Say it's not so...

[jurious]

I'm really panicky and nervous. Tahi-Reme Churchill, the Dobermann I wanted a puppy from, might have died young. I'm so afraid, I feel sick. I've never even met this dog, I grant you, but I loved the look of him, and I had my heart set on a pup from him. If he has died, it must have been DCM (Dilated Carido Myopathy) that took him. It's a big killer in Dobes, and is a horrid disease which comes on suddenly, though I'm told it is actually a progressive disease and, one thus presumes, can be recognised in the early stages. It affects males more than females, and often takes dogs before they reach 6 years of age. With the gene pool of Dobes - particularly European and some American ones - being so tight, DCM is not as uncommon as we'd like it to be, and occurs in many of the top, show-winning lines. But it's impossible to link it to any one gene, which means it's impossible to trace, and even harder to know where it might occur, or from which dogs it was inherited. Sometimes it skips generations.

If Churchill has died, then some might say it's a good thing I'm not getting a pup from him due to the chance of the pup carrying - if not having - DCM. But still... it hurts. I'm hoping there's been a mistake and the report is untrue, but I've got a terrible feeling that one of my fave contemporary Dobes has died... :(

EDIT: It's true... Churchill has passed away. http://www.dobis.net/neu/deutsch/praesetationen/memorian/tahi_reme_churchill/churchill.htm It was from a duodenal ulcer, apparently - not DCM. Rest easy, son. :(