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First, what is a colony dog? The SCWTCA, Inc. Endowment fund is supporting the ongoing research of PLN/PLE in our Wheatens at North Carolina State University through a colony of Wheatens and Wheaten/Beagle mixes. The objectives of this research program are to determine early manifestation of PLN/PLE and mode of inheritance; investigate the pathogenesis of the disease and design an effective treatment for affected dogs. For further information you can check the NC State website, http://www.cvm. ncsu/edu/research/SCWT/ The wheaten/beagle mixes are called Wheagles and look remarkably like a Wheaten with shorter legs and longer ears! The SCWTCSC voted to support a colony dog for the upcoming year and pledged our continued support as long as we are able. The cost per year is $2,000. This is a significant amount of money for our club. It was felt we can afford to do this to keep the research program alive (it began with a grant and the grant has run out; if the research is to continue it needs help privately). Our adopted dog is named Tryptophan. He is a six-year-old purebred Wheaten. He is is the largest of the group weighing in at 28 pounds. He is a thinker, likes to sit quietly in his run and thinks about what goes on around him. He is so far unaffected by either PLN or PLE. They call him Trypto or TrypMan. His birthday is 8/1/00. Why is it so expensive to sponsor a dog? One
reason is PLN/PLE is typically a late onset disease. This requires
maintaining the colony for many years. There are currently 11 dogs in the
colony. At present, 9 of the 11 have been adopted by either other clubs or
individuals. The Development Department at NC State University has developed
a special mechanism for this continued support. The SCWTCA Endowment Board
is presenting a program through which groups or individuals can continue to
“sponsor” a colony dog. These donations are entirely tax-deductible. These
dogs are going to need support their entire lives. They are making a
lifetime commitment, without their knowledge, to help the entire breed.
Please help us to continue their support. We will be doing some special
fundraising at our club events to help defray the costs of Tryptophan’s support.
We will present updates on Tryptophan in future editions of WOOF. |
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