The pygmy goat is truly a unique animal and the Breed Standard that served it well for over 30 years has not only preserved those unique qualities, but because the animal it was written for existed only on paper and in the hopes of those founders at the time it was written, it has also produced many of the unique qualities of the pygmy goat in America. I suspect that if we continue to breed true to that standard, it will continue to reveal to us just how unique these animals truly are.
The article above, with the exception of author's note, was submitted for publication in MEMO almost 11 months ago, in July of 2008 but to date has not been accepted for publication. All of the other articles I will cite in these documents I have copies of which I can produce upon request at the June Board Meeting or Convention, and most of which NPGA has in their archives and publications and can reprint or review for accuracy as well.
I am presenting factual information here for review and consideration and perhaps some insight as to the Breed Standard and its interpretation over the history of the pygmy goat. I am sure that there are many of you out there, like me, that want to make decisions based not on what one says were the intentions of the founders, but on what those founders (as a group) actually wrote, decided upon, and enacted. When they were faced with viewing their standard in light of the animals it produced over the years, what adjustments, if any, did they make and what did they write about those decisions in our minutes, reports and MEMO articles? I am fairly certain they did not always agree 100% and that views were presented on either side of many issues, but what did they ultimately decide? What were the decisions and changes that resulted? What animals were seen, accepted and registered over the years of implementing the Standard and did the concerns presented result in any change to their Standard, or did it result in adherence to that standard and allowing it to continue to define the breed in America?
Personal preferences are what we all have and demonstrate in the choice of animals we ultimately breed or buy and that is at it should be. Our Standard was never meant to be used to define personal preference nor limit personal preference, and in looking at how few changes were made while the founders were still active in NPGA and how dramatically this has changed in the past 3 years, I see a trend toward altering the Standard to reflect personal preference- first in random markings by minimizing the seriousness of the fault in the Standard, then by removing the fault statement altogether. Next, by changing the color of the optional markings and breed specific markings from "light" to "white". I do not think we still realize the full impact of what some probably saw as a small change in wording or interpreted as a "grammatical error". Perhaps when they have time to reflect on this more, they will change it back, realizing that the founders really did do what they said- toiled long and hard with some highly educated and qualified folks to adopt the Standard. This Standard was meant to represent the blue-print for pygmies in the U.S. and the agreement NPGA has with the breeders who adhere to that standard. Clearly our founders believed in the dual purpose of the pygmy when they included the section entitled "Dairy Character" and the removal of this section along with some of the traits under that section was not done with consideration of what the founders intended.
The evidence of which animals have been able to consistently be registered and shown based on this Breed Standard of over 30 years can be found here and verified in the herd book and MEMO. The pygmy goat is truly a unique animal and the Breed Standard that served it well for over 30 years has not only preserved those unique qualities, but because the animal it was written for existed only on paper and in the hopes of those founders at the time it was written, it has also produced many of the unique qualities of the pygmy goat in America. I suspect that if we continue to breed true to that standard, it will continue to reveal to us just how unique these animals truly are.
Click on the "Favorites" tab above for links to historical and scientific documentation of the Breed Standard and Color History of the NPGA Pygmy Goat in America.
