Hunter's sweet mom, Noreen, wanted to know more about heterochromia iridum -- being bi-eyed. She wanted to know if there is a potential for bi-eyed pups to go blind, because she heard it (heterochromia iridum) is a "genetic flaw". Great question - we get this a lot!
 |
| Me! Polargold's Margaret Thatcher |
Addressing the "genetic flaw" part first -- it is genetic, but it is not a flaw! In the show ring, where they are looking for everything that exemplifies perfection in a dog (that's my oversimplification), being bi-eyed is not considered a "fault" or "flaw" at all! In fact, my canine mama Bebe, Dancing Winds Polargold Legacy, is a champion -- and she is a bi-eyed beauty! (Click here to see a photo of her with me and my sisters!)
As per the potential to go blind -- no more prone than anyone else, I'm happy to say. In fact, reputable breeders are very careful about eye disease and have certified canine ophthalmologists check the eyes of the dogs in their breeding programs. They ensure their dogs are not passing along any genetic eye conditions. Some breeders go beyond that - like mine and Cam's! As part of the contract Mom and Dad signed when I was adopted, not only were my canine mama and dad's eyes examined before they even considered breeding them, but Mom and Dad had to agree to take me to a certified canine ophthalmologist when I was between 12 and 18 months old. Our breeder wants to ensure none of us in their breeding lines have any eye issues. AWESOME! I was given a very thorough eye exam by the great folks in Ophthalmology at KSU Vet Med Teaching Hospital. I remember them complimenting me on my eye health and saying what a very good girl I was -- especially for a puppy (remember, I was still a youngster!), and something about "especially for a Siberian Husky puppy". Hmm. Not sure what they meant by that, but Mom was super pleased, as was my breeder when Mom told her. Everyone at Ophthalmology (students, residents, and the Ophthalmologist herself) wanted to meet me - it was super fun! They were very impressed that my breeder would have that in our contract and had great things to say about her! GO TEAM POLARGOLD!!!
Oh. And in case anyone is wondering, there isn't a chart at the far side of the room with drawings of cats, bunnies, squirrels, etc. Cam told me there would be, but she was just pulling my leg!
Back on the issue of shoes, our beautiful kit-cat pals Isabella and Angel wanted to know if our mom always wears shoes. They added, "Our theory is your mom wears them so she's ready to go on walks in a split second!" The simple answer is yes, she does! And for the very reason you mentioned!
 |
| "C'mon, Mom! Shake a leg!" "Not too hard or your shoes will come off!" |
Ha roo roo roo! Good one, Cam!
Our friend Mr. Mark Albee had another great question! He wanted to know if our mom has a foil beanie. Ah, the foil beanie! Legend has it that bipeds make and wear these to protect themselves against Siberian mind control. Show him the drawer, Cam!
 |
| "Check this out, Mr. Albee!" |
FOUR kinds of foil. FOUR! Why would anyone have FOUR kinds of foil, unless they're into beanie production!?!? Besides, how else could you explain her ability to resist us?!!? So the answer is yes, Mr. Albee. A definite yes. I'm not saying I've seen a beanie, but FOUR kinds of foil? Can't be for anything else.
Our last question comes from our dear kit-cat pal Madi! Actually from her mom. She wanted to know if we've seen any pretty seashells on the shore of the Kansas Ocean!
 |
| "She shells she shells at the -- no, wait. That's not right..." |
Alas, Mom-o-Madi, we have not. (There is frequently goose poop there, though, which is way more exciting, in my humble opinion!). We have found some lovely shells in our garden, though for some reason Mom just grumbles about them.
 |
| "Hey, what are these down here? Mini escargots?" |
I thought they were cute, but Mom said the guys that live in them eat her plants. So do I, but she loves me! (I didn't really write that, did I? What I meant was I THINK ABOUT eating them. But I don't. Really.). Anyway, they are garden snails, distant relative to that French delicacy escargots! They are the only shells we see around here.
That reminds me of a great joke passed down in Ao4 HQs lore. Please click here to read it; you won't be sorry. Our great-sister Ammy was a master joke-teller!!!
That's it for this week! Thank you for some GREAT questions! If there is anything you would like to ask, please leave a comment, zip us an email, or leave a comment on Mom's FB page.
Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher
Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteDearest Cam and Maggie...
ReplyDeleteYou ladies are quite good at the A's for our Q's!
OMCS I love your mom's foil/zip bag/clear wrap drawer...right at her fingertips in case there an unexpected mind invasion.
OMCs...goose poop at the Kansas Ocean...those fowls have foul habits. I hope none of you come home with gooosy pooopy on your feets
Hugs madi your bfff
OH OH we 2 curious Chicks have another question: (Mom's nickname as a child was nosy rosy cause she asked so many questions)
Does your mom make your collars and leashes because she CAN or because those she makes have more variety and are sturdier than those purchased?
Our dad doesn't like to see those snails around our garden either. We did get big laugh at that joke. BOL!
ReplyDeletethat is very interesting about the eyes....we had no idea
ReplyDeleteMy mom loved that drawer full of foil. mags
ReplyDeleteWe love reading all of this cool stuff about your beautiful eyes! Goosey poop! I used to have access to that but no more.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions and superb answers - we wouldn't expect anything less from the PM:) A vet once told Mom when she brought our first Sibe Angel Dakota to see her that all-white blue-eyed dogs have a tendency to be deaf. She asked Mom if she had noticed anything about Dakota's not hearing. Mom laughed out loud and replied,"Surely you don't mean Siberian Selective Hearing Syndrome" - BOL.
ReplyDeleteWoos - Lightning and Misty
OMC! Our mommy barely knows what to do with one kind of foil and your mom has a drawer full? How'd our mommy get to be so old and know nothing? Anyway, thanks for answering our question. We figured we were on to something! We're clever kitties! Our mommy always put on different pants to take our sisfur Sadie on a walk. Even though they were the same type of pants she'd wear to the gym, Sadie knew when the pants were being changed into to go on a w-a-l-k (always spelled out, not spoken). Sadie would put her nose on the pants and take a big whiff and start going in circles! By the time Mommy put on her shoes Sadie was crazy pants! Now that we think about it, dogs really are weird you know. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteOur mom always wears shoes too - or slippers! the foil selection is impressive
ReplyDeletehugs
Hazel & Mabel
Thank you for clarifying this! Also, my daughter's Standard Poodle Copper had her eyes tedted(as did her parents and grandparents)so that when they breed her she is cleared. Thanks again for answering these great questions.
ReplyDeleteWags,
Noreen and Hunter
Very informative PMQs!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the good answers and out mom had no idea there were so many kinds of foil!
ReplyDelete