Page 80 - Chow Life - Fall 2017

AKC Gazette
Excerpt

by Love Banghart

The Chow Chow Health Database

Early in the 1970’s, two very load the entire set of 3-ring binders Phil DeGruy, the current online Chow
devoted Chow Chow club members, into their station wagon and drive to Chow OFA database was expanded
Harold and Adie Toudt of Eagle, the annual CCCI National Specialty to become a multi-functional Chow
WI., started a project to collect show (which is held in successive time Chow health pedigree database. Phil
photos and pedigrees of each Chow zones) to make them available to all created and continues to maintain this
Chow receiving OFA certification. attendees to reference and appreciate. database for the Chow Chow Club.
Harold and Adie were visionaries, The Chow Chow Club Inc. Inc. It now contains OFA, CERF and
recognizing the importance of making recognized the efforts of the Toudts CHIC certification information and
this information available to all chow and appointed Adie Toudt as the provides pedigree search and research
fanciers. Hip certification was the CCCI OFA representative. Harold and functions. The database is part of
focus at that time and the Toudts Adie bought a larger station wagon the Chow health website (www.
devoted their breeding program to and continued to maintain the Chow chowhealth.org ) and is available to all
minimizing the occurrence of hip Chow OFA database , personally fanciers online.
dysplasia in their kennel. transporting the many binders to The Chow Health website has
There were no websites or online each year’s National Specialty until been expanded to include many
databases at that time so the data for 1999, when another devoted CCCI Chow Health articles, frequently
each OFA certified chow was carefully member, Phil DeGruy, volunteered asked health certification questions
maintained in a binder and typed lists to computerize the database…a very regarding OFA, CERF and CHIC and
of OFA certified chows were made time consuming project indeed. links to other Health related websites.
available to each of the regional Chow Prior to this effort, Steve and Sandra Many generations of our breed
Chow clubs by Adie Toudt. Hours Miller and Alex Cartabio had will benefit as a result of the tireless
of labor and many dollars of personal diligently worked to create an online dedication of these members of
funds were invested in this project. Chow Chow pedigree database. Phil the Chow Chow Club, Inc. and I
Each year, Harold and Adie would combined the Chow chow pedigree urge each of you to submit as much
database and the chow chow OFA supportive data as you have available
database. Through the to be included in the Chow Chow
efforts of Harold and health database.
Adeline Toudt, Steve
and Sandra Miller,
Alex Cartabio and

This article first appeared in the September 2014
AKC Gazette and is reprinted with permission. To
read the online Gazette, visit www.akc.org/pubs.
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