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1999 Spring OFA Board of Directors Meeting produces OFA Withdrawal from USA's "a" stamp program |
In March and May conversations with OFA Executive Director, Greg Keller, DVM, MS, DACVR, we discussed the fact that the OFA Board of Directors had voted to rescind it's participation in the USA's "a" stamp program. I was not overly surprised at this, since I had voiced my own concerns to Dr. Keller regarding OFA's participation from the moment the program's 1 July 1997 initiation was announced in the USA Magazine.
Red
Flag:
The
first "red flag" (in my mind) regarding the program was that NOWHERE in
the text or announcement has it ever been stated that OFFICIAL AUTHORIZATION
ALLOWING USA TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A PROGRAM had been issued by the SV......In
checking OFA files and correspondence, Dr. Keller said he could find no
such written SV authorization, although it had been promised by past USA
President Mr. Melloy (Smoke-blower and mirror-dazzler extraordinaire).
Two other issues were of great concern (to me) - those dealing with the NAME of the program as stated in USA's announcement heading and repeated throughout the announcement, and the actual numerical ratings and position placement on the SV pedigree (in English).
First
Concern:
The
name of USA'S program was cited as "OFA HIP CERTIFICATION PROGRAM," which
it clearly IS NOT and COULD NOT be! OFA only offers CERTIFICATION
OF HIP STATUS AFTER THE AGE OF 2 YEARS.....The USA program NEVER involved
any "OFA certification." USA merely accepted and used a written OFA EVALUATION
(an official OFA "consensus" of hip condition at that time) as the basis
for their unauthorized program. To state that their program was a
"hip CERTIFICATION program" was clearly misleading and misdirecting.
The average reader could assume that they now could have OFA CERTIFICATION
at 12-23 months of age. This misunderstanding was compounded
in direct ratio to the number of times USA repeated the statement in the
announcement.
Second
Concern:
My
second area of concern dealt with the actual USA/SV
Ahnentafel (pedigree, "pink papers")
as they are issued in ENGLISH
here in the United States.
Ahnentafeln issued by the SV IN GERMAN have the hip rating (HD-Befunde) categories listed as:
| a1
= "a" normal
a2 = "a" fast normal a3 = "a" noch zugelassen a6 = "a" Ausland (foreign) |
 |
Clearly implying that the numerical ratings on Ahnentafeln in German or in English define the same categories, the USA/SV Ahnentafel issued in ENGLISH have the numerical hip rating (HD-Ratings) categories erroneously listed as:
| a1
= "a" excellent
a2 = "a" good a3 = "a" fair a6
= "a" Foreign
|
 |
Once again, this attempt to "confuse" by equating the SV "normal" with OFA "Excellent," the SV "fast normal" with OFA "Good," and the SV "noch zugelassen" with OFA "fair." Smoke and mirrors a batch!
Based on concerns similar to mine and many others, based on the fact that GSDCA-WDA President David Landau had also opened discussions with the OFA regarding the WDA initiating a similar "a" stamp program, and based on the numerous GSD-owner-reported failures of the SV to accept the USA's so-called "a" stamp, the OFA Board of Directors voted to rescind OFA's further participation in USA's program.
Following the Board's decision, Dr. Keller notified USA President Mike Hamilton of this decision, but stated to me that in the intervening months, he had not received any response to his many requests for acknowledgement. I declined to publish this information until the USA officially acknowledged the OFA's withdrawal, which only RECENTLY occurred. However, USA's "announcement" is more than six months late and does NOT tell an accurate story......
Unfortunately, along with all the other messes in dire need of cleanup, it appears that the current USA President was left with smoke that needs to be blown away and mirrors that need to be broken......Believe me - it WON'T bring "bad luck!"
Bobbie