.
I’ve had the best luck with detergent-free shampoos that also contain a source of fat, like Shea butter, lanolin and/or emu oil (from the flightless ostrich-like bird). These shampoos are obscenely expensive, which is another good disincentive for over-bathing.
Shea Pet shampoos contain fair trade Shea butter which is purchased from women’s cooperatives in Uganda. I got this stuff at a doggy day care around the corner from my house. Kenic (Glo-Marr) in Kentucky makes Kalaya Emu Oil Pet Shampoo. A friend recommended it to me and it works well, without unfortunate side-effects. The Kalaya stuff is less expensive than the Shea Pet stuff, but harder (for me) to find. I called around to all the local stores but finally bought a bottle on-line.
Don’t Get a Politically Correct Dog, Mr. Obama
November 17, 2008
Get your girls the puppy they deserve and that you promised them.
A friend commented today that Mr. Obama should not feel compelled to get a shelter dog. I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Obama should not feel compelled to get a dog from a shelter. He should get the dog that is right for his family.
The primary criterion for the Obama household is that the Malia Obama is allergic to dog dander. They need a hypoallergenic dog. That list is fairly rarified1:
- Poodle
- Wheaton Terrier
- Schnauzer
- Portugese Water Dog
- Bichon Frise
- Mexican Hairless (Xoloitzcuintli)
- A few miniature breeds
The thing is that all of these are purebred. Why isn’t that OK? Mr. Obama noted that most shelter dogs “tend to be muts. Like me.” The problem is that it is harder to be sure that the dog will be hypoallergenic.
The AKC ran a poll this summer which concluded that the Obama’s should get a poodle. A standard poodle is a great dog. If that is too French or something, then I suggest a Portuguese Water Dog. I generally think a medium to large dog is best with kids because they are both energetic and durable enough to be a lot of fun and a great companion.
While it is is possible to get a great dog from a shelter it is more likely to get a dog that has some emotional and/or health problems. Is that the best thing for children to experience as their first dog?
Futhermore, I watched Mr. Obama give a very moving victory speech November 4th. He promised those kids a puppy. A puppy is not the same as an adult shelter dog. There is a special magic to raising a puppy. The Obama girls are in for a whirlwind of craziness. They deserve to have the special joy of raising a puppy as a part of their childhood.
Mr. Obama, don’t let the Animal Rights lobby take that away from your girls. Give them the puppy you promised.
1This list is not comprehensive.
Cool Video of Hunting Saluki
November 8, 2008
This video is from the PBS series, Nature. The clip is from part II of the two-part episode, “Dogs that Changed the World”. It shows desert bred saluki being coursed by Bedou in Jordan. There’s also a cool computer-generated sequence of the dog running with it’s skin off so it is a running skeleton.
Click to watch video
Myth: Azawakh will not Fetch
October 22, 2008
If you spend much time researching Azawakh temperament and behavior you are likely to read that they will not retrieve or “play fetch”. It’s not true. An Azawakh can learn to play the fetch game.
It is true that fetching is not an obsession with Azawakh like it is with many other “sporting” breeds. Azawakh have to learn that “fetch” is a fulfilling form of play and the dog has to be in the mood to play the game.
“Retrieve” is a natural behavior and a standard canid motor pattern. Wild canids “retrieve” game and bring it back to pups in the den, for example. Azawakh have this motor pattern, but it isn’t hypertrophied in the way that it is in modern gun dogs. The behavior is there but it is far from a compulsion. Azawakh can and will retrieve to hand. If the game is fun, the dog will play. It requires the right relationship between dog and handler.
Azawakh retrieving a tennis ball.
Run Puppy, Run
October 19, 2008
Bounce
Ricochet
Leap
Turn
Spring
Bound
Life With a Broken Puppy
October 16, 2008
Broken Metatarsals
Radiograph of broken metatarsals.
In one way Tawzalt’s foot wasn’t as bad as the image above. Only the inner two metatarsals were broken and displaced. The outer two were just cracked. In other ways, it was worse. Her fractures were caused by twisting her foot against the boards which acted like a vice. The fractures were very close to the distal (toward the toes and away from the hock) ends of the metatarsal bones. As a 13-week old puppy her bones were actively growing and bones grow from the “growth plates” on the ends. The fractures, particularly the displaced fractures on the inner two bones were very close to the growth plates.
First Aid
There was no question of mistaking that Tawzalt had a serious injury. Her screams were continuous and blood curdling. She was holding her rear leg higher than her head . At first, I was her hip was dislocated. It took me a while to locate her foot as the source of the problem. She helped me out by biting me repeatedly when I got close to where it hurt.
Unlike the image above, two of the bones remained somewhat structurally viable so the foot was not crumpled. Instead there was a large lump above the knuckles. My first thought was that the foot was badly bruised. Certainly Azelouan has screamed and wailed over whacking his toes when leaping over a log and been fine a few minutes later. My initial treatment was an ice pack.
I realized pretty quickly that the pain was not declining and the swelling was growing despite the ice pack. We had to take her to the vet.
Triage
Our veterinary hospital is open 24x7x365. The only time I can remember when it was closed was when a hurricane knocked out all power in that part of northwest DC for a week. Unfortunately, if you don’t have an appointment you have to wait. I was a Sunday night. The last time I brought a dog in on a weekend night without an appointment, I waited for four hours. This time, despite a waiting room full of sick animals, the wait was about 30 seconds. The triage nurse took one look at Tawzalt’s foot and whisked her into the back for X-Rays and a healthy slug of morphine.
They have an electronic radiographmachine, so the X-Ray pictures were up on a computer monitor just a few minutes later. I don’t have copies of those pictures, but scroll back up in this post and imagine it with a puppy foot. If the mental image is horrifying then you’re pretty close to the mark.
Call in the Specialist
The on-call doctor that night was not a stranger. She had seen Tawzaltbefore and was very taken with her. I knew we were in trouble when I saw the blanched look on her face and she kept wringing her hands. It’s not good when the doctor is freaked out.
With an adult coursing dog, this sort of injury usually requires a surgical repair. They open up the foot and set the bones and fix them in place with temporary bone plates. The bone plate are removed in a second surgery 4 to 5 weeks after the first one. The foot is immobilizedin a splint for a total of about 8 weeks. The problem with Tawzalt was twofold:
- Because she was 13-week puppy her bones were very small – think pencil thin. They weren’t thick enough to affix a bone screw.
- The fractures were unusually close to the distal end of two of the bones where they had already likely disturbed the growth plate. Any surgery in the area would injure the growth plate further.
I was starting to think that Tawzalt would never walk on this foot again.
The doctor decided that she wasn’t comfortable treating this injury without consultation with a specialist. She called a guy named Tommy Walker. Dr. Walker taught neurology and surgery at the University of Tennessee for 12 years. He was a referral specialist for the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and he co-developed a knee ligament repair surgery. He’s the go-to guy for the tough surgical cases.
Dr. Walker got a call about 9pm on a Sunday night. He said to do nothing except put a compression bandage on the foot to reduce swelling. Emphatically, do no surgery! He would make a special trip in on Monday to work on her foot.
There was nothing more to be done. I had to leave her there. She was whacked out on morphine and feeling pretty good. I found out later that the vet techs took it in turns to hold her in their laps all night. She never went into a cage.
Dr. Walker called me in the morning and said that he didn’t want to do surgery. He had looked at the radiographs and he wanted to set the bones under general anesthesia and then splint the foot for a month. It’s a remarkable thing when a surgeon recommends not to do surgery. His main concern was that we minimize additional trauma to the growth plates. The problem with this approach was that there would be no bone plates to stabilize the bones – which makes it critical to immobilize the dog. Dr. Walker was emphatic that she must not move for the first three days and then she needed to be on crate rest for a month.
Immobilize a puppy for a month.
“This is a coursing dogs, right?” he asked.
“Yes.”
If I did my part and kept her still while she healed, he said, then he was virtually certain that she would heal and eventually be able to run as though it never happened.
A month.
Tawzalt on "crate rest" in my office chair.
The Longest Month
If you have ever raised a puppy, then you know that at about two months of age they really start to explore the world. They do not sit still.
Oh, I almost forgot. The splint can never get wet. If it gets wet, I must take her to the hospital to have it changed immediately. I must cover the splint with a rig made from a used IV bag in order to keep it dry when she goes out to the bathroom. She must never be off-lead. She must never run. Bathroom business only and then back to crate rest. The splints have to be changed twice weekly in order to accomodate her growth and to keep the foot from festering.
For the next three days, I held Tawzalt in my lap. When it was time for her to go out and eliminate, I had to first put on the bag. It went pretty well because she enjoyed the attention and her foot hurt like hell.
We went back to the hospital on third day for a change of splint and X-Rays. The good news was that the foot had set with the bones in perfect alignment. She should heal as long as I kept her still. Only 26 days to go.
No Really, Keep the Splint Dry
The splint was a real set-back for potty training. Tawzalthated to squat with a giant club dangling from her leg. She had accidents. On about the 6th or 7th day, she climbed onto the dog bed and peed all over it and her bandage. Well, she had an appointment for the next day to have the bandage changed anyway. We didn’t take her in “immediately”. How critical could it be?
Critical.
By the next day when her bandage was changed they said it looked like the bandage had been soaked with urine and she had a sore starting. The team cleaned her up and put on a new bandage. It took an exorbitant amount of time and I am convinced that the whole team of techs would keep her back there so that they could all hold her. She was becoming the hospital mascot.
Three days later, her bandage was due for another change. It seemed like she had managed to get it wet again but I couldn’t figure out how. The bandage stank.
It turned out that she had not wetted herself again. The bandage was soaked through from the inside. The wetness and smell were coming from pus from a skin infection caused by the original soaking incident. Now she needed antibiotics and her bandage needed to be changed every other day. We still had three weeks to go.
After a near infinity of bandage changes, the foot infection healed and we were able to luxuriate in mere twice-weekly bandage changes.
Broken puppy digging a hole (note the dry-bag).
As time went by it became impossible to immobilize Tawzalt. If I crated her, she immediately urinated all over her bandage. If I turned my back on her she ran around. One time, about three weeks into the ordeal, I left her quietly asleep on the couch so that I could take Azelouan for a potty break around the house. When I came back 5 minutes later, she leaped over the couch to greet me. I then learned from my wife that she had just run up and down the stairs, circumnavigated the house in a blur and hurled herself back onto the couch just in time to leap over the back of the couch when I opened the door.
I had visions of her snapping her foot right off and she still had 10 days to go.
Moment of Horror
The day finally came when Tawzalt was supposed to have her bandage removed, provided the X-Rays showed that her bones had healed. Dr. Walker’s assistant took Tawzalt in the back for her radiographs while I paced in the waiting room. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Dr. Walker called me into an exam room. He wanted to talk to me without Tawzalt.
Why didn’t they just bring her out to me? My stomach sank with the certain dread that her foot had healed crooked and she would be crippled for life.
“Her bones are healed!” Dr. Walker said as he closed the door. “Now, she has to heal the soft tissues which is much slower. You’ll have to do physical therapy with her every day.”
They showed me the radiographs of her foot. It looked a little bit wadded up because they X-Rayed her with the splint on her foot, but I could see that all of the metatarsals had healed and were straight. The only clue they had ever been broken was the slightest hint of a shadow on the innermost one. They taught me about the physical therapy:
- Slow-walking her on lead to encourage her to use the foot
- Stretching the digits to loosen up the tendons
- Deep massage to loosen the adhesions
Dr. Walker said that it would take not less than two more months before her foot was any semblance of normal.
Then they brought me Tawzalt. She was very happy to see me and to have the weight off the end of her leg. I’m glad that they went through everything with me before they brought her out because at the end of her leg was a twisted flipper. The foot was turned in pidgeon-toed almost a full 90 degrees. There was no arch. The two inner toes whose growth plates had been disturbed were tiny – like they had not grown at all. The two outer toes were huge by comparison but twisted from being imobilized in the splint so that the pads pointed toward the other toes rather than the ground.
Horrifying.
It was nearly impossible to believe that she would ever be able to use that foot again.
She hopped on three legs with me to the car.
The Long Road to Recovery
It’s easy to think of the body as a superstructure of bones with flesh over them, like the Terminator. We think of the bones as holding everything up. It isn’t like that at all. The bones provide superstructure but the tension of the muscles and tendons holds everything up, like a suspension bridge. Imagine the Golden Gate Bridge. If you loosened all the wires holding it up, the thing would collapse in a heap. That’s the situtaion with Tawzalt’s foot. There was no muscle tone whatsoever in her whole leg, from the tip of her toes to her hip. Even her loin on the right side was atrophied.
Over the next week, the arch in her foot returned somewhat so that it didn’t hang so alarmingly at a right angle. I would dutifully shuffle along with her on-lead at a pace where she would use her injured foot a little bit. I do her physical therapy stretches and massage twice a day. Things improved day by day.
It’s been about 6 weeks since the splint was removed. We hit a big milestonthis week. First time, she has enough strength so that she is standing up on her toes rather than having them splay out and flop around while she walks. She’s stopped tripping over her toes and skipping.
She’s not fully recovered, yet. Her right leg has about half of the muscle mass of the left leg. When she runs down stairs, she tends to hold her right leg in the air and just use only the left one as she learned to do when in the splint. The inner two toes are growing but are about 3mm shorter than outer two, which gives the illusion that her foot is pidgeon-toed. I think those toes are slowly catching up or maybe it is just that as the whole foot grows the loss of a few millimeters of growth becomes less important.
The most important thing is that Tawzalt can run. She loves to run. I think in 6 or 8 weeks it may be impossible to tell that she was ever injured.
Yesterday she almost caught a squirrel.
It was a very good day.
Tawzalt hurtling through tall grass.
Mandatory Vaccination Laws Need Updating
October 8, 2008
The Reminder
I received a postcard in the mail recently from our veterinary hospital. Azelouan is due for his vaccinations. I was under the impression that annual booster shots were no longer de rigeur so I called up the vet. It turns out that his initial vaccine doses were designed by the manufacturer for puppies and have a guaranteed efficacy period of one year. All the research I have seen suggests that a final booster should be given at one year, but that isn’t enough to be legal.
DC Law requires valid vaccinations for Distemper, Parvovirus and Rabies for all dogs.* In order to be valid the vaccinations have to carry a guarantee of efficacy from the manufacturer. The longest efficacy guarantee available is for three years. He has to get boosters every three years in perpetuity. Why not measure whether the vaccinations are actually necessary through antibody titers? While they are happy to do titer tests on Azelouan, the District of Columbia will not accept them as legal proof of vaccination. The law requires that vaccinations are valid only if there is a manufacturers warranty of efficacy behind them.
Well.
Azelouan's supplicant look.
Perverse Incentives
Vaccine manufacturers and Veterinarians have an incentive to sell vaccines to pet owners. This is the reason that for many years we all had annual vaccination visits. Recent public concerns about the potential connection between excessive vaccination and cancer and immune disorders has led to the development of 3-year vaccines. I have a strong suspicion that there is no difference between the 1-year labelled vaccine and the 2-year labelled ones.
The point is that both the providers of the vaccine and the veterinarians have no incentive to stop giving vaccines. Quite the contrary, they get paid every time someone brings in a dog to get vaccinated. Mandatory vaccines are a guarantee that clients will show up to the office and spend money.
There is strong evidence that after the core vaccinations series is complete at 1 year, most dogs have lifetime immunity.
First, Do No Harm
The first principal in human medicine is to do no harm. We don’t give children antibiotics for a sore throat unless a throat culture indicates the presence of a streptococcus infection. We shouldn’t be vaccinating just in case or as a way to incentivize clients to show up for well-puppy visits. Vaccines are not risk-free.
Instead of vaccinating in perpetuity, the law should be modified to allow an antibody titer instead.
Below is the minimal vaccination schedule developed by Jean Dodd, DVM.
| Recommended Vaccination Schedule | ||||
| Vaccine | Initial | 1st Annual Booster | Re-Administration Interval | Comments |
| Distemper (MLV) (e.g. Intervet Progard Puppy) |
9 weeks 12 weeks 16 – 20 weeks |
At 1 year MLV Distemper/ Parvovirus only |
None needed. Duration of immunity 7.5 / 15 years by studies. Probably lifetime. Longer studies pending. |
Can have numerous side effects if given too young (< 8 weeks). |
| Parvovirus (MLV) (e.g. Intervet Progard Puppy) |
9 weeks 12 weeks 16 – 20 weeks |
At 1 year MLV Distemper/ Parvovirus only | None needed. Duration of immunity 7.5 years by studies. Probably lifetime. Longer studies pending. |
At 6 weeks of age, only 30% of puppies are protected but 100% are exposed to the virus at the vet clinic. |
| Rabies (killed) |
24 weeks or older | At 1 year (give 3-4 weeks apart from Dist/Parvo booster) Killed 3 year rabies vaccine | 3 yr. vaccine given as required by law in California (follow your state/provincial requirements) | rabid animals may infect dogs. |
Perform vaccine antibody titers for distemper and parvovirus annually thereafter. Vaccinate for rabies virus according to the law, except where circumstances indicate that a written waiver needs to be obtained from the primary care veterinarian. In that case, a rabies antibody titer can also be performed to accompany the waiver request.
*I was told yesterday by the veterinary technician that DC law required Parvo, Distemper and Rabies vaccinations. Today, I got clarification from the actual veterinarian that DC only requires Rabies. The hospital is willing to perform titers in lieu of vaccination upon request but does not accept responsibility for any legal rammifications with a failure to comply with city orndinances. It’s obvious that nobody knows what the real rules are. I looked it up in the DC code 8-1804: “the owner of the dog shall have the dog vaccinated against rabies and distemper”.
Aidi wan n'Eezel: the loyal azawakh 