LUA Backcross Project
Stocklore Stipples
The Story of Stocklore Stipples
It all begins with a man and two dogs - a Pointer named Shandown’s Rapid Transit and a Dalmatian bitch named Lady Godiva. The name of the man determined to correct the recessive mutant gene causing hyperuricosuria is Dr. Robert Schaible. His hypothesis was that the aforementioned disorder was a simple recessive genetic inheritance in the Dalmatian and that it could be corrected by reintroducing the normal gene into the Dalmatian through a backcross.
What is a Backcross?
Up until the middle of the 20th century, dog breeders did not hesitate to crossbreed as a way to introduce desirable traits into established breeds where those traits were lacking. Offspring from such crosses could generally be registered as purebred after the third generation of backcrossing. (Credit: Denise Powell, Aberdeen Dalmatians). It was around this time that backcrossing fell out of favor with many breeders.
It was also around this time that Dr. Schaible set out to breed Low Uric Acid (LUA) Dalmatians through one Pointer X Dalmatian mating, one time. All the offspring in this litter were LUA (N/hu). Next, he backcrossed the one hybrid offspring which most closely conformed to a Dalmatian with a purebred Dalmatian. Then, the resulting LUA that most closely conformed to the standard was backcrossed with another purebred Dalmatian. This LUA line was backcrossed three times until the resulting litter was recognized and registered by the AKC as purebred Dalmatians.
Why Backcross with a Pointer?
The Pointer was an obvious choice for two reasons:
(1) Pointers carry two copies of the normal LUA gene.
(2) Pointers were almost certainly one of the ancient breeds used to develop the Dalmatian. It is important to remember that Noah only brought two dogs onboard the Ark and that all modern-day dog breeds were developed throughout history by crossing dogs that possess different genetic traits. The Pointer is a ‘close’ relative of the Dalmatian - as far as conformation is concerned.
The Beginning of the LUA Backcross Project
As mentioned above, the LUA Backcross Project began with mating an LUA Pointer with an HUA Dalmatian:
This mating produced an LUA (N/hu) dog that was given Dr. Schaible’s kennel name “Stocklore,” even though the dog could not be registered with the AKC because it was a hybrid.
After three subsequent backcross breedings (explained above), the resulting offspring was then given full AKC registration. One of the bitches of this litter was named STOCKLORE STIPPLES.
All LUA Dalmatians have a pedigree that can be traced back to Stocklore Stipples. Stipples herself was 31/32 Dalmatian and 1/32 Pointer. LUA Dalmatians today are many, many generations removed from her and, as such, no genetic trace of the Pointer remains in the line - except the normal Low Uric Acid gene!