After many years in the breeding world and striving to produce a healthy purebred Yorkshire Terrier, I realized something important: genetic diversity is a critical part of producing healthy dogs.
What Is a Doll Face Pup?
After coming to understand the difference between DNA testing to verify parentage versus Embark DNA testing to reveal coat color genetics, size traits, and health traits, I realized why certain purebreds are prone to specific health issues. For example, the Yorkshire Terrier is known for PRCD (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), which causes early-onset blindness. The Maltese is prone to Glycogen Storage Disease. These are breed-specific health issues that exist because purebred dogs, by nature, have a very small gene pool.
This is where you hear the term Hybrid Vigor — because a hybrid (the cross of two purebreds in the first generation) tends to be very healthy, as it introduces significant genetic diversity. However, if you cross a Yorkie and Maltese to get a Morkie, and then breed that Morkie to another Morkie, you are past the first generation — and you've crossed two purebreds enough times that the same breed-specific health issues begin to re-emerge.
So What's the Point?
We obviously can't have our cake and eat it too — we all want our dogs to live a long, enjoyable life. I believe that through careful health testing and the thoughtful crossing of multiple purebreds, we can continue to create and maintain genetic diversity.
While some may say we are simply a designer dog breeder, we are not. We do not make designer crosses and stick to the gene pool of just two purebred breeds. We carefully breed based on genetic diversity and compatibility — first for health, and then for that trademark Doll Face look. We are literally doing the opposite of a traditional purebred program, which creates a narrow gene pool. We are setting a standard for features while requiring genetic diversity. There will be no inbreeding or line breeding in our standard for the Doll Face Pup.
We aren't breeding dogs so that an AKC judge can put a ribbon in my hand after I've spent money attending events. We are breeding for the true value of a dog — a long life full of long walks, toys, and hours soaking up the sun.
A Note from Janet
If you don't agree, that's okay. I don't live my life seeking approval to please everyone. I live my life giving this world everything I have — in a way that honors who I am. I love God. I love people. I try to forgive, so that someday when I stand before my maker, I hope He can forgive me for my shortcomings. In other words, I do what I think is real and has a good impact on the world — not for the world's approval, but for God's. I think the love of a dog is a fantastic way to spread love in the world. All my love — Janet Tolbert
